Cattle Market Nebraska Weekly Livestock Auction Summary
Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Monday, May 29, 20232,779 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Nebraska Weekly Livestock Auction Summary report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 2,779 | 3,702 | 4,130 |
| Feeder cattle | 2,779 | 3,462 | 4,130 |
| Replacement cattle | — | 240 | — |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 408–414 | 410 | 19 | 299.00–302.00 | $300.88 | $1,234 | -12.00 |
| 441 | 441 | 7 | 297.00 | $297.00 | $1,310 | — |
| 478–499 | 485 | 51 | 280.00–306.00 | $289.04 | $1,402 | — |
| 458–498 | 488 | 32 | 282.00–282.50 | $282.12 | $1,377 | — |
| 503 | 503 | 13 | 289.00 | $289.00 | $1,454 | +44.00 |
| 508–537 | 526 | 13 | 277.00–281.00 | $279.51 | $1,470 | +34.51 |
| 541 | 541 | 15 | 300.00 | $300.00 | $1,623 | +55.00 |
| 547 | 547 | 6 | 270.00 | $270.00 | $1,477 | — |
| 550–593 | 574 | 44 | 264.00–288.00 | $277.49 | $1,593 | — |
| 591 | 591 | 9 | 268.50 | $268.50 | $1,587 | — |
| 604–618 | 615 | 44 | 249.00–255.50 | $253.90 | $1,561 | — |
| 633 | 633 | 9 | 263.00 | $263.00 | $1,665 | -6.00 |
| 645 | 645 | 13 | 256.00 | $256.00 | $1,651 | -13.00 |
| 665 | 665 | 61 | 251.75 | $251.75 | $1,674 | +3.14 |
| 666 | 666 | 30 | 271.00 | $271.00 | $1,805 | +22.39 |
| 705–742 | 725 | 93 | 230.00–239.00 | $232.43 | $1,685 | +5.54 |
| 742 | 742 | 6 | 220.00 | $220.00 | $1,632 | -6.89 |
| 750–783 | 779 | 166 | 227.25–232.00 | $227.75 | $1,774 | -9.48 |
| 829 | 829 | 128 | 216.50 | $216.50 | $1,795 | +11.50 |
| 861–885 | 876 | 22 | 198.50–203.00 | $200.11 | $1,753 | — |
| 904 | 904 | 128 | 210.00 | $210.00 | $1,898 | +0.73 |
| 921 | 921 | 9 | 192.50 | $192.50 | $1,773 | -0.50 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 419 | 419 | 8 | 281.00 | $281.00 | $1,177 | — |
| 488 | 488 | 10 | 287.00 | $287.00 | $1,401 | — |
| 666 | 666 | 16 | 240.00 | $240.00 | $1,598 | — |
| 800 | 800 | 5 | 201.00 | $201.00 | $1,608 | — |
| 878 | 878 | 6 | 198.00 | $198.00 | $1,738 | — |
| 930 | 930 | 5 | 188.00 | $188.00 | $1,748 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331 | 331 | 5 | 291.00 | $291.00 | $963 | — |
| 353–382 | 371 | 27 | 254.00–268.00 | $261.25 | $969 | — |
| 429 | 429 | 8 | 245.00 | $245.00 | $1,051 | — |
| 435–440 | 437 | 23 | 242.50–267.00 | $250.02 | $1,093 | +0.35 |
| 461–495 | 484 | 47 | 242.50–270.00 | $260.36 | $1,260 | — |
| 485–490 | 487 | 23 | 236.00–259.00 | $249.94 | $1,217 | — |
| 508 | 508 | 10 | 270.00 | $270.00 | $1,372 | — |
| 506–535 | 522 | 18 | 248.50–256.00 | $251.73 | $1,314 | +16.87 |
| 528 | 528 | 20 | 261.75 | $261.75 | $1,382 | +26.89 |
| 587–589 | 587 | 34 | 216.00–248.00 | $243.28 | $1,428 | — |
| 620 | 620 | 71 | 249.00 | $249.00 | $1,544 | +20.18 |
| 630–648 | 642 | 94 | 226.00–237.00 | $232.98 | $1,496 | +4.16 |
| 665 | 665 | 11 | 219.50 | $219.50 | $1,460 | -4.50 |
| 692 | 692 | 10 | 220.00 | $220.00 | $1,522 | -4.00 |
| 727–740 | 733 | 73 | 214.00–219.00 | $217.63 | $1,595 | -1.87 |
| 700–746 | 741 | 158 | 205.00–210.25 | $209.91 | $1,555 | -9.59 |
| 756 | 756 | 42 | 216.00 | $216.00 | $1,633 | +15.00 |
| 763–792 | 774 | 69 | 205.00–214.50 | $209.61 | $1,622 | +8.61 |
| 803–808 | 807 | 82 | 203.75–213.00 | $211.65 | $1,708 | +5.65 |
| 801–813 | 808 | 174 | 208.50–217.00 | $214.08 | $1,730 | +8.08 |
| 859–861 | 860 | 70 | 211.75–212.00 | $211.89 | $1,822 | — |
| 861 | 861 | 21 | 186.50 | $186.50 | $1,606 | — |
| 871 | 871 | 8 | 189.00 | $189.00 | $1,646 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 439–447 | 441 | 34 | 241.00–247.00 | $245.21 | $1,081 | — |
| 458–480 | 473 | 18 | 222.50–232.50 | $227.79 | $1,077 | -32.16 |
| 525–544 | 537 | 24 | 210.00–241.00 | $228.91 | $1,229 | -16.94 |
| 600–638 | 624 | 30 | 211.00–221.00 | $214.67 | $1,340 | -6.23 |
| 774 | 774 | 5 | 183.00 | $183.00 | $1,416 | +1.00 |
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.
This week's market was lightly tested with only two auctions reporting. However, higher undertones were noted at both sales. Buyer demand was good to very good. CME live cattle and feeder cattle boards traded sharply higher that helped boost the market. Nebraska feedlots hit a new milestone with record prices for steers and heifers on a cash basis. Who knows, it might be another record this week? Nebraska dressed sales sold 5.00 to 6.00 higher from 285.00 to 292.00 and live sales sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher from 183.00 to 188.00 with a few up to 190.00. Packers continue to seek out cash cattle to fill slaughter needs. Hip pocket (forward contract) cattle as of last week was at 109,000 head compared to 155,000 head nationally last year. Scattered rains across the state with most areas in the eastern 1/3 still in the exceptional drought category.