Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 14, 2023

4,665 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $312.65/cwt +27.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,652/hd at 528 lb · 607 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $281.37/cwt +30.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,735/hd at 617 lb · 448 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $300.95/cwt +28.73 vs last sale · ≈ $1,702/hd at 566 lb · 325 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,665 4,862 5,403
Feeder cattle 4,665 4,862 5,403

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, the market was stronger on both steers and heifers. Steers were steady - 17.00 higher, heifers were steady - 15.00 higher. Demand was good all day with buyers in the seats and on the internet. Nice selection of cattle offered.

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
386–391 389 74 325.00–348.00 $344.33 $1,339 -4.61
404–447 426 129 322.50–338.00 $333.19 $1,419 +24.19
464–468 466 201 333.00–337.50 $335.83 $1,565 +20.20
478 478 12 304.50 $304.50 $1,456 -11.13
515 515 26 299.00 $299.00 $1,540 +13.93
508–546 fancy 523 367 317.50–325.00 $320.71 $1,677 —
514–548 539 214 293.00–306.00 $300.50 $1,620 +15.43
550–556 551 33 281.00–288.50 $282.83 $1,558 —
557–569 566 202 286.50–306.50 $298.76 $1,691 +26.54
570 fancy 570 90 312.50 $312.50 $1,781 —
605–620 fancy 613 150 290.00–294.50 $292.07 $1,790 —
604–628 618 218 268.50–286.50 $277.97 $1,718 +27.37
609–643 619 80 263.00–274.00 $270.57 $1,675 +19.97
651–659 656 38 258.00–260.00 $259.21 $1,700 -3.92
706 706 137 248.50 $248.50 $1,754 +23.81
705–727 709 76 238.50–242.50 $241.69 $1,714 +17.00
767 767 46 227.50 $227.50 $1,745 +17.00
796 796 64 242.00 $242.00 $1,926 +31.50
854–856 855 38 206.50–217.00 $213.14 $1,822 —
948 948 30 205.00 $205.00 $1,943 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473–488 481 37 308.00–322.00 $314.68 $1,514 +34.83
506 506 24 305.00 $305.00 $1,543 +46.27
597 597 54 279.50 $279.50 $1,669 +31.50
620 620 31 260.00 $260.00 $1,612 +21.50
695 695 11 234.00 $234.00 $1,626 +19.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 7 327.50 $327.50 $1,143 +15.86
359–397 381 178 315.00–326.00 $321.33 $1,224 +43.28
429 thin fleshed 429 43 333.00 $333.00 $1,429 —
410–444 433 251 302.00–321.00 $312.73 $1,354 +16.41
471–492 477 245 293.50–313.00 $302.33 $1,442 +15.15
501–547 522 213 270.00–291.00 $278.50 $1,454 +14.13
533 533 28 292.50 $292.50 $1,559 +28.13
512–548 unweaned 545 52 266.00–268.00 $266.18 $1,451 —
585–599 594 48 242.50–255.00 $248.59 $1,477 -11.68
605–631 621 113 242.00–259.50 $248.76 $1,545 +11.52
678–691 684 46 216.00–235.50 $226.08 $1,546 +10.31
702 702 50 219.00 $219.00 $1,537 +27.17
769 769 54 212.00 $212.00 $1,630 +26.50
899 899 37 193.00 $193.00 $1,735 +3.50
937–947 942 12 198.00–199.50 $198.75 $1,872 +14.75
1008–1011 1010 12 190.00–193.50 $191.46 $1,934 +17.46
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–476 466 78 277.00–290.50 $284.22 $1,324 +22.04
532–546 541 105 253.00–265.50 $257.81 $1,395 +13.82

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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.