Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, September 26, 2024

267 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 267 405 426
Slaughter cattle 267 405 426

No comparison, as there hasn't been a recently reported sale. Most of the auction consisted of small packages. Nice selection of dairy cattle in the offering also. Good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1297 1291 6 181.25–182.50 $181.88 $2,348
1245–1493 1410 16 179.00–184.00 $181.41 $2,558 -7.59
1430–1477 1465 4 175.00–178.00 $175.73 $2,574
1543–1560 1544 28 184.50–185.00 $184.98 $2,856 -0.65
1501–1664 1561 23 185.00–186.50 $185.90 $2,902 +9.40
1621–1690 1631 15 181.50–185.75 $184.56 $3,010 -1.38

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1093–1168 1153 14 178.50–181.00 $180.38 $2,080
1220–1330 1303 6 175.00–179.75 $178.86 $2,331 +0.06
1150–1610 1372 59 181.50–185.75 $183.07 $2,512 -1.56

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1435–1610 1530 7 174.00–179.00 $176.66 $2,703
1545–1840 1643 3 167.00–171.00 $168.49 $2,768

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1536 1536 4 167.00 $167.00 $2,565

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1333 1329 6 158.00–164.00 $158.99 $2,113
1468–1688 1548 12 164.00–170.00 $166.60 $2,579
1418–1885 1708 13 175.25–181.00 $176.96 $3,022

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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.