Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 29, 2020

4,605 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $162.43/cwt +8.75 vs last sale · ≈ $936/hd at 576 lb · 583 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $163.74/cwt -0.71 vs last sale · ≈ $887/hd at 542 lb · 472 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $178.53/cwt +10.60 vs last sale · ≈ $846/hd at 474 lb · 358 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,605 3,420 5,410
Feeder cattle 4,605 3,420 5,410

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 450 to 650 lbs steers traded steady to 10.00 higher and heifer calves sold unevenly steady. Demand was good with high internet bidding. Weather warm up after snow and hard freeze in the area. Next Auction Dates for Nov 2 Bred Female Nov 5th & 12th Special Spring Calf Sale (weaned and non-weaned)

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
382 382 7 190.00 $190.00 $726 +16.70
421–447 434 38 174.00–182.00 $180.46 $783 +5.02
457–458 thin fleshed 458 76 190.50 $190.50 $872 —
455–496 478 282 172.25–184.25 $175.30 $838 +7.37
525–548 542 472 159.00–168.50 $163.74 $887 -0.71
553–598 576 583 155.00–169.00 $162.43 $936 +10.61
604–637 622 289 151.00–161.00 $156.84 $976 +7.42
650–692 674 221 149.00–155.00 $152.86 $1,030 +1.75
700 700 34 148.50 $148.50 $1,040 +6.67
771–775 772 244 144.50–152.50 $150.57 $1,162 —
820–848 847 138 134.00–147.00 $146.45 $1,240 —
863–885 873 129 141.50–149.75 $145.86 $1,273 —
957–990 971 154 126.00–137.25 $133.54 $1,297 —
1138 1138 8 117.75 $117.75 $1,340 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417 417 7 166.00 $166.00 $692 +2.00
489–499 495 69 166.00–167.00 $166.53 $824 +15.75
525–532 530 43 152.50–156.25 $153.62 $814 +5.03
622–639 631 51 143.00–144.50 $143.67 $907 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–445 431 100 155.00–166.00 $159.28 $686 +7.87
469–498 483 169 147.25–154.00 $150.09 $725 -1.14
508–548 524 188 141.00–148.75 $144.65 $758 +3.93
552–588 570 96 137.00–143.50 $138.83 $791 -0.46
611 611 10 148.50 $148.50 $907 +10.42
600–648 637 83 134.00–135.00 $134.14 $854 -3.94
659 659 7 125.00 $125.00 $824 -6.00
719–742 732 76 135.50–143.25 $142.05 $1,040 —
795 795 9 125.00 $125.00 $994 -2.00
806–848 830 51 123.50–130.50 $125.66 $1,043 —
864 864 25 124.75 $124.75 $1,078 -6.75
902–920 913 20 122.00–128.00 $125.53 $1,146 -1.47
963–988 979 52 122.00–125.25 $122.98 $1,204 —
1013 1013 12 125.25 $125.25 $1,269 —
1141 1141 10 106.00 $106.00 $1,209 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
441–448 445 22 148.00–149.00 $148.50 $661 —
494 494 16 139.00 $139.00 $687 —
541–548 546 51 137.00–139.00 $138.34 $755 +5.88

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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.