Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 26, 2023

5,340 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $313.96/cwt -8.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,661/hd at 529 lb · 491 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $294.55/cwt -9.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,685/hd at 572 lb · 409 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $258.25/cwt ≈ $2,118/hd at 820 lb · 322 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,340 3,730 3,940
Feeder cattle 5,340 3,730 3,940

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week's auction 450 to 600 lbs steers traded steady to 11.00 lower, heifer offerings 450 to 500 lbs traded 22.00 lower. Demand was good with a cold and rainy day in the Sandhills. Next Auction Dates for Nov 2nd 9th 16th Special Spring Calf Auction, Nov 13th Bred Female 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
384 384 10 354.00 $354.00 $1,359 +10.58
401–443 427 52 349.00–366.00 $352.18 $1,504 +12.45
459 thin fleshed 459 63 355.50 $355.50 $1,632 —
462–483 477 135 327.50–339.50 $334.94 $1,598 -5.61
503–549 529 491 292.00–329.00 $313.96 $1,661 -0.12
563–592 572 409 286.00–300.00 $294.55 $1,685 -5.98
603–641 unweaned 626 247 269.00–286.00 $279.44 $1,749 -11.63
616–642 635 71 277.50–280.00 $278.15 $1,766 —
655–672 666 263 264.50–277.50 $273.11 $1,819 —
717–737 732 313 263.00–273.50 $272.09 $1,992 —
760–777 771 118 261.50–263.00 $262.62 $2,025 —
801–839 820 322 239.00–268.50 $258.25 $2,118 —
853–898 871 134 246.00–252.00 $247.55 $2,156 —
935 935 55 246.50 $246.50 $2,305 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–419 415 14 343.00 $343.00 $1,423 +26.00
518–537 527 99 290.00–298.00 $294.22 $1,551 -1.91
586–597 594 57 274.00–282.00 $278.75 $1,656 -1.55
612–633 625 35 270.00–273.00 $271.09 $1,694 +5.09
675–697 692 100 262.00–263.00 $262.20 $1,814 —
708–729 713 32 256.00–260.00 $257.02 $1,833 —
771 771 50 248.00 $248.00 $1,912 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
374 374 6 280.00 $280.00 $1,047 -50.09
413–448 435 55 274.00–280.00 $276.52 $1,203 -38.46
462–488 477 115 281.00–286.00 $283.95 $1,354 -22.79
528 528 29 281.00 $281.00 $1,484 -9.62
510–548 529 177 260.00–278.00 $267.88 $1,417 -22.74
561–584 570 59 260.00–263.00 $260.94 $1,487 -15.06
601 unweaned 601 35 261.00 $261.00 $1,569 —
610–628 626 87 263.50–264.00 $263.93 $1,652 +8.93
665–668 667 124 259.00–262.00 $260.31 $1,736 —
710–737 717 308 247.00–254.50 $250.94 $1,799 —
755–798 771 123 242.00–254.50 $250.75 $1,933 —
828–845 841 83 243.50–244.50 $244.27 $2,054 —
901–939 914 113 233.00–238.25 $236.13 $2,158 —
1050 1050 9 210.00 $210.00 $2,205 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473–480 477 71 269.50–272.50 $271.05 $1,293 -10.89
554–591 576 30 252.00–258.00 $255.24 $1,470 —
613 613 6 251.00 $251.00 $1,539 —
715 715 34 243.50 $243.50 $1,741 —
764 764 12 244.00 $244.00 $1,864 —
818–849 828 26 224.00–237.00 $232.90 $1,928 —
905–943 929 22 211.00–229.00 $224.05 $2,081 —

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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.