Cattle Market Pulse

North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction Market Report

North Platte, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 17, 2023

2,679 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 steers $294.63/cwt +0.84 vs last sale · ≈ $1,688/hd at 573 lb · 372 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $330.69/cwt +7.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,567/hd at 474 lb · 335 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $281.27/cwt ≈ $1,739/hd at 618 lb · 244 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,679 685 1,398
Feeder cattle 2,679 685 1,398

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago, steer calves sold steady to 10.00 higher. Heifer calves 450 to 600 lbs. sold steady to 8.00 lower on a thin test. Around 700 head of yearlings sold in the mix with not enough comparable offerings to establish a trend. Nearly all the spring calves had received preconditioning shots with few consignments being weaned. Demand was moderate to very good from the buyers in the crowd.

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
323 323 9 375.00 $375.00 $1,211 +19.00
352–394 360 36 361.00–373.00 $370.45 $1,334 +18.45
416–445 435 51 335.00–355.00 $342.05 $1,488 +2.05
460–497 474 335 315.00–340.00 $330.69 $1,567 +7.77
501–547 527 57 300.00–322.00 $308.20 $1,624 -20.18
554–588 573 372 283.50–300.00 $294.63 $1,688 +0.84
604 thin fleshed 604 13 296.00 $296.00 $1,788 —
600–643 619 231 272.00–287.00 $280.44 $1,736 —
676 676 16 268.00 $268.00 $1,812 —
700–720 712 26 260.50–270.50 $266.34 $1,896 +10.34
756 thin fleshed 756 77 279.00 $279.00 $2,109 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363–366 365 11 330.00–335.00 $332.74 $1,215 —
428 428 17 300.00 $300.00 $1,284 —
426–442 thin fleshed 436 23 318.00–327.00 $321.06 $1,400 —
461–494 469 20 305.00–306.00 $305.74 $1,434 —
524 524 13 278.00 $278.00 $1,457 -22.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–389 378 45 319.00–331.00 $322.98 $1,221 —
403–412 407 28 315.00–317.50 $316.24 $1,287 —
452 thin fleshed 452 31 303.00 $303.00 $1,370 —
460–487 468 72 275.00–296.00 $287.96 $1,348 -9.20
506–543 525 174 260.00–279.00 $267.84 $1,406 -8.94
556–576 563 40 252.00–267.00 $258.47 $1,455 -6.03
615–625 623 44 250.50–259.00 $257.09 $1,602 —
668 unweaned 668 14 251.00 $251.00 $1,677 —
687 687 137 263.50 $263.50 $1,810 +19.97
733 733 39 248.00 $248.00 $1,818 +12.00
751 thin fleshed 751 145 256.50 $256.50 $1,926 —
761–777 772 28 242.00–243.00 $242.68 $1,873 —
802–847 810 142 235.00–244.50 $243.33 $1,971 +5.83
896 896 14 230.00 $230.00 $2,061 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 7 280.00 $280.00 $1,078 —
432–445 438 57 271.00–272.50 $271.70 $1,190 —
481 481 11 260.00 $260.00 $1,251 —
523–543 534 26 254.00–257.00 $255.13 $1,362 —
563–575 568 11 240.00–241.00 $240.54 $1,366 -5.46
678 thin fleshed 678 14 243.00 $243.00 $1,648 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
524 524 8 292.50 $292.50 $1,533 —

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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.