Cattle Market Pulse

North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction Market Report

North Platte, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 5, 2024

2,056 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $261.18/cwt +5.50 vs last sale · ≈ $1,754/hd at 672 lb · 242 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $300.16/cwt +13.97 vs last sale · ≈ $2,028/hd at 676 lb · 233 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $289.23/cwt +3.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,664/hd at 575 lb · 182 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,056 1,978 1,209
Feeder cattle 2,056 1,978 1,209

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago steers and heifers sold sharply higher. Demand was good to very good for packages and load lots throughout the day. Bid calling was fast paced from two great auctioneers throughout the sale. Several buyers in attendance with a few new faces in the crowd. Sale consisted of long time weaned calves with full rounds of vaccinations.

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
328 328 6 402.50 $402.50 $1,320 +23.50
390 390 17 395.00 $395.00 $1,540 +15.00
403–446 433 19 352.50–362.00 $358.81 $1,554 +10.22
481–486 483 22 337.50–350.00 $345.42 $1,668 +14.51
521 521 10 330.00 $330.00 $1,719 -6.61
589 589 5 330.00 $330.00 $1,944 +19.30
607–613 609 27 301.00–326.00 $318.54 $1,940 +18.76
673 fancy 673 165 305.25 $305.25 $2,054 —
650–696 682 68 285.50–301.00 $287.81 $1,963 +1.62
712–749 736 124 263.50–272.50 $266.59 $1,962 +1.42
763–791 772 181 253.00–277.25 $271.72 $2,098 +24.58
846 846 64 252.00 $252.00 $2,132 —
854 854 32 248.50 $248.50 $2,122 +4.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 11 284.00 $284.00 $1,534 -26.00
610–645 629 31 294.50–297.00 $295.59 $1,859 +18.09
688 688 47 278.50 $278.50 $1,916 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
334–345 338 15 339.00–347.50 $341.89 $1,156 -2.52
352–399 384 44 337.50–357.50 $343.33 $1,318 +18.12
428 428 12 328.00 $328.00 $1,404 +15.18
456 fancy 456 24 322.50 $322.50 $1,471 —
459–485 473 44 290.00–310.00 $301.00 $1,424 -12.08
548 548 90 306.50 $306.50 $1,680 +20.79
564 thin fleshed 564 52 300.00 $300.00 $1,692 —
552–595 580 130 276.00–289.50 $284.92 $1,653 -1.18
625–637 634 57 257.00–278.50 $272.92 $1,730 +4.46
637 637 11 229.00 $229.00 $1,459 -39.46
666–680 669 194 262.00–265.50 $264.07 $1,767 +8.39
682 682 48 249.50 $249.50 $1,702 -6.18
732–749 742 93 239.00–243.00 $240.66 $1,786 -0.34
762 762 30 241.00 $241.00 $1,836 -2.70
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
613–642 629 18 240.00–254.00 $246.06 $1,548 -3.94
710–720 713 19 225.00–230.00 $226.59 $1,616 —

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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.