Cattle Market Pulse

Nebraska Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

13,823 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Nebraska Weekly Livestock Auction Summary report →

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $255.36/cwt +1.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,713/hd at 671 lb · 925 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $271.77/cwt -4.72 vs last sale · ≈ $1,684/hd at 620 lb · 860 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $255.04/cwt +4.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,470/hd at 576 lb · 846 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 13,823 21,314 9,256
Feeder cattle 13,823 17,119 9,256
Replacement cattle — 4,195 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week steers sold mostly steady. Heifers under 600 lbs sold steady, 600 to 900 lbs sold 7.00 to 10.00 higher and over 900 lbs sold steady. A diverse offering of cattle the week before Christmas from bawlers to weaned calves. Some cattle been running out in cornstalks or large trap pastures and were light to medium fleshed with others in background lots getting pushed and with the warm weather put on extra pounds of fat and sold with a discount. Buyers continue to look for cattle that had been preconditioned in the fall and most look for cattle vaccinated with a modified live vaccine. Nebraska feedlot trade was slow to kick off. Bulk of the trade was on Friday. For the week live sales sold 2.00 higher from 170.00 to 172.00 and dressed sales 3.00 to 4.00 higher at mostly 271.00 with a few at 272.00. Happy New Year!

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
310 unweaned 310 10 364.00 $364.00 $1,128 —
322 322 6 347.50 $347.50 $1,119 +17.87
363–380 unweaned 374 32 339.00–344.00 $342.70 $1,282 +17.70
371–397 380 28 340.00–372.50 $354.24 $1,346 +16.35
406–441 425 152 299.00–355.00 $334.47 $1,421 +6.27
415–445 unweaned 439 37 310.00–341.00 $324.54 $1,425 +23.54
439 fancy 439 7 346.00 $346.00 $1,519 —
458–473 unweaned 467 45 322.00–337.50 $334.13 $1,560 +33.30
468 fancy 468 8 342.00 $342.00 $1,601 —
456–498 474 268 295.00–352.50 $328.60 $1,558 +8.58
508–523 thin fleshed 515 55 307.50–323.50 $316.97 $1,632 —
520 fancy 520 23 329.50 $329.50 $1,713 +8.79
500–548 523 433 277.00–327.00 $301.87 $1,579 +6.32
528–543 unweaned 540 76 289.00–307.00 $298.89 $1,614 +22.52
556 fancy 556 10 295.00 $295.00 $1,640 -17.50
550–590 569 465 263.00–320.00 $293.97 $1,673 +5.38
569 unweaned 569 5 279.00 $279.00 $1,588 +15.61
590 590 12 275.00 $275.00 $1,622 +13.82
608–622 614 93 266.00–270.00 $268.25 $1,647 -2.32
600–645 620 753 252.50–299.50 $272.62 $1,690 +2.05
612–645 unweaned 631 14 249.50–250.00 $249.71 $1,576 +0.91
651–679 663 17 237.00–247.00 $241.22 $1,599 -15.19
650–698 670 839 240.00–266.00 $254.62 $1,706 -1.79
682 fancy 682 57 274.25 $274.25 $1,870 +6.21
692 unweaned 692 12 237.50 $237.50 $1,644 —
700–749 724 654 221.00–254.00 $242.98 $1,759 +1.88
735–738 737 51 220.00–231.00 $226.47 $1,669 -14.63
750–797 768 802 223.50–243.75 $237.33 $1,823 +2.74
764–779 773 28 220.00–229.00 $225.52 $1,743 +0.71
800–849 824 366 215.00–232.50 $227.10 $1,871 +0.55
803–832 824 43 205.00–215.00 $212.02 $1,747 -14.53
851–869 855 401 219.00–234.00 $226.78 $1,939 +2.93
883 883 19 211.50 $211.50 $1,868 +0.25
908–939 924 702 211.00–228.35 $225.51 $2,084 +20.84
954–990 986 99 203.75–209.00 $207.30 $2,044 —
1003 1003 34 215.75 $215.75 $2,164 +20.75
1027–1043 1042 113 201.50–212.50 $211.73 $2,206 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–359 356 11 330.00–335.00 $332.25 $1,183 —
408–449 429 39 217.50–326.00 $283.48 $1,216 -2.93
480 480 15 272.00 $272.00 $1,306 -26.81
