Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 22, 2021

4,795 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $155.75/cwt ≈ $1,146/hd at 736 lb · 549 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $185.18/cwt ≈ $976/hd at 527 lb · 292 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $147.54/cwt ≈ $1,139/hd at 772 lb · 289 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,795 420 0
Feeder cattle 4,795 — 0
Replacement cattle — 420 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Three weeks since our last comparable sale a trend will not be given. Demand was very good, for bangs vaccinated replacement heifers and 700-800 lbs steers. High internet bidding on light weight grass steers. Rain and snow past few days in the Sandhills. Next Auction Dates: April 29th Regular Sale, April 13th Special Pair and Bred Female Sale, May 20th 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
404–423 408 36 187.00–194.00 $188.41 $769 —
468–491 475 116 179.00–200.00 $188.52 $895 —
506–524 thin fleshed 520 118 197.00 $197.00 $1,024 —
528 unweaned 528 54 179.50 $179.50 $948 —
505–543 534 120 171.00–183.50 $176.12 $940 —
552–593 570 92 168.50–183.00 $180.14 $1,027 —
601 thin fleshed 601 32 178.50 $178.50 $1,073 —
620 unweaned 620 72 164.00 $164.00 $1,017 —
605–644 633 90 159.00–174.50 $163.67 $1,036 —
657–684 663 279 163.50–175.50 $171.37 $1,136 —
701 unweaned 701 7 141.00 $141.00 $988 —
703–748 736 542 150.00–163.85 $155.94 $1,148 —
754–792 772 289 144.00–152.75 $147.54 $1,139 —
851–854 853 156 130.00–142.25 $139.67 $1,191 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
469–477 472 14 177.00–182.00 $179.84 $849 —
587–596 590 51 168.00–175.00 $171.06 $1,009 —
621 unweaned 621 43 145.00 $145.00 $900 —
661–698 682 124 154.00–160.50 $158.43 $1,080 —
730–748 745 69 142.00–144.50 $144.15 $1,074 —
794 794 60 137.00 $137.00 $1,088 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 46 163.50–175.25 $166.31 $674 —
428 unweaned 428 22 167.50 $167.50 $717 —
461–492 480 126 161.00–171.25 $165.42 $794 —
515 unweaned 515 53 159.50 $159.50 $821 —
544–545 545 44 153.00–155.25 $154.23 $841 —
553–556 554 109 154.50–163.50 $157.81 $874 —
596 unweaned 596 55 139.50 $139.50 $831 —
608–645 625 233 136.00–148.00 $142.69 $892 —
668–698 682 116 131.50–140.00 $137.10 $935 —
705–747 723 158 132.00–140.75 $134.49 $972 —
750 750 15 127.50 $127.50 $956 —
824 824 5 124.50 $124.50 $1,026 —
866 866 5 133.00 $133.00 $1,152 —
910 910 5 117.50 $117.50 $1,069 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
682–695 690 34 1,025.00–1,035.00 $1,028.78 —
709–749 727 296 1,085.00–1,220.00 $1,193.87 —
777–798 793 35 1,100.00–1,200.00 $1,122.39 —
806–814 809 105 1,210.00–1,220.00 $1,216.55 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
482 482 7 147.00 $147.00 $709 —
515 unweaned 515 16 146.00 $146.00 $752 —
547 547 10 145.00 $145.00 $793 —
566–596 587 103 140.00–148.00 $143.83 $844 —
590 unweaned 590 33 137.00 $137.00 $808 —
697 697 8 124.00 $124.00 $864 —

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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.