Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 3, 2020

3,175 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $164.43/cwt -1.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,027/hd at 625 lb · 432 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $170.48/cwt +7.02 vs last sale · ≈ $980/hd at 575 lb · 413 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $182.97/cwt +10.01 vs last sale · ≈ $939/hd at 513 lb · 294 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,175 2,965 2,315
Feeder cattle 3,175 2,965 2,315

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with two weeks ago 550 to 650 lbs steers traded steady to 5.00 lower. A limited number of comparable offerings for heifers with 450 to 500 lbs lots trading unevenly steady. Demand was good with high internet bidding. Next Auction Dates for Dec. 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
372–391 378 22 190.00–205.00 $200.06 $756 —
402–442 433 59 188.00–195.00 $191.47 $829 -11.58
453–477 467 27 181.00–194.00 $186.47 $871 +2.64
502 502 87 186.00 $186.00 $934 +13.59
510–511 fancy 510 117 185.00–190.00 $189.19 $965 —
511–547 529 90 169.00–178.00 $171.97 $910 -0.44
552 552 74 174.75 $174.75 $965 +9.34
562–578 fancy 575 118 178.00–179.00 $178.81 $1,028 —
554–599 582 221 158.00–170.00 $164.61 $958 -0.80
606–643 624 342 155.00–169.00 $162.17 $1,012 -5.83
627 fancy 627 90 173.00 $173.00 $1,085 —
650–693 681 274 154.00–160.25 $157.61 $1,073 -0.62
705–741 723 196 149.00–159.25 $157.32 $1,137 +9.82
779 779 71 154.50 $154.50 $1,204 —
869 869 11 142.50 $142.50 $1,238 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
396 396 18 186.00 $186.00 $737 —
417–430 424 18 172.00–175.00 $173.48 $736 -8.51
468–484 475 43 161.00–177.50 $172.02 $817 -2.29
510–547 528 173 154.50–167.00 $164.41 $868 +4.94
591–596 592 63 155.00–155.25 $155.06 $918 —
643 643 9 150.00 $150.00 $964 -6.52
693 693 9 141.00 $141.00 $977 —
751 751 12 141.50 $141.50 $1,063 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 12 172.00 $172.00 $673 —
440–446 443 106 159.50–169.75 $165.22 $732 +2.32
456–495 481 104 153.00–163.00 $159.09 $765 +1.72
503–548 522 109 144.00–155.00 $150.99 $788 -2.64
550 550 39 163.00 $163.00 $896 +19.28
551–596 561 65 142.00–156.50 $147.56 $828 +3.84
612–638 620 113 137.00–143.50 $141.68 $878 —
655–658 656 24 135.50–142.00 $139.17 $913 -5.23
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
424–448 437 24 145.00–150.00 $147.78 $646 -10.12
493 493 28 148.00 $148.00 $730 -4.00

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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.