Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 10, 2024

414 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 414 267 451
Slaughter cattle 414 267 451

Compared to the sale two weeks ago: Choice slaughter steers 1.00 higher. Steers over 1600 lbs bringing 1.00 premium. Choice slaughter heifers 4.00 higher. Dairy steers 6.00-7.00 lower today. Mostly smaller strings in the offering today. Good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1311 1298 13 171.00–174.00 $172.93 $2,245 -8.95
1270–1333 1300 6 181.00–186.00 $183.56 $2,386
1320–1485 1402 19 177.00–181.50 $180.01 $2,524 -1.40
1386–1485 1453 18 183.50–188.00 $185.40 $2,694 +9.67
1525 1525 3 178.50 $178.50 $2,722 -6.48
1504–1578 1538 42 183.75–189.00 $185.79 $2,857 +0.81
1523–1713 1559 16 184.00–186.00 $184.41 $2,875 -1.49
1623–1645 1636 5 182.00–182.75 $182.45 $2,985 -2.11
1599–1771 1680 29 185.00–190.00 $187.75 $3,154

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1101 1078 7 179.00–184.50 $182.35 $1,966
1070–1376 1338 9 180.50–181.50 $180.59 $2,416 +1.73
1251–1572 1364 101 184.85–190.00 $186.80 $2,548 +3.73
1065–1542 1373 23 179.00–183.75 $182.46 $2,505 -0.61
1325–1450 1442 15 187.00–188.50 $188.41 $2,717
1613–1630 1616 6 182.50–183.50 $183.33 $2,963

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1445 1385 3 174.50–178.00 $175.87 $2,436
1493–1727 1632 9 175.00–180.50 $178.66 $2,916 +10.17

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1693 1693 2 164.00 $164.00 $2,777

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1444 1444 13 160.50 $160.50 $2,318
1624–1778 1686 18 169.00–174.00 $170.05 $2,867

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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.