Cattle Market Pulse

Ogallala Livestock Auction Market Report

Ogallala, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 12, 2024

6,123 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $350.59/cwt +22.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,998/hd at 570 lb · 443 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $375.19/cwt +23.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,966/hd at 524 lb · 399 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $324.36/cwt +13.41 vs last sale · ≈ $2,022/hd at 623 lb · 396 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,123 5,065 4,665
Feeder cattle 6,123 5,065 4,665

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, steers and heifers 500 - 650 was 04.00 - 15.00 higher. Steers and heifers in other weights were mixed. Demand was good to moderate on a nice selection 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
309–347 324 40 440.00–480.00 $460.32 $1,491 -51.73
356 fancy 356 8 475.00 $475.00 $1,691 +12.19
360–397 393 68 431.00–450.00 $439.02 $1,725 -5.98
410–432 425 75 406.00–425.00 $412.48 $1,753 +10.14
469 fancy 469 105 417.00 $417.00 $1,956 —
470–494 477 284 390.00–404.00 $396.92 $1,893 -2.34
512 fancy 512 102 390.00 $390.00 $1,997 —
501–542 528 297 359.00–380.00 $370.10 $1,954 +18.53
550–575 fancy 566 148 363.00–364.00 $363.64 $2,058 +21.64
562–576 571 248 339.00–355.00 $346.71 $1,980 +20.87
575 575 47 330.00 $330.00 $1,898 +4.16
601–605 fancy 602 105 337.00–354.50 $351.48 $2,116 —
611–646 631 291 307.00–328.00 $314.57 $1,985 +3.32
662 unweaned 662 29 291.00 $291.00 $1,926 +14.99
660–690 672 196 285.00–301.50 $297.69 $2,000 -4.97
708–739 725 216 277.00–287.00 $281.21 $2,039 -4.62
753–760 755 143 273.00–281.50 $276.35 $2,086 +9.13
868 868 16 253.50 $253.50 $2,200 —
921–944 925 68 238.50–258.50 $254.60 $2,355 +16.44
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 11 402.50 $402.50 $1,582 ±0.00
405 405 9 387.50 $387.50 $1,569 -22.50
469–484 474 48 352.50–374.00 $369.33 $1,751 +2.24
529–549 539 42 343.00–356.00 $353.50 $1,905 —
566–598 592 37 312.50–336.00 $316.75 $1,875 +3.73
640 640 13 304.50 $304.50 $1,949 —
798 798 10 260.00 $260.00 $2,075 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 9 380.00 $380.00 $1,311 ±0.00
355–396 378 98 393.00–402.50 $398.42 $1,506 +41.03
412–447 437 309 370.00–391.00 $379.66 $1,659 +19.46
455 fancy 455 13 375.00 $375.00 $1,706 —
462–486 477 269 351.00–368.00 $360.47 $1,719 +15.74
509–546 534 189 310.00–331.00 $318.32 $1,700 -4.86
551–599 577 365 290.00–311.00 $299.07 $1,726 +11.04
619–648 637 317 275.00–288.00 $281.60 $1,794 -0.79
660 fancy 660 68 292.50 $292.50 $1,930 —
651–697 680 210 266.50–276.50 $269.45 $1,832 +6.00
713–748 732 220 240.00–258.50 $252.41 $1,848 -3.47
761–786 776 133 244.00–254.50 $252.14 $1,957 +7.41
872 872 6 231.00 $231.00 $2,014 -5.41
900–912 906 13 227.00–231.00 $229.17 $2,076 —
1015 1015 12 222.00 $222.00 $2,253 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
394 394 9 361.00 $361.00 $1,422 —
440 440 23 350.00 $350.00 $1,540 —
477–497 486 63 330.00–345.00 $336.58 $1,636 +14.71
589 589 33 281.00 $281.00 $1,655 —

↑ 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.