Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 8, 2020

2,780 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $166.28/cwt ≈ $946/hd at 569 lb · 460 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $169.52/cwt ≈ $884/hd at 522 lb · 382 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.11/cwt ≈ $833/hd at 484 lb · 287 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,780 3,006 2,720
Feeder cattle 2,780 2,720

No comparable offerings from last week a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. Demand was good for the first big show of spring calves at the barn today. Several buyers and high internet bidding. Next Auction Date Monday, Oct 12th and Thursday Oct 15th

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
360–383 376 38 180.00–187.00 $185.06 $696
400–448 430 127 171.00–183.00 $176.01 $757
472–498 490 184 166.00–175.50 $172.38 $845
501–527 518 269 164.00–168.00 $166.38 $862
530 fancy 530 113 177.00 $177.00 $938
556–588 569 460 158.00–172.00 $166.28 $946
607 fancy 607 103 170.00 $170.00 $1,032
603–644 618 137 156.75–166.00 $164.28 $1,015
655–671 659 249 158.00–167.00 $163.64 $1,078
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
624 624 16 155.50 $155.50 $970

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
335 335 6 172.00 $172.00 $576
379–388 383 122 170.00–180.00 $175.84 $673
414–435 422 57 157.00–166.00 $160.43 $677
443–444 thin fleshed 444 182 184.50–191.00 $189.36 $841
458–498 484 287 168.50–175.00 $172.11 $833
519 519 42 157.00 $157.00 $815
575–595 578 78 141.50–142.00 $141.91 $820

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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.