Cattle Market Pulse

Tri-State Livestock Auction Market Report

McCook, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 21, 2024

3,505 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $280.36/cwt -20.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,592/hd at 568 lb · 385 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $268.77/cwt -7.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,414/hd at 526 lb · 377 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $318.67/cwt -24.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,520/hd at 477 lb · 342 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,505 3,347 2,630
Feeder cattle 3,505 3,347 2,630

Compared to last week, steers calves sold 4.00 to 6.00 lower and heifer calves 3.00 to 7.00 lower. With spots of sharply lower trends on steers and heifers that only had spring shots. With all the dryness and dirty weaning pens buyers continue to seek calves with fall vaccinations and a respiratory shot. Demand was light to moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–348 328 31 377.50–402.50 $389.54 $1,278 -11.46
359–366 363 38 371.00–395.00 $381.62 $1,385 -2.66
409–446 428 162 337.00–352.00 $349.14 $1,494 -9.34
451–499 477 342 308.00–327.00 $318.67 $1,520 -21.58
501–546 532 249 293.00–308.00 $302.52 $1,609 -11.32
536 fancy 536 61 314.00 $314.00 $1,683 -14.00
555 fancy 555 32 302.00 $302.00 $1,676 -12.00
553–595 569 353 265.00–287.00 $278.40 $1,584 -21.02
602–629 unweaned 615 270 260.00–270.50 $266.15 $1,637 -14.18
741 741 120 276.00 $276.00 $2,045 +16.00
779 779 63 268.75 $268.75 $2,094
933 933 22 232.00 $232.00 $2,165
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 6 321.00 $321.00 $1,262 -36.00
425–445 434 54 320.00–330.00 $324.88 $1,410 -10.12
491 491 15 301.00 $301.00 $1,478 -17.47
531–532 531 58 281.00–286.00 $284.88 $1,513
728 728 65 262.50 $262.50 $1,911

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
312–331 thin fleshed 322 17 373.00–384.00 $378.01 $1,217
326–349 337 37 342.00–360.00 $351.04 $1,183 +13.54
391–393 392 27 311.00–330.00 $318.01 $1,247 -15.92
403–447 430 279 301.00–320.00 $309.97 $1,333 -3.16
454–496 471 117 271.00–281.00 $274.12 $1,291 -26.00
471 fancy 471 27 300.00 $300.00 $1,413
500–545 526 377 260.00–279.00 $268.77 $1,414 -7.11
550–589 571 164 251.00–260.00 $256.62 $1,465 -4.84
634 unweaned 634 27 241.00 $241.00 $1,528 -6.20
875 875 195 234.50 $234.50 $2,052
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 8 281.00 $281.00 $1,222
474 474 28 258.00 $258.00 $1,223 -14.43
535 535 20 254.00 $254.00 $1,359 -7.00

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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.