452–496 490 87 267.00–325.00 $303.87 $1,489 +5.06
526–531 thin fleshed 529 17 278.00–279.00 $278.59 $1,474 —
508–547 538 121 247.00–312.00 $294.70 $1,585 -10.30
574 thin fleshed 574 10 263.00 $263.00 $1,510 -7.00
555–592 581 87 218.00–272.00 $255.69 $1,486 -11.26
622 thin fleshed 622 7 261.00 $261.00 $1,623 —
610–645 623 67 240.50–280.00 $252.59 $1,574 -4.22
663–690 682 27 236.00–239.50 $237.07 $1,617 -0.71
729 729 9 213.00 $213.00 $1,553 -27.74
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
539 539 5 293.00 $293.00 $1,579 —
939 939 22 181.00 $181.00 $1,700 —
1120 1120 42 181.00 $181.00 $2,027 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316 unweaned 316 12 330.00 $330.00 $1,043 —
316–345 332 27 283.00–307.00 $296.04 $983 +5.16
357–369 unweaned 361 14 327.50–330.00 $328.41 $1,186 +41.41
360–393 386 100 259.50–322.00 $304.53 $1,175 -9.62
408–440 unweaned 426 41 278.00–288.00 $286.54 $1,221 —
411–446 433 157 258.00–298.00 $280.16 $1,213 -20.81
460 thin fleshed 460 6 299.00 $299.00 $1,375 —
450–498 483 291 246.00–299.00 $278.30 $1,344 -8.02
490 490 19 270.00 $270.00 $1,323 +15.00
494 unweaned 494 5 260.00 $260.00 $1,284 -9.35
500–549 523 348 249.00–287.00 $268.44 $1,404 +0.65
503–532 unweaned 527 30 254.00–273.00 $269.98 $1,423 +9.93
528 528 24 281.00 $281.00 $1,484 +13.21
571 571 23 270.00 $270.00 $1,542 +18.01
552–597 576 798 240.00–265.00 $255.08 $1,469 +3.09
593 unweaned 593 25 240.00 $240.00 $1,423 -0.36
601 fancy 601 33 270.00 $270.00 $1,623 —
600–632 thin fleshed 607 44 261.00–270.00 $263.13 $1,597 —
600–644 620 589 233.00–257.00 $245.14 $1,520 +5.34
636–648 644 23 217.50–232.00 $227.64 $1,466 +8.84
650–695 667 368 216.00–253.00 $232.40 $1,550 +8.65
656–697 670 82 206.00–219.00 $212.10 $1,421 -11.65
682 fancy 682 111 248.25 $248.25 $1,693 —
689 unweaned 689 12 223.00 $223.00 $1,536 +6.87
711 711 13 244.00 $244.00 $1,735 +30.69
700–723 715 14 198.00–208.00 $201.50 $1,441 -11.81
702–735 717 311 212.00–237.00 $220.50 $1,581 +7.19
707–748 fancy 725 91 232.00–235.00 $232.68 $1,687 —
757–766 764 230 209.25–219.75 $217.31 $1,660 +9.26
765–777 769 57 195.00–201.50 $199.54 $1,534 -8.51
800–842 820 416 208.50–218.50 $214.71 $1,761 +8.16
842 842 17 190.00 $190.00 $1,600 -16.55
852–897 880 99 184.50–210.25 $205.70 $1,810 +10.94
886 886 44 184.50 $184.50 $1,635 -10.26
907–939 934 79 191.00–199.50 $197.94 $1,849 +1.16
956 956 26 182.50 $182.50 $1,745 —
1075 1075 6 182.00 $182.00 $1,956 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326–348 333 17 287.50–305.00 $294.85 $982 —
424–438 431 31 268.00–272.00 $270.10 $1,164 +4.33
461–495 487 37 253.00–272.00 $261.06 $1,271 -11.83
513–546 529 83 241.00–252.00 $247.69 $1,310 -8.07
545 unweaned 545 7 242.00 $242.00 $1,319 —
556 thin fleshed 556 17 255.00 $255.00 $1,418 —
563–590 575 47 225.00–226.00 $225.40 $1,296 -18.24
597 597 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,242 —
637 637 23 220.00 $220.00 $1,401 -6.73
645 thin fleshed 645 16 234.00 $234.00 $1,509 —
692 692 13 213.50 $213.50 $1,477 —
763 763 6 195.00 $195.00 $1,488 —
845 845 20 183.00 $183.00 $1,546 +3.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
551 551 21 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —
614–647 633 79 1,585.00–1,675.00 $1,628.26 —
664–680 673 115 1,600.00–1,650.00 $1,627.57 —
700–704 702 95 1,650.00–1,710.00 $1,684.49 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
859 859 12 173.00 $173.00 $1,486 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 421 8 300.00 $300.00 $1,263 —
428 thin fleshed 428 9 296.00 $296.00 $1,267 —
501–531 515 13 256.00–266.00 $260.76 $1,343 —
554 thin fleshed 554 27 263.00 $263.00 $1,457 —

↑ 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.