Cattle Market Pulse

Tri-State Livestock Auction Market Report

McCook, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

2,052 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Tri-State Livestock Auction report →

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $238.01/cwt +7.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,795/hd at 754 lb · 240 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $247.65/cwt -0.80 vs last sale · ≈ $1,686/hd at 681 lb · 168 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $266.37/cwt +5.59 vs last sale · ≈ $1,657/hd at 622 lb · 156 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,052 1,890 1,795
Feeder cattle 2,052 1,890 1,795

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, steers were steady - 8.00 higher and heifers were 6.00 - 14.00 higher. Demand was good to moderate on all classes 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
322 322 6 347.50 $347.50 $1,119 +17.87
397 397 6 372.50 $372.50 $1,479 +50.00
406 406 11 348.00 $348.00 $1,413 +32.49
457–496 477 48 306.00–320.50 $312.37 $1,490 +18.23
503–532 515 24 283.50–285.00 $284.35 $1,464 -1.14
508–523 thin fleshed 516 36 307.50–323.50 $315.38 $1,627 —
556 fancy 556 10 295.00 $295.00 $1,640 —
550–590 569 59 263.00–282.00 $272.13 $1,548 -8.31
605–631 622 156 259.00–275.50 $266.37 $1,657 +5.59
666–698 681 168 240.00–256.00 $247.65 $1,686 -0.80
720 720 57 239.50 $239.50 $1,724 +3.98
750–756 754 240 236.00–239.00 $238.01 $1,795 +7.76
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
448 448 13 310.00 $310.00 $1,389 +21.00
530 530 9 247.00 $247.00 $1,309 —
630–645 638 20 246.00–252.00 $249.33 $1,591 +3.75

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316–345 332 27 283.00–307.00 $296.04 $983 +13.56
415 415 5 291.00 $291.00 $1,208 +12.22
460 thin fleshed 460 6 299.00 $299.00 $1,375 —
464–493 483 60 266.00–286.00 $275.13 $1,329 +11.28
512–549 524 86 249.00–264.00 $255.86 $1,341 +12.44
584–597 593 87 245.00–252.00 $247.53 $1,468 +12.53
601 fancy 601 33 270.00 $270.00 $1,623 —
603–626 619 104 233.00–241.00 $238.20 $1,474 -14.80
695 695 16 228.00 $228.00 $1,585 —
707–734 713 117 212.50–224.50 $220.42 $1,572 +16.87
907 907 9 191.00 $191.00 $1,732 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
551 551 21 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —
614–647 633 79 1,585.00–1,675.00 $1,628.26 —
664–680 673 115 1,600.00–1,650.00 $1,627.57 —
700–704 702 95 1,650.00–1,710.00 $1,684.49 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 18 253.00 $253.00 $1,252 +11.49
578 578 15 225.00 $225.00 $1,300 -2.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
501 501 7 256.00 $256.00 $1,283 —

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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.