Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 4, 2021

3,530 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $165.03/cwt +6.60 vs last sale · ≈ $800/hd at 485 lb · 538 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $159.80/cwt +10.17 vs last sale · ≈ $847/hd at 530 lb · 401 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $155.17/cwt +4.30 vs last sale · ≈ $1,040/hd at 670 lb · 328 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,530 4,140 3,000
Feeder cattle 3,530 4,140 3,000

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 500 to 650 lbs steers traded steady to 5.00 higher with a high demand for 500 to 600 lbs heifers trading 3.00 to 13.00 higher. Next Auction Dates for Feb 11th Special Bred Female Sale and Feb 25th Special Feeder Sale

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
380–393 387 10 186.00–187.00 $186.51 $722 —
406–442 432 34 187.00–189.00 $187.50 $810 -16.00
466–475 472 33 188.00–196.50 $190.80 $901 -7.52
501–547 532 55 171.00–179.00 $177.06 $942 +0.94
550–588 555 117 163.00–177.00 $175.40 $973 +5.77
606–644 626 195 153.75–166.50 $160.64 $1,006 +0.22
654–687 670 328 151.50–156.75 $155.17 $1,040 +2.59
701–747 723 77 143.50–149.00 $145.82 $1,054 -0.77
756–775 771 92 143.25–145.00 $143.60 $1,107 +2.60
891 891 9 134.00 $134.00 $1,194 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481 481 11 178.00 $178.00 $856 -5.25
516–517 517 14 161.00–162.00 $161.36 $834 —
590 590 16 156.00 $156.00 $920 -2.57
619–624 621 24 141.00–142.00 $141.34 $878 -8.32
664–676 667 52 142.00–148.75 $147.55 $984 +12.55
740 740 8 141.00 $141.00 $1,043 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
392 392 8 165.00 $165.00 $647 —
420–434 426 172 168.00–176.25 $172.91 $737 -1.83
469–498 485 538 155.00–170.00 $165.03 $800 +6.60
501–545 530 401 156.00–163.50 $159.80 $847 +10.17
550–581 566 299 153.00–161.50 $158.48 $897 +13.22
606 606 47 191.00 $191.00 $1,157 +48.03
612–637 623 204 135.00–155.50 $146.15 $911 +3.18
657 657 91 147.50 $147.50 $969 +4.75
703–708 707 61 144.00–144.50 $144.12 $1,019 +15.78
871 871 15 126.00 $126.00 $1,097 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550–599 584 139 142.00–149.50 $146.02 $853 +13.02
654–698 670 55 129.00–136.00 $134.94 $904 +3.88

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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.