Sale reports / Iowa / Sheldon Livestock Auction / 2026-04-16

Sheldon Livestock Auction

Slaughter Cattle · Sheldon, Iowa · Thu, Apr 16
● Final17 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 2154
Receipts
255 head
▼ 329 vs last sale 584▲ 41 vs year ago 214 · +19.2%
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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Thursday; Choice slaughter steers steady to 1.00 lower, with steers over 1500 lbs steady to 1.00 higher. Choice slaughter heifers 3.00 higher. Dairy steers mostly steady. No implant cattle bringing a premium. The auction consisted of mainly smaller strings today. Good demand.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt
Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.
ClassGradeDressingAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Beef/Dairy HeifersChoiceAverage1,288242.353,12114
Beef/Dairy SteersChoiceAverage1,568249.503,9122thin
Beef/Dairy SteersSelect and ChoiceAverage1,251238.762,9877thin
Dairy HeifersChoiceAverage1,666218.843,64611
Dairy HeifersSelect and ChoiceAverage1,635207.233,3889thin
Dairy SteersChoiceAverage1,636232.023,7967thin
Dairy SteersSelect and ChoiceAverage1,624223.913,63612
HeifersChoiceAverage1,447250.473,62460
HeifersSelect and ChoiceAverage1,534237.003,6365thin
SteersChoiceAverage1,528249.153,80673
SteersSelect and ChoiceAverage1,651239.753,9588thin

Every lot

17 lots · USDA AMS · Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle - Sheldon, IA
Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.
ClassWeightGrade / descriptionAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Slaughter Cattle · Steers5 lots · lightest first
Steers—ChoiceCertified Prgms1,386252.63/cwt249.00–254.003,50118
Steers—Choice1,402246.06/cwt244.50–249.003,45015
Steers—Choice1,552249.17/cwt247.00–251.503,86722
Steers—Select and ChoiceHeavy Weight1,651239.75/cwt239.75–239.753,9588
Steers—ChoiceHeavy Weight1,744248.24/cwt247.00–250.004,32918
Slaughter Cattle · Heifers4 lots · lightest first
Heifers—ChoiceCertified Prgms1,394250.72/cwt247.00–253.003,49520
Heifers—Select and Choice1,408240.00/cwt240.00–240.003,3792
Heifers—Choice1,473250.35/cwt247.00–251.503,68840
Heifers—Select and ChoiceHeavy Weight1,618235.00/cwt235.00–235.003,8023
Slaughter Cattle · Beef/Dairy Steers2 lots · lightest first
Beef/Dairy Steers—Select and Choice1,251238.76/cwt238.00–240.002,9877
Beef/Dairy Steers—Choice1,568249.50/cwt249.50–249.503,9122
Slaughter Cattle · Beef/Dairy Heifers2 lots · lightest first
Beef/Dairy Heifers—Choice1,271241.82/cwt240.25–245.003,07412
Beef/Dairy Heifers—ChoiceCertified Prgms1,388245.50/cwt245.50–245.503,4082
Slaughter Cattle · Dairy Heifers2 lots · lightest first
Dairy Heifers—Select and Choice1,635207.23/cwt206.00–212.003,3889
Dairy Heifers—Choice1,666218.84/cwt217.00–223.503,64611
Slaughter Cattle · Dairy Steers2 lots · lightest first
Dairy Steers—Select and Choice1,624223.91/cwt219.00–226.003,63612
Dairy Steers—Choice1,636232.02/cwt227.00–234.503,7967

This sale against other markets

Iowa weighted averages
One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Iowa auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.