Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 4, 2024

4,686 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $276.91/cwt +28.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,585/hd at 572 lb · 453 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $284.98/cwt +3.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,773/hd at 622 lb · 319 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $291.61/cwt +13.96 vs last sale · ≈ $1,563/hd at 536 lb · 304 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,686 4,665 5,575
Feeder cattle 4,686 4,665 5,575

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison to last week. Demand was good to moderate, with buyers in the crowd and on the internet.

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
366–388 378 26 340.00–356.00 $345.07 $1,304 +0.74
419–448 427 38 327.50–328.00 $327.85 $1,400 -5.34
460–493 480 126 322.50–345.00 $329.26 $1,580 +24.76
515–529 thin fleshed 525 45 335.00–339.00 $336.13 $1,765 —
514–541 535 82 309.00–329.00 $314.37 $1,682 +13.87
557–561 thin fleshed 560 34 312.00–326.00 $316.10 $1,770 —
569 569 13 286.00 $286.00 $1,627 -12.76
550–598 579 223 285.50–305.00 $292.80 $1,695 -5.96
600–623 fancy 608 98 285.00–300.50 $294.02 $1,788 +1.95
615–635 626 199 278.00–286.50 $281.41 $1,762 +10.84
649 649 22 277.00 $277.00 $1,798 +6.43
671–690 678 239 255.00–273.00 $264.16 $1,791 +4.95
704 704 9 239.50 $239.50 $1,686 -9.00
703–749 725 277 241.00–261.00 $250.17 $1,814 +8.48
763–788 773 154 229.00–241.50 $238.57 $1,844 +11.07
806 806 70 238.50 $238.50 $1,922 —
936 936 14 192.00 $192.00 $1,797 -13.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 38 305.00 $305.00 $1,418 -9.68
517 517 15 297.00 $297.00 $1,535 -8.00
590 590 9 258.00 $258.00 $1,522 -21.50
602–636 610 92 253.50–263.00 $259.73 $1,584 -0.27
682–699 690 111 241.00–243.50 $242.24 $1,671 +8.24
743 743 21 230.50 $230.50 $1,713 —
796 796 16 218.50 $218.50 $1,739 —
825–849 840 29 210.00–216.00 $213.76 $1,796 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379–398 389 46 300.00–320.00 $309.55 $1,204 -11.78
406–436 426 18 310.00–312.50 $310.79 $1,324 -1.94
454–490 470 193 296.00–315.00 $305.93 $1,438 +3.60
514–547 536 304 283.00–302.00 $291.61 $1,563 -0.89
550–575 566 196 258.50–276.50 $267.84 $1,516 +19.25
555–589 574 221 282.00–300.50 $287.62 $1,651 +39.03
596 596 36 260.50 $260.50 $1,553 +11.91
602–645 622 232 245.00–265.00 $252.92 $1,573 +4.16
637 637 54 281.00 $281.00 $1,790 +32.24
654–697 672 182 225.50–242.00 $233.17 $1,567 +7.09
701–739 723 100 220.00–238.00 $227.79 $1,647 +8.79
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
451–493 487 69 286.00–292.50 $286.87 $1,397 +2.65
532 532 20 260.00 $260.00 $1,383 +2.19
559 559 21 249.00 $249.00 $1,392 —
624–627 625 33 237.50–241.00 $238.78 $1,492 —
695 695 23 220.00 $220.00 $1,529 —
724 724 10 217.50 $217.50 $1,575 —

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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.