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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.