Cattle Market Pulse

Lexington Livestock Market Report

Lexington, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 15, 2023

1,708 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $248.07/cwt +20.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,669/hd at 673 lb · 229 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $279.14/cwt +8.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,595/hd at 571 lb · 172 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $218.09/cwt ≈ $1,774/hd at 814 lb · 156 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,708 1,055 2,674
Feeder cattle 1,708 1,055 2,674

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week steers under 700 lbs sold mostly steady and heifers 450-650 lbs sold 2.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand was good from the buyers in the crowd with internet activity noticed

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
419 419 9 303.00 $303.00 $1,270 —
454 454 5 287.00 $287.00 $1,303 +6.00
469–479 unweaned 474 19 290.00–292.00 $291.04 $1,380 —
479–497 488 37 306.00–309.00 $307.43 $1,500 +26.43
510 510 7 281.00 $281.00 $1,433 -0.41
506–526 unweaned 516 12 279.00–280.00 $279.49 $1,442 —
555–589 569 139 278.50–290.50 $282.35 $1,607 +20.35
574 unweaned 574 21 268.00 $268.00 $1,538 —
593 593 12 261.50 $261.50 $1,551 -0.50
603–644 627 102 258.50–263.50 $262.77 $1,648 -1.83
641 unweaned 641 39 248.00 $248.00 $1,590 —
658 unweaned 658 40 239.00 $239.00 $1,573 —
655–693 676 189 245.75–255.25 $249.99 $1,690 +22.07
700 700 14 240.00 $240.00 $1,680 +1.00
713 713 32 228.75 $228.75 $1,631 -10.25
762–778 775 64 232.00–233.50 $233.18 $1,807 +4.18
790 790 78 222.00 $222.00 $1,754 -7.00
809 809 54 211.00 $211.00 $1,707 —
800–826 816 102 218.00–224.25 $221.85 $1,810 —
863 863 19 211.25 $211.25 $1,823 —
923 923 14 200.00 $200.00 $1,846 -3.00
1000 1000 11 195.00 $195.00 $1,950 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
676 unweaned 676 21 229.50 $229.50 $1,551 —
856 856 5 186.00 $186.00 $1,592 -25.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356 356 6 277.00 $277.00 $986 —
443 443 21 262.00 $262.00 $1,161 —
480 unweaned 480 10 246.00 $246.00 $1,181 —
456–496 487 47 263.00–274.00 $266.36 $1,297 +18.36
488 488 15 255.00 $255.00 $1,244 +7.00
508 unweaned 508 5 250.00 $250.00 $1,270 —
549 549 19 260.00 $260.00 $1,427 —
551–590 579 107 251.50–254.00 $252.36 $1,461 +25.65
573–588 unweaned 580 16 237.00–242.50 $240.06 $1,392 —
601–617 605 99 244.00–249.00 $247.81 $1,499 +13.31
657–672 668 62 226.00–230.00 $228.98 $1,530 —
727 727 40 206.00 $206.00 $1,498 -2.38
851 851 12 200.50 $200.50 $1,706 —
1006–1040 1026 10 173.00–176.00 $174.18 $1,787 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 unweaned 430 6 241.00 $241.00 $1,036 —
585 unweaned 585 23 223.00 $223.00 $1,305 —
606 606 6 217.00 $217.00 $1,315 —

↑ Back to top

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.