Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 9, 2023

3,225 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $243.40/cwt +14.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,522/hd at 625 lb · 446 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $275.18/cwt +17.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,454/hd at 529 lb · 401 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $258.70/cwt +20.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,506/hd at 582 lb · 387 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,225 3,555 3,355
Feeder cattle 3,225 3,280 3,355
Replacement cattle — 275 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 600 to 700 lbs steers traded 10.00 to 16.00 higher and no comparable offerings for heifers. Demand was good with several buyers at the barn and active internet bidding. Next Auction Dates March 30th

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
391 391 11 282.50 $282.50 $1,105 —
428 unweaned 428 12 250.00 $250.00 $1,070 —
431–438 433 29 254.00–273.00 $267.70 $1,159 +7.70
457 fancy 457 59 296.50 $296.50 $1,355 —
458–476 471 108 277.00–279.00 $278.57 $1,312 +18.57
487 unweaned 487 113 255.50 $255.50 $1,244 —
505–537 528 193 260.00–277.50 $267.74 $1,414 +10.37
500–530 fancy 529 208 282.00–285.00 $282.08 $1,492 —
550–594 582 387 251.00–265.00 $258.70 $1,506 +14.13
603–604 fancy 604 118 253.00–253.25 $253.19 $1,529 —
623–645 633 328 234.00–244.00 $239.88 $1,518 +10.56
655–677 672 231 225.00–231.00 $229.32 $1,541 +16.40
705–746 729 135 211.00–222.50 $218.69 $1,594 +14.06
759 759 20 209.00 $209.00 $1,586 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–448 428 40 234.00–239.00 $235.27 $1,007 -9.39
453–466 459 51 241.00–269.00 $260.72 $1,197 +14.72
511–534 529 39 242.00–244.00 $243.55 $1,288 -1.45
555–596 561 61 231.00–243.00 $233.76 $1,311 +3.68
629 629 87 232.00 $232.00 $1,459 +26.98
664–699 692 28 208.00–216.00 $214.35 $1,483 +20.88
725 725 27 190.50 $190.50 $1,381 +1.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417–426 424 29 221.00–234.00 $223.20 $946 -11.64
469 thin fleshed 469 75 230.50 $230.50 $1,081 —
489 489 17 219.00 $219.00 $1,071 -7.71
529–542 535 30 221.00 $221.00 $1,182 -2.47
584–594 588 168 200.50–209.50 $207.26 $1,219 -6.99
611–626 618 43 200.50–206.00 $203.22 $1,256 -5.82
661–697 674 35 182.00–196.00 $187.47 $1,264 -29.28
709–736 727 36 203.00 $203.00 $1,476 -2.54
715–740 733 29 180.00–187.00 $181.88 $1,333 -23.66
757–766 760 18 167.00–185.00 $172.04 $1,308 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 11 222.50 $222.50 $874 —
471 471 38 215.50 $215.50 $1,015 +3.60
525 525 6 212.00 $212.00 $1,113 +0.50
603–641 617 52 186.00–197.00 $191.32 $1,180 —
672–690 682 14 178.00–179.50 $178.63 $1,218 —
745 745 5 178.00 $178.00 $1,326 —

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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.