Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 11, 2024

4,440 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $292.66/cwt +7.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,808/hd at 618 lb · 640 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $275.68/cwt +12.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,854/hd at 672 lb · 392 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $303.25/cwt -2.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,741/hd at 574 lb · 391 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,440 2,190 5,270
Feeder cattle 4,440 2,190 5,270

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 550 lbs steers traded 2.00 lower and 600 to 700 lbs steers traded steady to 12.00 higher. A limited number of comparable heifers, with 550 lbs offerings trading 2.00 higher. Demand was good with active internet bidding a good crowd of buyers despite the cold and snowy day. Next Auction Date Jan 18th Special Bred Female and Diamond Lazy J Bull Sale starting at 12:30

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
414–431 423 57 320.00–328.00 $325.67 $1,378 -25.33
453–485 467 122 315.00–325.00 $318.79 $1,489 -33.87
516 thin fleshed 516 37 332.50 $332.50 $1,716 —
504–534 519 169 313.00–321.50 $316.08 $1,640 -7.05
557–595 574 391 292.00–314.50 $303.25 $1,741 -2.77
607–612 fancy 610 251 301.50–306.00 $304.43 $1,857 —
600–645 623 389 275.00–290.50 $285.07 $1,776 -0.52
659 fancy 659 83 292.00 $292.00 $1,924 —
652–683 676 309 266.00–281.00 $271.30 $1,834 +8.43
716–722 720 301 255.00–262.00 $258.90 $1,864 +12.45
790 790 77 245.50 $245.50 $1,939 +5.75
825 825 5 211.00 $211.00 $1,741 -20.62
911 911 11 203.00 $203.00 $1,849 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
497 497 10 301.00 $301.00 $1,496 -20.00
509–541 525 35 290.50–304.00 $298.47 $1,567 —
554–596 585 65 274.00–289.00 $280.53 $1,641 —
601–649 629 149 263.00–270.00 $267.30 $1,681 -2.92
661–686 674 102 251.00–260.25 $256.32 $1,728 —
713–744 736 90 238.50–248.00 $241.69 $1,779 +21.69

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
397 397 7 270.00 $270.00 $1,072 -55.00
411–441 431 27 281.00–288.00 $285.77 $1,232 -27.92
450–464 453 52 281.00–288.00 $286.48 $1,298 -17.28
503–534 522 215 270.00–291.00 $283.79 $1,481 -6.93
577 577 81 291.00 $291.00 $1,679 +25.91
561–599 583 161 261.00–277.50 $267.20 $1,558 +2.11
612–644 638 187 243.00–258.50 $248.80 $1,587 +0.80
658 658 81 262.00 $262.00 $1,724 +1.00
671 671 38 247.00 $247.00 $1,657 -14.00
704–714 713 99 234.00–247.00 $235.82 $1,681 -1.18
856 856 6 202.00 $202.00 $1,729 —
991 991 20 187.50 $187.50 $1,858 —
1029 1029 7 185.00 $185.00 $1,904 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 11 265.00 $265.00 $1,113 —
471–492 488 54 275.00–278.00 $277.46 $1,354 —
541 541 12 257.00 $257.00 $1,390 -9.37
573 573 29 255.00 $255.00 $1,461 —
718 718 6 229.00 $229.00 $1,644 —

↑ Back to top

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.