Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 1, 2026

543 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 543 422 0
Slaughter cattle 543 422 0

The last covered sale was two weeks ago, no trend applicable. No implant cattle and steers over 1600 lbs bringing a premium today. Three loads, two half loads and many smaller strings of quality cattle in the offering. Good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305–1320 1313 4 210.00–218.50 $214.23 $2,813 —
1198–1473 1396 21 213.50–218.00 $216.30 $3,020 +2.55
1175–1503 1418 26 218.50–224.00 $221.58 $3,142 -1.64
1475 1475 1 217.00 $217.00 $3,201 —
1470–1495 1480 5 210.00–212.00 $211.19 $3,126 —
1490 1490 7 219.00 $219.00 $3,263 —
1515–1595 1558 36 215.00–218.50 $216.90 $3,379 +3.83
1560 1560 1 211.00 $211.00 $3,292 -12.37
1626–1635 1632 12 218.50–218.75 $218.58 $3,567 -5.38
1610–1847 1702 106 215.00–222.00 $217.36 $3,699 —
1642–1853 1739 23 211.00–214.00 $212.98 $3,704 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1137 1137 6 223.00 $223.00 $2,536 —
1190–1473 1349 8 211.00–224.00 $213.50 $2,880 -4.03
1187–1580 1359 19 209.50–214.50 $211.81 $2,878 -8.72
1311–1425 1360 31 217.00–222.00 $220.77 $3,002 +0.24
1400 1400 2 220.00 $220.00 $3,080 —
1268–1477 1428 108 216.00–221.75 $220.37 $3,147 —
1601 1601 4 216.50 $216.50 $3,466 —
1700 1700 1 209.00 $209.00 $3,553 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355–1650 1455 11 210.50–216.00 $212.25 $3,088 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1604–1825 1641 6 213.00–218.00 $213.93 $3,511 —
1543–1865 1664 9 204.00–209.00 $206.53 $3,437 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510–1600 1555 4 187.00–197.00 $191.86 $2,983 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1498–1585 1549 10 210.00–216.75 $212.86 $3,297 —
1500–1758 1706 17 200.00–207.00 $203.70 $3,475 -3.30
2100 2100 1 190.00 $190.00 $3,990 —

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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.