Cattle Market Pulse

North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction Market Report

North Platte, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 21, 2023

937 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $217.12/cwt ≈ $1,233/hd at 568 lb · 179 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $256.58/cwt +11.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,362/hd at 531 lb · 173 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $228.36/cwt +6.64 vs last sale · ≈ $1,110/hd at 486 lb · 82 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 937 1,209 0
Feeder cattle 937 1,209 0

Compared to two weeks ago, steers sold 6.00 to 9.00 higher with instances of 20.00 higher on a flat 500 and 600 lbs offerings. Heifers under 650 lbs sold 10.00 to 13.00 higher over 650 lbs sold 3.00 higher. Baby calves right off the cow a few days old, mix sex sold from 250.00 to 375.00 per head. Demand was very good for mostly longtime weaned calves throughout the sale. Large crowd of order buyers along with a few ranchers bid readily on today's run. Next special calf and feeder sale will be April, 11th.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–445 421 28 250.00–265.00 $258.77 $1,089 +1.77
434 unweaned 434 12 237.50 $237.50 $1,031
529 unweaned 529 28 236.50 $236.50 $1,251 +6.50
513–533 531 145 241.00–262.00 $260.46 $1,383 +13.46
566 566 36 241.00 $241.00 $1,364
602–607 605 75 220.00–240.50 $235.72 $1,426 +20.72
672 672 13 217.00 $217.00 $1,458 +9.16
737–742 739 29 190.50–192.50 $191.74 $1,417 -11.01
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
371 thin fleshed 371 6 270.00 $270.00 $1,002
414 414 5 239.00 $239.00 $989 +16.50
427 thin fleshed 427 6 262.50 $262.50 $1,121
644 644 5 218.00 $218.00 $1,404

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
336 336 5 238.00 $238.00 $800
419 419 21 227.00 $227.00 $951 +1.32
438 unweaned 438 7 226.00 $226.00 $990
482–486 486 65 226.00–230.00 $229.63 $1,116 +13.63
487 unweaned 487 17 223.50 $223.50 $1,088
532 532 18 223.50 $223.50 $1,189 +5.50
560–590 568 179 205.00–222.00 $217.12 $1,233
650–679 655 78 184.00–194.25 $192.48 $1,261 +3.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
339 thin fleshed 339 5 234.00 $234.00 $793
384 thin fleshed 384 8 230.00 $230.00 $883
400 thin fleshed 400 8 225.00 $225.00 $900

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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.