Cattle Market Pulse

North Platte Stockyards Livestock Auction Market Report

North Platte, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 17, 2024

2,230 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $342.39/cwt +6.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,612/hd at 471 lb · 384 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $312.04/cwt -2.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,929/hd at 618 lb · 245 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $358.30/cwt +11.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,832/hd at 511 lb · 198 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,230 2,562 1,584
Feeder cattle 2,230 2,524 1,584
Replacement cattle — 38 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Nice offering of weaned and bawling spring calves on offer with a few yearlings selling in the mix. Compared to two weeks ago steers 450-650 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher. Flyweight heifers sold sharply higher and heifers 450-600 lbs sold steady to 3.00 lower. Demand was good from the buyers in the crowd with internet activity noticed.

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
385 385 6 400.00 $400.00 $1,540 -47.50
410–415 thin fleshed 414 36 415.00–420.00 $419.18 $1,735 —
402–431 417 53 392.50–410.00 $399.13 $1,664 -10.01
450–458 thin fleshed 451 45 396.00–405.00 $403.38 $1,819 —
450–492 474 114 372.50–390.00 $376.67 $1,785 +2.69
477 477 12 365.00 $365.00 $1,741 -8.98
500 500 9 340.00 $340.00 $1,700 -6.87
500–503 502 15 330.00 $330.00 $1,657 -16.87
502–518 thin fleshed 507 63 372.00–377.00 $374.61 $1,899 —
500–543 516 111 347.00–359.00 $354.35 $1,828 +7.48
551–563 554 26 318.00–321.00 $318.82 $1,766 +9.82
551–588 566 140 333.00–355.00 $343.66 $1,945 +34.66
600–641 618 236 301.00–321.00 $312.69 $1,932 -1.58
619 619 9 295.00 $295.00 $1,826 -19.27
650 650 15 298.00 $298.00 $1,937 —
710–719 716 18 278.00–279.00 $278.33 $1,993 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
322 322 5 382.50 $382.50 $1,232 -42.26
337 337 14 402.50 $402.50 $1,356 -22.26
364–390 380 20 382.50–387.50 $384.42 $1,461 —
404–415 408 20 362.00–372.50 $365.74 $1,492 -26.76
408 408 5 344.00 $344.00 $1,404 -48.50
560 560 9 301.00 $301.00 $1,686 —
844 844 31 245.50 $245.50 $2,072 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
313 313 13 380.00 $380.00 $1,189 —
350–367 362 55 370.00–373.00 $371.37 $1,344 +24.16
402–403 403 18 342.00–347.50 $344.14 $1,387 +5.14
407–435 419 69 356.00–371.00 $361.00 $1,513 +22.00
455–475 thin fleshed 459 163 350.00–371.00 $360.35 $1,654 —
453–495 479 211 321.00–340.00 $330.00 $1,581 -6.31
487 487 10 311.00 $311.00 $1,515 -25.31
505–510 thin fleshed 507 43 330.00–339.00 $336.64 $1,707 —
517–538 524 53 316.00–323.50 $321.95 $1,687 +0.78
568–581 577 81 291.00–297.50 $296.01 $1,708 -3.69
606–610 608 64 287.00–287.50 $287.31 $1,747 +27.24
666 666 6 254.00 $254.00 $1,692 -6.86
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333–334 333 15 355.00–366.00 $362.33 $1,207 —
370 370 5 340.00 $340.00 $1,258 —
420–441 431 38 327.50–333.00 $331.15 $1,427 —
470–485 475 17 290.00–297.00 $294.48 $1,399 +8.48
849 849 25 225.00 $225.00 $1,910 —
979 979 8 195.00 $195.00 $1,909 —

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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.