Name: Ericson livestock auction prices — 2026-05-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Not enough comparable offerings with two weeks ago to establish a trend a trend is not applicable. Demand was moderate to good from the buyers in house with internet activity noticed. The auction started with weigh-ups in the morning then went into packages of non-weaned fall calves along with packages of yearlings and fall calves and finished with fall bred cows and cow/calf pairs.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $493.47/cwt on 44 head, down $21.07 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 16 comparable sales and sits −10.03 against this barn's trailing median of $503.49.

Average price

$493.47

▼ 21.07 vs prior sale

44 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,687

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$17

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2

$9.72/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+14.46

vs NE average

+19.77 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	542	497.22	2,693	27
Medium and Large 1-2	549	487.50	2,676	17thin

One grade step is worth $9.72/cwt here — about $17 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

16 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $521.41, low $484.92, median $503.49 across 16 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale44 hd

493.47

—

NE average5 barns · 217 hd

479.01

+14.46

National average167 barns · 12,191 hd

473.70

+19.77

This barn, trailing median16 sales

503.49

−10.03

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,300	$4,000	72
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,022	$3,656	28
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,154	$3,475	8
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,402	$3,424	39
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,485	$3,270	61
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,415	$3,941	16
Heifer Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,111	$5,050	10

Every lot, as filed

32 lots · USDA AMS · Ericson Livestock Market - Ericson, NE

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	673	415.92/cwt	413.00–419.00	2,799	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	454	576.99/cwt	570.00–580.00	2,620	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	824	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,843	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	491	535.79/cwt	525.00–540.00	2,631	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	532	463.26/cwt	457.50–480.00	2,465	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	500–550	519	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,465	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	411	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	2,507	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	2,462	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,415	3,940.64/head	3,900.00–3,975.00	3,941	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,500	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	300–350	327	665.00/cwt	665.00–665.00	2,175	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	500–550	549	487.50/cwt	487.50–487.50	2,676	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	719	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,732	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	413	577.81/cwt	570.00–590.00	2,386	20
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,382	3,105.68/head	2,950.00–3,350.00	3,106	29
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,402	3,423.65/head	3,400.00–3,450.00	3,424	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	557	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,729	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	525	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	2,651	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	981	3,185.00/head	3,185.00–3,185.00	3,185	5
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,111	5,050.00/head	5,050.00–5,050.00	5,050	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,300	4,000.28/head	3,825.00–4,125.00	4,000	72
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,579	3,418.09/head	3,300.00–3,475.00	3,418	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	450	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	2,520	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	381	580.75/cwt	560.00–590.00	2,213	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,154	3,475.00/head	3,475.00–3,475.00	3,475	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,031	3,758.70/head	3,650.00–3,900.00	3,759	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	850–900	859	364.70/cwt	363.00–365.50	3,133	94
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	737	399.50/cwt	399.50–399.50	2,944	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	950–1000	950	336.50/cwt	336.50–336.50	3,197	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	672	422.00/cwt	422.00–422.00	2,836	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	589	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,474	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	850–900	870	329.00/cwt	329.00–329.00	2,862	11

How this sale compares

Nebraska weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Nebraska auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Nebraska feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Ericson Livestock Market - Ericson, NE

Sat May 16, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Kearney, NE (LS-WH)

Feeder CattleReceipts 518Last week 4,028Year ago 1,730

Replacement CattleReceipts 248Last week 0Year ago 179

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
12	650–700	673	413.00–419.00	415.92
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
17	450–500	454	570.00–580.00	576.99
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
10	400–450	411	610.00	610.00
25	450–500	491	525.00–540.00	535.79
13	500–550	525	505.00	505.00
14	550–600	557	490.00	490.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
5	300–350	327	665.00	665.00
17	500–550	549	487.50	487.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
9	650–700	672	422.00	422.00
21	700–750	737	399.50	399.50
94	850–900	859	363.00–365.50	364.70
8	950–1000	950	336.50	336.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
20	400–450	413	570.00–590.00	577.81
9	450–500	478	515.00	515.00
4	500–550	500	500.00	500.00
23	700–750	719	380.00	380.00
9	800–850	824	345.00	345.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
12	350–400	381	560.00–590.00	580.75
10	450–500	450	560.00	560.00
15	500–550	532	457.50–480.00	463.26
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
12	500–550	519	475.00	475.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
13	550–600	589	420.00	420.00
11	850–900	870	329.00	329.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	16	—	1,415	3,900.00–3,975.00	3,940.64
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	29	—	1,382	2,950.00–3,350.00	3,105.68
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	39	—	1,402	3,400.00–3,450.00	3,423.65
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	72	—	1,300	3,825.00–4,125.00	4,000.28
Aged (>8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	32	—	1,579	3,300.00–3,475.00	3,418.09
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	8	—	1,154	3,475.00	3,475.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	23	—	1,031	3,650.00–3,900.00	3,758.70
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	5	—	981	3,185.00	3,185.00
Heifer Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	10	—	1,111	5,050.00	5,050.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

Ericson