Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 2, 2023

3,990 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $200.55/cwt +5.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,143/hd at 570 lb · 651 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $243.03/cwt +9.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,249/hd at 514 lb · 372 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $210.68/cwt +6.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,123/hd at 533 lb · 352 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,990 5,805 5,160
Feeder cattle 3,990 5,805 5,160

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last weeks auction in Valentine, NE light weight green steers, 500 lbs traded 15.00 higher, 550 lbs steers traded 9.00 lower and 600 to 650 lbs steers traded steady to 7.00 higher. Heifer offerings 500 to 550 lbs traded 5.00 to 6.00 higher, 600 lbs heifers traded 12.00 lower and 650 lbs heifers traded 3.00 higher. A demand still for replacement quality heifers Black and Bwf offerings from local Sandhill Ranches. Next Auction Dates Feb 9th Special Bred Female and Regular Auction, Feb 23rd 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
358–388 378 62 252.00–261.00 $257.00 $971 -5.00
441 441 8 232.50 $232.50 $1,025 -17.36
452–460 456 241 253.00–259.00 $255.94 $1,167 +23.04
504–529 514 372 237.50–246.00 $243.03 $1,249 +15.81
560–582 579 153 211.00–219.50 $217.69 $1,260 -9.47
604–636 610 338 208.00–222.50 $217.89 $1,329 +1.75
654–677 662 135 196.00–209.50 $201.77 $1,336 +7.56
704–731 711 85 185.50–199.50 $193.89 $1,379 +1.44
797 797 25 180.00 $180.00 $1,435 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
383 383 8 242.50 $242.50 $929 —
445 445 25 223.00 $223.00 $992 —
454–481 467 51 225.00–237.00 $232.23 $1,085 —
509–544 526 53 196.00–227.50 $218.24 $1,148 -5.68
555–583 569 16 206.00–208.00 $206.98 $1,178 -6.34
603–622 621 77 195.00–199.00 $195.25 $1,213 -2.80

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363 363 41 220.00 $220.00 $799 -23.00
422–428 427 35 204.00–210.00 $208.64 $891 -16.63
480–485 483 91 206.00–209.00 $207.89 $1,004 -3.66
521–548 533 352 203.00–215.00 $210.68 $1,123 +6.78
552–598 570 651 190.50–208.25 $200.55 $1,143 +5.45
602–635 615 178 195.25–206.00 $197.30 $1,213 -17.08
614–645 630 115 169.00–188.00 $177.45 $1,118 -12.17
653–664 656 115 196.50–205.00 $198.74 $1,304 -12.52
652–686 673 81 180.00–187.00 $182.57 $1,229 +3.27
700–734 708 79 190.00–192.25 $191.69 $1,357 +20.33
727 727 11 177.00 $177.00 $1,287 -3.00
761–762 762 35 171.25–173.00 $172.55 $1,315 —
832 832 5 169.50 $169.50 $1,410 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481–499 486 74 185.00–199.00 $188.97 $918 —
541 541 10 194.00 $194.00 $1,050 —
557–598 584 84 183.00–189.00 $186.88 $1,091 +2.38
650–694 664 34 168.50–179.00 $176.57 $1,172 -3.64

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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.