Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 14, 2024

302 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 302 770 187
Slaughter cattle 302 770 187

No comparison as there hasn't been a recently reported sale. Plenty of smaller strings in the offering today. Good offering of dairy steers showing an upward trend. Demand good throughout the sale.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350 1350 2 183.00 $183.00 $2,470 —
1335–1378 1359 9 175.00–181.00 $177.62 $2,414 —
1305–1483 1437 14 181.00–182.00 $181.21 $2,604 +9.05
1393–1483 1457 23 184.00–188.00 $186.39 $2,716 +11.81
1520 1520 2 177.00 $177.00 $2,690 +11.18
1517–1580 1529 15 183.00–186.00 $184.31 $2,818 +18.49
1539 1539 4 186.00 $186.00 $2,863 +11.98
1672–1805 1697 10 177.00–182.00 $180.63 $3,065 —
1645–1710 1702 16 183.00–189.50 $188.71 $3,212 —

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1129–1348 1259 16 170.00–179.00 $174.77 $2,200 —
1239–1402 1321 10 170.00–175.00 $172.65 $2,281 —
1213–1488 1383 60 179.50–185.00 $182.51 $2,524 +8.17
1377–1483 1417 8 181.00–183.00 $182.21 $2,582 +14.58
1576 1576 7 184.00 $184.00 $2,900 —
1580 1580 1 174.00 $174.00 $2,749 —

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1545 1431 6 152.00–161.00 $157.36 $2,252 —
1424–1510 1441 5 173.00–173.50 $173.40 $2,499 —

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1450 1418 2 135.00–143.00 $138.91 $1,970 —
1568–1665 1617 4 151.00–153.00 $151.97 $2,457 —
1625 1625 1 164.00 $164.00 $2,665 —
1615–1700 1632 5 144.00–145.00 $144.79 $2,363 —

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1505 1468 11 149.00–153.00 $152.46 $2,238 —
1591–1780 1652 40 152.50–160.00 $155.97 $2,577 —
1635–1743 1702 9 161.00–167.00 $164.36 $2,797 —

↑ Back to top

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.