Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 15, 2024

4,670 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $312.63/cwt ≈ $1,941/hd at 621 lb · 522 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $323.81/cwt ≈ $1,881/hd at 581 lb · 455 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $296.59/cwt ≈ $1,708/hd at 576 lb · 365 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,670 1,650 0
Feeder cattle 4,670 — 0
Replacement cattle — 1,650 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with two weeks ago, 500, 600 and 650 lbs steers traded 4.00 to 9.00 higher. Heifer offerings 450 to 600 lbs traded steady to 6.00 lower. Demand was good with active internet bidding and several buyers at the sale. Snowing again in the Sandhills. Next Auction Date Feb 22nd

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
373 373 5 385.00 $385.00 $1,436 —
420 420 40 392.00 $392.00 $1,646 —
451–493 481 138 350.00–359.00 $356.62 $1,715 —
500–545 524 340 330.00–344.00 $336.94 $1,766 —
550–592 581 455 313.00–327.00 $323.81 $1,881 —
609–647 621 522 300.00–317.50 $312.63 $1,941 —
657–694 684 168 290.50–295.00 $292.96 $2,004 —
702–724 712 157 278.50–287.50 $283.25 $2,017 —
768–769 769 88 260.00–263.00 $262.46 $2,018 —
815 815 17 245.00 $245.00 $1,997 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421–444 437 54 325.00–362.50 $339.46 $1,483 —
460–494 480 59 315.00–344.00 $327.55 $1,572 —
518–542 527 25 220.00–328.00 $287.99 $1,518 —
577–596 580 117 280.00–309.00 $290.44 $1,685 —
613–647 639 64 286.00–292.00 $290.27 $1,855 —
666–695 672 77 269.00–272.00 $269.64 $1,812 —
723–747 735 35 258.00–266.00 $261.82 $1,924 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–440 430 69 316.00–331.00 $323.66 $1,392 —
462–497 481 247 295.00–315.00 $304.94 $1,467 —
513–548 533 309 301.00–311.00 $307.92 $1,641 —
558–596 576 365 290.00–306.00 $296.59 $1,708 —
601–646 629 316 271.00–288.00 $276.93 $1,742 —
655 655 51 273.50 $273.50 $1,791 —
650–697 676 134 256.00–266.00 $260.85 $1,763 —
704 704 65 259.00 $259.00 $1,823 —
717 717 13 251.00 $251.00 $1,800 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 12 306.00 $306.00 $1,322 —
486 486 13 292.00 $292.00 $1,419 —
513–544 525 90 291.00–299.50 $295.18 $1,550 —
561–599 589 178 282.00–288.00 $285.13 $1,679 —
626 626 57 266.50 $266.50 $1,668 —
789 789 5 207.50 $207.50 $1,637 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
629 629 9 272.00 $272.00 $1,711 —

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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.