Cattle Market Pulse

Lexington Livestock Market Report

Lexington, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, April 17, 2026

1,213 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $355.68/cwt +1.87 vs last sale · ≈ $2,701/hd at 760 lb · 117 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $335.70/cwt -0.61 vs last sale · ≈ $2,792/hd at 832 lb · 112 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $454.42/cwt +28.21 vs last sale · ≈ $2,976/hd at 655 lb · 111 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,213 2,421 2,879
Feeder cattle 1,191 2,421 2,879
Replacement cattle 22 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago, steers over 600 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher and heifers over 600 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher. Demand was moderate to 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
355 355 5 635.00 $635.00 $2,254 —
426 426 6 578.00 $578.00 $2,462 —
450 450 5 539.00 $539.00 $2,426 -22.33
494 unweaned 494 7 532.50 $532.50 $2,631 —
502–541 527 27 512.00–541.00 $523.13 $2,757 +8.93
589–598 593 87 460.00–480.00 $469.38 $2,783 -18.00
600–646 626 53 459.00–469.00 $462.26 $2,894 -0.32
651–659 655 111 442.00–460.50 $454.42 $2,976 +28.21
714 714 46 420.00 $420.00 $2,999 -6.31
778 778 8 388.00 $388.00 $3,019 —
815–816 816 41 377.00–381.00 $377.49 $3,080 +6.28
869 869 7 364.50 $364.50 $3,168 +13.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
483 483 6 517.00 $517.00 $2,497 —
577 577 7 430.00 $430.00 $2,481 —
659 thin fleshed 659 5 426.00 $426.00 $2,807 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
328 328 5 600.00 $600.00 $1,968 —
454–474 465 14 486.00–502.50 $492.90 $2,292 +16.05
550–571 559 59 420.00–439.00 $431.97 $2,415 -11.70
600–640 619 93 395.00–412.00 $407.70 $2,524 -3.88
700–743 712 60 366.00–387.00 $379.25 $2,700 +6.25
745 745 40 355.50 $355.50 $2,648 +5.50
758 758 106 357.00 $357.00 $2,706 +3.19
774 774 11 343.00 $343.00 $2,655 -10.81
800–810 802 41 344.00–348.00 $347.31 $2,785 +11.00
849 849 71 329.00 $329.00 $2,793 -7.31
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
412 412 6 512.00 $512.00 $2,109 —
474 unweaned 474 7 432.50 $432.50 $2,050 —
473–487 479 15 445.00–450.00 $447.04 $2,141 -13.96
483 483 7 468.00 $468.00 $2,260 +7.00
512 512 5 442.50 $442.50 $2,266 +18.27
645 645 6 377.50 $377.50 $2,435 +6.50
650–664 656 17 376.00–388.00 $380.90 $2,499 +31.90
666–688 677 12 365.00–366.00 $365.49 $2,474 +16.49
832 832 5 318.00 $318.00 $2,646 +3.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1520–1560 1538 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 20 4,000.00–4,150.00 $4,081.53 —

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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.