Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 7, 2024

3,945 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $255.96/cwt ≈ $1,844/hd at 720 lb · 325 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $268.22/cwt ≈ $1,762/hd at 657 lb · 288 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $302.84/cwt ≈ $2,018/hd at 666 lb · 261 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,945 1,446 3,225
Feeder cattle 3,945 — 3,225
Replacement cattle — 1,446 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. A high demand for Sandhill replacement quality heifers should be noted. Cooler weather and snow in the area today. Next Auction Dates March 14th and 21st

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
360 360 5 397.50 $397.50 $1,431 —
411–421 412 41 362.50–387.50 $383.77 $1,581 —
490 490 195 374.00 $374.00 $1,833 —
508–542 528 250 336.00–356.00 $345.61 $1,825 —
580–599 590 227 326.00–337.50 $335.88 $1,982 —
605 fancy 605 48 332.50 $332.50 $2,012 —
600–634 620 175 310.00–321.00 $316.16 $1,960 —
663 fancy 663 87 310.00 $310.00 $2,055 —
655–690 668 174 290.00–306.50 $299.26 $1,999 —
703–749 715 99 272.75–289.00 $277.07 $1,981 —
752–771 760 218 270.50–277.50 $273.14 $2,076 —
827–844 839 31 233.00–246.50 $242.20 $2,032 —
914 914 27 224.00 $224.00 $2,047 —
976 976 6 218.00 $218.00 $2,128 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
513 513 10 305.00 $305.00 $1,565 —
556–584 573 76 235.00–321.00 $298.48 $1,710 —
606–621 617 27 289.50–302.00 $293.14 $1,809 —
684 684 12 261.00–277.00 $267.67 $1,831 —
731 731 8 269.00 $269.00 $1,966 —
778 778 10 259.50 $259.50 $2,019 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 10 330.00 $330.00 $1,280 —
415–446 435 22 325.00–332.50 $327.60 $1,425 —
500–548 521 196 299.00–318.00 $307.26 $1,601 —
551–595 583 110 280.00–286.50 $283.27 $1,651 —
618 fancy 618 52 290.00 $290.00 $1,792 —
609–634 619 135 270.00–283.00 $278.75 $1,725 —
651–663 657 288 258.50–273.50 $268.22 $1,762 —
703–723 719 238 257.25–264.50 $259.56 $1,866 —
715–737 724 87 240.00–254.25 $246.10 $1,782 —
768–781 778 233 237.00–242.50 $241.05 $1,875 —
808–812 811 116 238.50–250.00 $240.89 $1,954 —
821 821 21 229.50 $229.50 $1,884 —
883 883 13 161.00 $161.00 $1,422 —
914 914 6 200.00 $200.00 $1,828 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 8 292.50 $292.50 $1,448 —
545 545 31 292.00 $292.00 $1,591 —
588–599 591 48 275.00–278.50 $276.76 $1,636 —
600–621 611 45 249.00–269.00 $262.37 $1,603 —
662–686 677 80 247.50–253.00 $250.70 $1,697 —
701–748 738 45 227.00–239.00 $233.76 $1,725 —

↑ 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.