Cattle Market Pulse

Lexington Livestock Market Report

Lexington, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, February 16, 2024

4,457 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $242.15/cwt +10.21 vs last sale · ≈ $1,734/hd at 716 lb · 837 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $265.42/cwt +2.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,660/hd at 626 lb · 478 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $246.49/cwt +4.20 vs last sale · ≈ $2,019/hd at 819 lb · 386 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,457 4,282 2,421
Feeder cattle 4,457 4,282 2,421

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week steers 500-750 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher with steers over 750 lbs selling steady. Heifers under 550 lbs sold sharply higher with heifers over 600 lbs selling 5.00 to 7.00 higher. Some consignments came to the ring carrying tag (mud) and demand was good from the buyers in the crowd and on the internet.

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
365–377 371 20 357.50–371.00 $365.68 $1,357 +10.68
400–434 417 21 338.00–348.00 $345.42 $1,440 -14.16
406–436 fancy 428 41 373.00–379.00 $377.47 $1,616 —
477 477 25 334.00 $334.00 $1,593 -5.53
490 490 15 320.00 $320.00 $1,568 -19.53
527–532 thin fleshed 529 23 338.50–342.00 $339.88 $1,798 +0.38
529 fancy 529 131 354.00 $354.00 $1,873 —
544–545 544 59 324.00–330.00 $326.75 $1,778 +23.75
581–592 588 110 308.00–315.50 $310.63 $1,827 +15.63
618 thin fleshed 618 52 314.50 $314.50 $1,944 +0.52
603–642 625 122 285.00–301.00 $289.76 $1,811 +5.76
666 thin fleshed 666 102 296.00 $296.00 $1,971 +9.20
671–686 679 60 274.25–282.00 $278.08 $1,888 +3.94
700–733 716 270 255.50–268.00 $260.59 $1,866 +11.09
700–743 738 110 250.25–254.00 $252.04 $1,860 -4.95
753 thin fleshed 753 29 259.00 $259.00 $1,950 —
784–798 788 145 246.25–247.00 $246.45 $1,942 -4.42
809–845 819 386 241.50–247.50 $246.49 $2,019 +2.55
880 880 252 223.00 $223.00 $1,962 -9.88
898 898 43 228.00 $228.00 $2,047 -4.88
1000–1026 1018 22 210.00–213.50 $212.41 $2,162 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364–393 384 66 321.00–329.00 $324.37 $1,246 +24.37
413 unweaned 413 10 291.00 $291.00 $1,202 —
404–449 422 20 316.00–322.50 $320.64 $1,353 +39.64
498 fancy 498 123 327.00 $327.00 $1,628 —
500–545 526 72 290.00–293.50 $291.54 $1,534 +10.12
539 539 10 275.00 $275.00 $1,482 -6.42
557–583 564 144 267.50–274.50 $272.55 $1,537 +8.59
568 thin fleshed 568 48 293.00 $293.00 $1,664 +2.50
616–627 623 188 265.00–269.75 $267.83 $1,669 +8.05
600–635 626 269 257.00–270.00 $264.79 $1,658 +20.98
643 643 21 252.00 $252.00 $1,620 +8.19
650–662 655 86 252.50–258.00 $255.96 $1,677 —
651–696 662 129 243.50–254.00 $250.64 $1,659 -9.36
700–723 708 161 246.00–264.00 $256.52 $1,816 +24.58
700–744 718 676 232.00–243.50 $238.73 $1,714 +6.79
758–765 763 44 240.00–250.00 $246.84 $1,883 +20.82
774–794 788 132 230.50–233.75 $232.86 $1,835 -3.64
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 22 270.00 $270.00 $1,202 -3.19
488 488 20 271.00 $271.00 $1,322 —
610–638 620 21 240.00–246.00 $241.85 $1,499 —

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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.