Cattle Market Pulse

Lexington Livestock Market Report

Lexington, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 18, 2020

2,613 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Lexington Livestock Market report →

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $154.12/cwt +2.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,041/hd at 676 lb · 331 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.78/cwt +3.08 vs last sale · ≈ $897/hd at 624 lb · 301 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $165.90/cwt +5.49 vs last sale · ≈ $959/hd at 578 lb · 279 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,613 2,312 1,991
Feeder cattle 2,613 2,312 1,991

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week steers 450-600 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher, steers 600-700 lbs sold steady to 2.00 lower and heifers 500-700 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher. Demand was good from the buyers in the crowd.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 11 197.00 $197.00 $749 —
423 unweaned 423 8 185.00 $185.00 $783 +7.00
408–448 425 12 174.00–179.00 $176.80 $751 -3.20
458–491 unweaned 474 27 176.00–185.00 $179.36 $850 -3.24
491–494 493 25 177.00–178.00 $177.60 $876 -0.40
503–511 508 14 162.00–164.00 $162.71 $827 -7.42
507–526 unweaned 515 39 168.00–169.75 $168.92 $870 -7.91
502–544 524 98 169.00–173.00 $171.06 $896 +0.93
552 unweaned 552 9 164.00 $164.00 $905 +6.16
550–598 578 228 161.75–170.00 $167.87 $970 +5.34
578–586 582 42 155.25–156.00 $155.64 $906 -6.89
607–638 621 43 148.00–151.50 $148.97 $925 -9.95
614–638 unweaned 622 101 148.25–156.25 $153.13 $952 +3.88
606–643 624 102 153.25–159.00 $156.88 $979 -2.04
653–698 675 319 150.00–158.75 $154.46 $1,043 -0.28
690 690 12 145.00 $145.00 $1,000 -9.74
700 700 26 141.00 $141.00 $987 -8.50
731–737 736 103 154.00–157.25 $156.13 $1,149 +6.63
760 760 26 137.00 $137.00 $1,041 -1.00
768–788 780 131 146.25–152.75 $149.28 $1,164 -1.25
811 811 5 136.25 $136.25 $1,105 +1.75
903 903 14 131.75 $131.75 $1,190 -0.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
639–644 642 10 141.50–143.50 $142.50 $915 —
733 733 14 135.00 $135.00 $990 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–418 unweaned 417 23 157.50–160.00 $158.37 $660 -3.95
446 446 11 163.00 $163.00 $727 —
453–470 467 50 157.25–159.00 $157.98 $738 +8.51
470–490 unweaned 481 11 161.50–163.50 $162.61 $782 +6.38
475–496 485 17 150.00–152.50 $151.20 $733 +1.73
513–532 unweaned 524 53 145.00–154.25 $152.25 $798 +3.88
524–540 534 35 145.00–146.50 $145.59 $777 -7.55
525–544 536 144 150.00–157.00 $153.76 $824 +0.62
566–593 unweaned 582 89 132.50–142.25 $139.14 $810 -4.07
602–645 624 301 140.00–148.50 $143.78 $897 +4.49
669–695 686 113 137.75–139.50 $138.44 $950 -0.94
716–738 729 29 133.00–136.25 $134.32 $979 +4.82
750 750 34 130.75 $130.75 $981 +1.00
804 804 40 128.50 $128.50 $1,033 —
951 951 15 134.50 $134.50 $1,279 +0.50
1044 1044 11 124.00 $124.00 $1,295 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
836 836 8 125.50 $125.50 $1,049 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 15 171.00 $171.00 $821 —
721 unweaned 721 10 132.00 $132.00 $952 —

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Reading this report

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.