Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 11, 2021

4,060 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.55/cwt ≈ $901/hd at 632 lb · 393 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $159.29/cwt ≈ $1,085/hd at 681 lb · 340 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $153.19/cwt ≈ $882/hd at 576 lb · 288 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,060 850 3,567
Feeder cattle 4,060 — 3,567
Replacement cattle — 850 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with two weeks ago steers and heifers traded unevenly steady. Due to high internet bidding and several buyers today there was a high demand for grass heifers. Next Auction Date March 25th Bred cow auction

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
380–392 387 18 213.00–219.00 $216.71 $839 —
412–431 426 39 214.00–222.00 $220.02 $937 —
463–479 468 96 189.00–220.00 $210.12 $983 —
525–529 thin fleshed 528 143 211.50–218.50 $213.54 $1,127 —
516–540 533 118 183.25–195.50 $187.83 $1,001 —
555–598 579 219 170.00–185.00 $176.46 $1,022 —
607 thin fleshed 607 51 181.50 $181.50 $1,102 —
601–620 613 206 173.00–177.00 $176.12 $1,080 —
662–698 681 340 151.75–165.75 $159.29 $1,085 —
703–726 711 136 141.50–151.00 $144.97 $1,031 —
750 750 50 143.25 $143.25 $1,074 —
806–840 837 63 132.00–135.50 $132.27 $1,107 —
863 863 16 127.00 $127.00 $1,096 —
921–938 923 140 126.00–135.75 $134.76 $1,244 —
1028 1028 55 126.75 $126.75 $1,303 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
424–437 428 31 174.00–183.00 $176.67 $756 —
501–536 519 31 172.00–180.00 $174.97 $908 —
561–573 568 11 167.50–168.50 $167.95 $954 —
602–641 623 226 155.00–160.00 $158.42 $987 —
694 694 14 144.00 $144.00 $999 —
743 743 7 135.00 $135.00 $1,003 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 14 183.00 $183.00 $639 —
416–421 417 43 173.00–189.00 $177.50 $740 —
461 461 81 183.00–189.00 $186.56 $860 —
501–537 523 187 164.00–171.00 $166.72 $872 —
562–595 576 288 146.00–157.00 $153.19 $882 —
600–646 632 393 134.50–149.00 $142.55 $901 —
655–688 669 193 135.00–141.00 $138.67 $928 —
701–727 710 67 130.00–133.00 $132.25 $939 —
747 747 23 140.00 $140.00 $1,046 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364–388 375 17 176.00–178.00 $176.97 $664 —
456–462 458 41 160.50–172.00 $163.61 $749 —
516 516 6 147.00 $147.00 $759 —
557–581 568 36 137.00–146.00 $143.75 $816 —
633 633 7 136.00 $136.00 $861 —

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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.