Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 20, 2021

4,700 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $165.78/cwt ≈ $1,047/hd at 632 lb · 481 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $145.46/cwt ≈ $914/hd at 628 lb · 381 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $180.51/cwt ≈ $1,039/hd at 576 lb · 275 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,700 749 2,570
Feeder cattle 4,700 — 2,570
Replacement cattle — 749 —

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given. Demand was good with several buyer and an active internet bidding. Showers in the area this past week . Next Auction Dates: June 17th & 24th

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326 326 34 228.50 $228.50 $745 —
357 357 29 216.50 $216.50 $773 —
390 390 36 195.00 $195.00 $760 —
400–446 427 110 188.00–214.00 $202.47 $865 —
473 473 52 189.75 $189.75 $898 —
481–499 unweaned 487 15 145.00–169.00 $160.80 $783 —
451–499 492 65 181.00–195.25 $192.61 $948 —
523 unweaned 523 11 169.50 $169.50 $886 —
517–545 534 195 180.00–187.75 $183.38 $979 —
566 566 9 178.00 $178.00 $1,007 —
574 unweaned 574 5 155.00 $155.00 $890 —
558–590 576 261 175.50–185.00 $181.08 $1,043 —
607–648 631 428 161.50–173.25 $166.90 $1,053 —
607–639 unweaned 636 53 152.00–157.25 $156.78 $997 —
650–695 675 187 160.00–171.50 $166.22 $1,122 —
735–742 738 151 149.00–150.75 $150.02 $1,107 —
752–769 757 109 148.25–157.00 $154.15 $1,167 —
800 800 77 145.25 $145.25 $1,162 —
806 806 58 143.00 $143.00 $1,153 —
913 913 57 135.00 $135.00 $1,233 —
1130 1130 7 110.00 $110.00 $1,243 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409 409 7 177.00 $177.00 $724 —
480 480 52 173.00 $173.00 $830 —
507–537 525 23 170.00–173.00 $171.26 $899 —
576–583 581 38 169.00–171.50 $170.65 $991 —
674 unweaned 674 11 140.00 $140.00 $944 —
650–698 675 112 150.00–158.50 $153.33 $1,035 —
660–695 687 36 148.00–152.00 $148.85 $1,023 —
799 799 7 136.50 $136.50 $1,091 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
314–319 316 34 168.00–170.00 $169.23 $535 —
357–393 381 91 169.00–185.50 $177.33 $676 —
416 416 36 165.50 $165.50 $688 —
412–448 429 46 156.00–169.00 $166.20 $713 —
456–489 469 136 152.50–169.50 $160.34 $752 —
499 unweaned 499 6 145.00 $145.00 $724 —
514–549 530 111 154.00–163.50 $157.11 $833 —
550–586 574 196 145.50–156.00 $149.89 $860 —
589 589 11 149.00 $149.00 $878 —
614–635 unweaned 617 52 131.00–139.50 $138.15 $852 —
606–649 630 329 139.50–152.00 $146.61 $924 —
668–685 677 75 132.00–139.00 $136.88 $927 —
707–746 725 214 133.00–140.00 $136.61 $990 —
752–773 766 58 128.00–144.00 $138.86 $1,064 —
818 818 37 127.00 $127.00 $1,039 —
1089 1089 16 98.50 $98.50 $1,073 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
499 499 7 148.50 $148.50 $741 —
528 528 17 150.50 $150.50 $795 —
638–641 640 16 134.00–136.00 $134.37 $860 —
720–739 734 31 127.00–128.00 $127.25 $934 —

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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.