Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 26, 2026

554 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 554 459 0
Slaughter cattle 554 0

No comparison today, as there hasn't been a recently reported sale. The auction consisted of one load of heifers, several half loads and many smaller strings. Good demand for this offering of quality cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1295 1234 4 225.00–232.00 $229.69 $2,834
1310 1310 4 226.00 $226.00 $2,961
1328–1460 1365 37 236.00–241.50 $237.92 $3,248
1375–1452 1427 23 229.00–234.50 $233.85 $3,337 +11.35
1484 1484 6 237.00 $237.00 $3,517
1505–1590 1544 32 234.50–240.00 $235.95 $3,643
1559–1583 1565 13 231.00–233.75 $233.04 $3,647 +8.86
1628 1628 2 241.00 $241.00 $3,923 +17.03
1641 1641 7 233.75 $233.75 $3,836 +9.78
1600–1810 1654 56 236.00–242.00 $238.74 $3,949
1604–1738 1684 32 240.00–242.25 $240.86 $4,056

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1231–1355 1272 25 227.00–233.00 $232.36 $2,956
1233–1548 1305 16 236.00–241.75 $237.11 $3,094
1260–1553 1411 146 234.00–240.00 $236.36 $3,335 +12.08
1457 1457 3 230.00 $230.00 $3,351
1495 1495 2 238.00 $238.00 $3,558
1652–1655 1653 5 225.00–231.00 $227.40 $3,759 +12.40
1665–1680 1673 2 234.00–239.00 $236.49 $3,956 +21.49

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305 1305 4 218.00 $218.00 $2,845

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1448–1540 1493 7 208.00–209.00 $208.72 $3,116
1420–1738 1632 3 213.00–221.00 $215.32 $3,514

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1302–1367 1335 6 205.00–220.00 $212.68 $2,839
1284–1436 1395 15 207.00–220.00 $216.81 $3,024
1559–1933 1646 16 211.00–219.00 $214.66 $3,533
1549–1779 1663 31 224.00–230.00 $226.57 $3,768 +15.83

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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.