Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 17, 2020

6,365 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ogallala Livestock Auction report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $158.08/cwt -3.60 vs last sale · ≈ $976/hd at 618 lb · 525 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $140.63/cwt -2.54 vs last sale · ≈ $876/hd at 623 lb · 399 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $166.71/cwt +4.58 vs last sale · ≈ $955/hd at 573 lb · 396 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,365 5,865 5,367
Feeder cattle 6,365 5,865 5,367

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, steers were 3.00 - 7.00 lower. Except 450 lbs were 7.00 higher and 550 was 9.00 higher. Heifers were steady - 8.00 lower , except 650 lb was 3.00 higher. Demand was good on a good selection offered, large crowd on hand.

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
311–348 335 62 219.00–232.00 $222.90 $747 —
351–376 362 86 203.00–219.00 $212.95 $771 +1.16
402–445 422 250 190.00–206.00 $199.35 $841 +1.03
455–496 481 128 182.50–196.00 $191.54 $921 +5.76
508 fancy 508 82 192.00 $192.00 $975 +2.00
507–545 532 231 166.00–184.50 $172.94 $920 -1.31
550–593 573 396 160.50–169.75 $166.71 $955 +7.86
602–649 617 436 149.50–164.50 $157.12 $969 -4.56
604–643 621 89 160.00–165.00 $162.79 $1,011 +1.11
657 657 77 163.50 $163.50 $1,074 +9.23
655–698 674 270 144.50–157.00 $150.95 $1,017 -3.32
701–748 719 218 138.00–151.50 $147.13 $1,058 -7.27
728–733 731 142 158.00–160.50 $159.27 $1,164 +4.87
750–765 753 74 143.00–148.50 $145.36 $1,095 -5.69
806–809 806 65 134.50–137.75 $137.25 $1,106 -8.65
830 830 70 146.50 $146.50 $1,216 +0.60
872 872 64 143.00 $143.00 $1,247 +0.50
887 887 58 138.00 $138.00 $1,224 -4.50
908 908 49 137.50 $137.50 $1,248 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
414–440 424 29 177.00–179.00 $177.85 $754 +5.35
481–492 484 60 165.50–177.00 $172.88 $837 +7.38
586–596 591 39 150.00–152.50 $151.48 $895 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–377 364 72 177.00–191.00 $186.15 $678 ±0.00
406–448 429 199 161.00–176.00 $171.93 $738 -8.85
454–493 470 208 154.50–175.00 $161.86 $761 -10.31
508–545 523 331 151.00–168.00 $156.01 $816 -5.29
553–598 575 387 142.00–157.00 $152.13 $875 +0.52
602–646 623 399 135.50–152.00 $140.63 $876 -2.54
652–695 667 270 132.25–141.50 $137.61 $918 +1.84
702–746 720 90 130.50–133.50 $132.52 $954 -0.80
764 764 46 140.50 $140.50 $1,073 +7.00
831 831 63 135.50 $135.50 $1,126 +6.91
899 899 10 127.50 $127.50 $1,146 —
1027 1027 12 117.00 $117.00 $1,202 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
497 497 15 149.00 $149.00 $741 —
518–548 531 54 142.50–149.50 $146.42 $777 -2.15

↑ 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.