Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 25, 2021

3,535 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $173.50/cwt +12.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,075/hd at 619 lb · 592 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $154.74/cwt +8.92 vs last sale · ≈ $1,119/hd at 723 lb · 321 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $146.85/cwt -0.65 vs last sale · ≈ $988/hd at 673 lb · 318 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,535 3,530 2,325
Feeder cattle 3,535 3,530 2,325

Market comments — USDA reporter

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. A high demand for replacement quality heifers and light weight grass steers. Baby calves off the cow today: Bulls $325 and Heifers $225. Next Auction Dates for March 4th and 25th Bred Cow Auctions, March 11th 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
398 398 49 222.00 $222.00 $884 +35.49
461–483 481 129 204.00–210.75 $209.81 $1,009 +19.01
501–533 523 240 200.00–208.00 $203.28 $1,063 +26.22
551–599 573 188 169.50–180.50 $177.30 $1,016 +1.90
611–614 fancy 612 298 180.00–183.75 $182.35 $1,116 —
603–645 627 294 160.00–168.00 $164.53 $1,032 +3.89
657–663 fancy 660 160 167.00–167.50 $167.29 $1,104 —
670–696 690 120 150.00–158.75 $154.15 $1,064 -1.02
701–744 723 321 152.00–157.75 $154.74 $1,119 +8.92
781 781 37 148.00 $148.00 $1,156 +4.40
818 818 9 142.00 $142.00 $1,162 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
444 444 12 195.50 $195.50 $868 —
486–496 494 33 176.00–184.50 $177.52 $877 -0.48
590 590 15 160.50 $160.50 $947 +4.50
671 671 23 143.00 $143.00 $960 -4.55

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
419 419 7 169.00 $169.00 $708 -3.91
471–499 487 62 166.50–176.00 $170.83 $832 +5.80
503–547 534 123 155.00–165.00 $159.15 $850 -0.65
555–587 572 202 145.00–162.50 $153.45 $878 -5.03
603–639 620 203 144.50–153.50 $148.83 $923 +2.68
615–647 627 78 163.00–173.00 $166.97 $1,047 +20.82
655–694 668 201 134.00–146.50 $139.08 $929 -8.42
650–684 676 71 150.00–157.00 $151.42 $1,024 +3.92
678–698 fancy 690 46 172.00–175.00 $173.78 $1,199 —
713 713 40 141.50 $141.50 $1,009 -2.62
702–748 721 144 134.00–137.50 $135.78 $979 -8.34
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
523 523 5 150.00 $150.00 $784 —
551–597 579 44 140.00–144.50 $142.59 $826 -3.43
612–644 625 70 137.50–141.50 $139.17 $870 —
682 682 8 137.00 $137.00 $934 +2.06

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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.