Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 5, 2024

5,065 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $301.19/cwt +9.60 vs last sale · ≈ $2,011/hd at 668 lb · 471 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $310.95/cwt +5.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,959/hd at 630 lb · 405 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $284.69/cwt +1.13 vs last sale · ≈ $2,026/hd at 712 lb · 356 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,065 4,282 4,862
Feeder cattle 5,065 4,282 4,862

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago steers and heifers less than 650 lbs sold sharply higher on the day. Bell ringer prices prevailed with a new all-time high at the auction market as fly-weight steers dropped the gravel over 5.00 per cwt. Demand was very good on a nice selection of bawlers and weaned calves. The market was incredibly active on the calves as there were ample buyers on the seats actively bidding. The bidding was fast paced as many times bids were taken 2.50 to 5.00 at a time. Quite a few, of the lots are heading south for winter grazing.

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
305 fancy 305 48 547.50 $547.50 $1,670 —
306–342 336 79 507.50–527.50 $512.05 $1,720 —
376 fancy 376 202 461.00–464.00 $462.81 $1,740 —
391 391 42 445.00 $445.00 $1,740 +35.57
400–416 fancy 401 142 427.50–441.00 $440.21 $1,765 —
440–441 441 97 395.00–403.00 $402.34 $1,774 +17.33
450–472 458 196 395.00–402.00 $399.26 $1,829 +40.95
513–543 527 235 341.00–365.00 $351.57 $1,853 +21.57
562 fancy 562 26 342.00 $342.00 $1,922 —
560–590 576 153 317.50–337.50 $325.84 $1,877 +5.41
612–642 630 397 300.50–315.50 $311.25 $1,961 +6.79
630 unweaned 630 8 296.00 $296.00 $1,865 +3.48
652–675 667 445 290.00–305.50 $302.66 $2,019 +9.08
677–682 unweaned 680 26 273.00–279.00 $276.01 $1,877 -7.27
700–715 711 310 275.00–293.00 $285.83 $2,032 +1.47
716 unweaned 716 46 277.00 $277.00 $1,983 +11.50
756 fancy 756 142 287.50 $287.50 $2,174 —
756–794 786 94 263.50–278.00 $267.22 $2,100 -8.37
926–936 930 59 235.00–240.50 $238.16 $2,215 -5.90
1050 1050 13 220.00 $220.00 $2,310 —
1101 1101 10 201.00 $201.00 $2,213 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 11 402.50 $402.50 $1,562 +52.50
425 425 24 410.00 $410.00 $1,742 +42.50
454–496 476 56 357.00–373.00 $367.09 $1,747 +27.40
554–596 586 30 302.50–316.00 $313.02 $1,834 +15.02
705–748 730 49 268.50–270.00 $269.12 $1,965 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
268–285 281 32 1,525.00–1,600.00 $1,575.66 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 27 380.00 $380.00 $1,254 ±0.00
351 thin fleshed 351 33 392.50 $392.50 $1,378 +31.40
392–394 393 43 352.50–360.00 $357.39 $1,405 +26.51
419–438 428 90 351.00–362.50 $360.20 $1,542 +22.49
463 thin fleshed 463 26 366.00 $366.00 $1,695 —
471–499 484 96 336.00–350.50 $344.73 $1,668 +22.60
517–531 522 124 318.50–334.00 $323.18 $1,687 +26.25
569–599 579 82 281.00–297.00 $288.03 $1,668 +4.77
615 unweaned 615 10 273.00 $273.00 $1,679 +20.28
616–645 623 166 263.50–289.00 $282.39 $1,759 +20.86
653–687 664 61 253.50–267.00 $263.45 $1,749 -1.55
699 unweaned 699 6 253.50 $253.50 $1,772 +3.50
700–717 711 90 246.50–257.50 $255.88 $1,819 -0.08
753–783 776 20 244.00–247.00 $244.73 $1,899 +5.02
811–843 822 20 235.00–243.00 $240.13 $1,974 -12.77
855–869 857 34 236.00–236.50 $236.41 $2,026 -1.59
965–996 973 26 211.50–221.00 $218.38 $2,125 -8.12
1065 1065 43 209.00 $209.00 $2,226 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493–496 494 24 320.00–322.50 $321.87 $1,590 +21.87
534–544 540 14 293.00–296.00 $294.73 $1,592 —

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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.