Name: Sheldon Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-05-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-21

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Dairy-Holstein feeder special sale. No trend applicable, as the last auction was over a month ago. Mostly smaller strings in the offering today. Big crowd in the arena, and good demand throughout the sale.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $483.33/cwt on 9 head, up $1.33 from the prior sale (only 10 head in that comparison). That ranks 3 of 2 comparable sales and sits +30.51 against this barn's trailing median of $452.82.

Average price

$483.33

▲ 1.33 vs prior sale

9 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,629

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$76

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2

$50.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−16.77

vs IA average

+8.85 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	530	500.00	2,650	6thin
Medium and Large 1-2	572	450.00	2,574	3thin

One grade step is worth $50.00/cwt here — about $76 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale9 hd

483.33

—

IA average6 barns · 1,327 hd

500.11

−16.77

National average171 barns · 13,387 hd

474.48

+8.85

This barn, trailing median2 sales

452.82

+30.51

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot, as filed

44 lots · USDA AMS · Sheldon Livestock Feeder Cattle Special - Sheldon, IA

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	822	344.14/cwt	335.00–351.00	2,829	19
Dairy Heifers	Small and Medium 3-4	850–900	868	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,736	4
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Medium and Large 2-3	800–850	831	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,285	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	447	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,324	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,650	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	455	514.20/cwt	500.00–525.00	2,340	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	611	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,322	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	788	330.26/cwt	325.00–360.00	2,602	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	572	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,574	3
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	582	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,503	5
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	411	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,199	7
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	468	533.93/cwt	510.00–540.00	2,499	20
Beef/Dairy Steers	Medium and Large 2-3	750–800	757	359.50/cwt	355.00–365.00	2,721	9
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	715	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,431	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	597	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,567	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	975	312.55/cwt	307.00–318.00	3,047	42
Beef/Dairy Steers	Medium and Large 2-3	500–550	527	548.65/cwt	535.00–552.50	2,891	23
Beef/Dairy Steers	Medium and Large 2-3	150–200	152	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	912	5
Beef/Dairy Steers	Medium and Large 2-3	650–700	670	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,747	4
Beef/Dairy Steers	Medium and Large 2-3	400–450	434	595.65/cwt	590.00–605.00	2,585	18
Dairy Heifers	Large 3-4	950–1000	982	221.53/cwt	215.00–234.00	2,175	18
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	1200–1250	1,233	239.70/cwt	230.00–247.00	2,956	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	766	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,681	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	514	437.54/cwt	430.00–440.00	2,249	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	897	310.38/cwt	310.00–311.00	2,784	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	633	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,912	3
Dairy Steers	Large 3-4	800–850	843	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	2,023	5
Dairy Heifers	Large 3-4	150–200	190	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	475	23
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	1150–1200	1,176	237.48/cwt	224.00–247.00	2,793	22
Dairy Steers	Large 3	500–550	521	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,084	5
Dairy Steers	Large 3	600–650	615	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,522	16
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	350–400	394	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,221	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	725	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	3,081	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	640	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	3,040	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	810	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,349	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	796	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,468	8
Dairy Steers	Small and Medium 3-4	550–600	561	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,543	6
Dairy Heifers	Small and Medium 3-4	100–150	130	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	390	14
Dairy Heifers	Large 3-4	1000–1050	1,025	233.00/cwt	233.00–233.00	2,388	2
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	1350–1400	1,351	233.50/cwt	233.50–233.50	3,155	5
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	1250–1300	1,263	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	2,842	9
Dairy Heifers	Large 3	1100–1150	1,127	242.14/cwt	232.50–249.00	2,729	19
Steers	Large 1	1200–1250	1,223	227.50/cwt	227.50–227.50	2,782	4
Heifers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,168	222.00/cwt	222.00–222.00	2,593	6

How this sale compares

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.

Iowa feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Sheldon Livestock Feeder Cattle Special - Sheldon, IA

Thu May 21, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Des Moines, IA (LS-NW)

Receipts 661Last week 928Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
23	450–500	455	500.00–525.00	514.20
6	500–550	530	500.00	500.00
5	600–650	640	475.00	475.00
5	700–750	725	425.00	425.00
19	750–800	788	325.00–360.00	330.26
19	800–850	822	335.00–351.00	344.14
42	950–1000	975	307.00–318.00	312.55
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	550–600	572	450.00	450.00
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	1200–1250	1,223	227.50	227.50
Dairy Heifers — Small and Medium 3-4$ per cwt · actual wt
14	100–150	130	300.00	300.00
4	850–900	868	200.00	200.00
Dairy Heifers — Large 3-4$ per cwt · actual wt
23	150–200	190	250.00	250.00
18	950–1000	982	215.00–234.00	221.53
2	1000–1050	1,025	233.00	233.00
Dairy Heifers — Large 3$ per cwt · actual wt
8	350–400	394	310.00	310.00
19	1100–1150	1,127	232.50–249.00	242.14
22	1150–1200	1,176	224.00–247.00	237.48
7	1200–1250	1,233	230.00–247.00	239.70
9	1250–1300	1,263	225.00	225.00
5	1350–1400	1,351	233.50	233.50
Beef/Dairy Heifers — Medium and Large 2-3$ per cwt · actual wt
6	800–850	831	275.00	275.00
Beef/Dairy Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	400–450	411	535.00	535.00
20	450–500	468	510.00–540.00	533.93
5	550–600	582	430.00	430.00
3	700–750	715	340.00	340.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	400–450	447	520.00	520.00
12	500–550	514	430.00–440.00	437.54
10	550–600	597	430.00	430.00
3	600–650	633	460.00	460.00
16	750–800	766	350.00	350.00
13	850–900	897	310.00–311.00	310.38
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	600–650	611	380.00	380.00
8	750–800	796	310.00	310.00
5	800–850	810	290.00	290.00
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	1150–1200	1,168	222.00	222.00
Beef/Dairy Steers — Medium and Large 2-3$ per cwt · actual wt
5	150–200	152	600.00	600.00
18	400–450	434	590.00–605.00	595.65
23	500–550	527	535.00–552.50	548.65
4	650–700	670	410.00	410.00
9	750–800	757	355.00–365.00	359.50
Dairy Steers — Large 3-4$ per cwt · actual wt
5	800–850	843	240.00	240.00
Dairy Steers — Large 3$ per cwt · actual wt
5	500–550	521	400.00	400.00
16	600–650	615	410.00	410.00
Dairy Steers — Small and Medium 3-4$ per cwt · actual wt
6	550–600	561	275.00	275.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

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Sheldon Livestock Auction