Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 16, 2021

5,965 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $197.38/cwt +9.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,126/hd at 570 lb · 560 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $177.66/cwt +5.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,125/hd at 633 lb · 522 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $171.04/cwt +4.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,235/hd at 722 lb · 382 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,965 4,137 6,365
Feeder cattle 5,965 4,137 6,365

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, steers were 2.00 - 6.00 higher and heifers were 3.00 - 6.00 higher. Demand was good to moderate all day long.

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
364 364 15 235.00 $235.00 $855 —
402–442 414 78 199.00–219.00 $212.66 $880 +2.94
452–494 472 308 200.00–218.00 $208.44 $984 -5.12
506 506 93 206.00 $206.00 $1,042 +5.93
503–545 535 71 182.50–211.00 $193.83 $1,037 -6.24
557 fancy 557 87 208.00 $208.00 $1,159 —
565 565 80 197.50 $197.50 $1,116 +7.87
554–598 573 371 185.50–203.50 $196.48 $1,126 +6.85
595 unweaned 595 22 170.00 $170.00 $1,012 -11.07
607–643 629 176 175.00–184.00 $179.11 $1,127 +5.23
617–646 635 346 169.50–182.00 $176.92 $1,123 +3.04
671 unweaned 671 10 157.00 $157.00 $1,053 -8.19
658–694 681 360 165.50–176.50 $171.50 $1,168 +0.86
703–747 717 195 169.75–175.50 $172.15 $1,234 +15.15
712–744 727 187 162.50–174.00 $169.89 $1,235 -1.62
761–778 764 199 161.50–176.00 $169.29 $1,293 +4.20
797 797 67 168.50 $168.50 $1,343 +13.00
826 826 66 164.50 $164.50 $1,359 -5.08
867 867 62 167.50 $167.50 $1,452 +16.00
883 883 33 165.00 $165.00 $1,457 +13.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
469–490 475 37 185.50–190.00 $188.62 $896 -1.97
542 542 13 174.00 $174.00 $943 -5.19
569–593 580 57 172.00–179.00 $174.96 $1,015 +2.73
620 620 15 162.50 $162.50 $1,008 -1.39
719 719 45 160.00 $160.00 $1,150 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
343–349 346 26 181.00–186.00 $183.52 $635 —
385–389 386 34 179.00–186.00 $183.90 $710 +1.54
410–448 421 186 171.50–196.50 $192.76 $812 +3.18
459–492 472 287 182.00–194.50 $189.82 $896 +11.15
503–549 527 280 165.50–183.50 $175.38 $924 +0.58
542 unweaned 542 14 157.50 $157.50 $854 -14.73
568–592 577 222 168.50–175.50 $170.86 $986 +5.87
613–640 621 176 153.00–170.50 $163.65 $1,016 +2.71
627 unweaned 627 19 150.50 $150.50 $944 +5.85
658–696 679 279 156.00–167.50 $163.58 $1,111 +5.05
856–877 863 35 142.50–157.00 $151.95 $1,311 -1.77
999 999 10 153.50 $153.50 $1,533 —
1041 1041 34 150.50 $150.50 $1,567 -1.00
1112 1112 21 146.00 $146.00 $1,624 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–476 473 26 168.00–174.00 $169.36 $801 +4.86
514 514 31 156.50 $156.50 $804 -6.50
581 581 20 159.00 $159.00 $924 +4.00
655–667 663 83 145.50–154.00 $151.39 $1,004 —
731 731 21 143.00 $143.00 $1,045 -11.50

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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.