Cattle Market Pulse

North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction Market Report

North Platte, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 23, 2024

3,273 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $253.12/cwt -2.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,609/hd at 636 lb · 379 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $266.31/cwt +19.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,789/hd at 672 lb · 307 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $250.82/cwt +11.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,796/hd at 716 lb · 298 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,273 2,411 1,790
Feeder cattle 3,273 2,411 1,790

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago, steers under 600 lbs sold 4.00 to 7.00 higher, 600 to 800 lbs sold 12.00 to 15.00 higher and over 800 lbs sold 4.00 higher. Heifers sold 2.00 to 7.00 higher. Demand was good throughout the day. Moderate size crowd of buyers on the seats with active bidding on the internet. Some of the top prices on the day came towards the end of the sale. Overall, cattle quality was very attractive from start to finish. All were longtime weaned with all vaccinations and most were poured. Very limited amount of calves had been implanted. Next week will be a special bred heifer and cow auction. Next calf and feeder sale will be in two weeks on February 6th.

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
372–381 377 12 350.00–370.00 $359.88 $1,357 —
420–442 425 38 340.00–347.50 $342.22 $1,454 +20.37
435 thin fleshed 435 27 360.00 $360.00 $1,566 —
454–465 458 62 333.00–346.00 $339.59 $1,555 +7.19
500–546 519 166 313.00–340.00 $325.77 $1,691 +5.64
550–584 569 205 302.00–316.00 $309.93 $1,764 +3.99
606–629 621 208 279.00–291.00 $287.26 $1,784 +12.75
636–644 641 42 265.00–271.00 $269.02 $1,724 -5.49
654 thin fleshed 654 90 277.00 $277.00 $1,812 —
661–699 679 217 255.00–270.00 $261.87 $1,778 +15.00
700–747 712 254 243.00–257.00 $253.11 $1,802 +13.38
703–746 739 44 237.00–240.00 $237.62 $1,756 -2.11
779–784 781 268 240.50–253.50 $248.59 $1,941 +17.88
804–806 804 27 229.00–230.00 $229.78 $1,847 +4.78
832 832 14 223.50 $223.50 $1,860 -1.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
444 444 11 308.00 $308.00 $1,368 —
465–495 484 30 309.00–327.50 $321.98 $1,558 —
515–542 532 54 300.00–310.00 $304.89 $1,622 +10.89
564–599 584 66 275.50–295.00 $284.86 $1,664 +3.57
623–648 641 10 258.00–260.00 $258.58 $1,657 —
664 664 10 254.50 $254.50 $1,690 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–325 318 16 345.00–365.00 $350.12 $1,113 -7.38
393 393 18 310.00 $310.00 $1,218 -10.71
405–433 418 46 300.00–315.00 $306.68 $1,282 +8.45
450–478 468 91 289.00–317.00 $306.06 $1,432 +19.10
505–534 517 195 281.00–302.00 $288.45 $1,491 +9.21
551–596 577 169 271.00–280.00 $274.40 $1,583 +7.51
585 585 7 262.00 $262.00 $1,533 -4.89
602–646 635 364 251.00–262.00 $254.03 $1,613 -1.10
648 648 15 231.00 $231.00 $1,497 —
671 671 35 244.50 $244.50 $1,641 +9.50
658–693 682 90 237.00–246.00 $238.17 $1,624 +3.17
716–735 721 132 226.50–231.00 $229.68 $1,656 +5.64
769 769 10 219.00 $219.00 $1,684 -6.99
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401–441 429 10 286.00–295.00 $288.52 $1,238 —
457–497 469 19 271.00–295.00 $281.42 $1,320 —
516 516 12 273.00 $273.00 $1,409 +9.00
561 561 10 263.00 $263.00 $1,475 +12.84

↑ 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.