Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, November 19, 2020

2,965 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $163.47/cwt -0.10 vs last sale · ≈ $940/hd at 575 lb · 352 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $172.96/cwt +7.13 vs last sale · ≈ $892/hd at 516 lb · 344 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $165.83/cwt +6.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,021/hd at 616 lb · 250 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,965 3,210 2,870
Feeder cattle 2,965 3,210 2,870

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 500 to 650 lbs steers traded 3.00 to 8.00 higher with no comparable offering for heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Dates for Dec 3rd 10th and 17th

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
307 307 9 206.00 $206.00 $632 —
400–435 416 90 191.00–210.50 $203.05 $845 +15.28
456–494 478 138 179.00–192.00 $183.83 $879 -0.19
503 unweaned 503 25 180.00 $180.00 $905 —
503–547 517 319 167.50–178.50 $172.41 $891 +6.58
552–595 572 208 161.00–171.50 $165.41 $946 +4.70
569–579 unweaned 574 98 158.25–159.00 $158.63 $911 —
592 592 46 165.00 $165.00 $977 +4.29
610–616 614 206 168.00 $168.00 $1,032 +8.48
617–630 unweaned 624 44 154.00–159.00 $155.69 $972 —
663–680 673 141 155.00–160.50 $158.23 $1,065 +3.68
691 unweaned 691 10 149.00 $149.00 $1,030 —
714 714 17 147.50 $147.50 $1,053 +3.61
813 813 23 149.75 $149.75 $1,217 —
817–831 819 41 145.00–152.25 $151.17 $1,238 —
943 943 28 143.75 $143.75 $1,356 —
1025 1025 6 121.00 $121.00 $1,240 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
413–416 415 14 179.00–185.00 $181.99 $755 +7.84
490–495 491 31 172.50–174.75 $174.31 $856 +7.11
517–547 529 107 152.00–166.25 $159.47 $844 —
602–625 609 36 155.00–157.00 $156.52 $953 +6.52
884 884 5 130.00 $130.00 $1,149 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337 337 7 177.00 $177.00 $596 +4.00
407–445 434 143 160.00–167.00 $162.90 $707 -2.23
460–473 469 73 155.50–158.00 $157.37 $738 -3.37
506–542 526 169 146.00–158.00 $153.63 $808 +1.12
554–558 556 21 142.00–146.00 $143.72 $799 -11.93
664–689 684 34 139.00–145.75 $144.40 $988 —
789 789 44 145.75 $145.75 $1,150 —
814 814 39 144.75 $144.75 $1,178 —
850–894 863 103 125.50–139.50 $136.15 $1,175 —
891 891 9 135.50 $135.50 $1,207 —
963 963 6 115.50 $115.50 $1,112 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 19 158.00 $158.00 $506 —
433–442 437 20 157.50–158.50 $157.90 $690 +6.90
494 494 14 152.00 $152.00 $751 +2.43
525 525 12 147.00 $147.00 $772 —
763 763 10 128.00 $128.00 $977 —
778 778 9 129.50 $129.50 $1,008 —

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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.