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 4 of 3 comparable sales and sits +59.69 against this barn's trailing median of $423.65.

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.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

3 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $482.00, low $369.39, median $423.65 across 3 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

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 median3 sales

423.65

+59.69

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