Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 31, 2024

4,010 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $310.20/cwt -8.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,787/hd at 576 lb · 965 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $364.44/cwt +14.75 vs last sale · ≈ $1,720/hd at 472 lb · 531 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $336.69/cwt +1.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,761/hd at 523 lb · 387 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,010 3,795 2,670
Feeder cattle 4,010 3,795 2,670

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week 400 to 450 lbs steers traded sharply higher, and 500 to 550 lbs offerings traded 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Heifer offerings 400 to 500 lbs traded steady to 5.00 lower. Demand was moderate to good. Next Auction Dates for Nov 7th, 14th & 21st, Nov 18th Special Bred Female

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
306–325 314 16 415.00–430.00 $423.21 $1,329 -6.79
350–398 382 95 380.00–402.00 $390.48 $1,492 +17.80
402–425 418 194 379.00–400.00 $389.31 $1,627 +18.82
451–499 472 531 343.00–375.00 $364.44 $1,720 +14.75
504–530 fancy 516 203 343.50–344.00 $343.76 $1,774 -8.24
513–540 531 184 313.00–335.00 $328.90 $1,746 -4.65
550–599 576 965 303.00–322.50 $310.20 $1,787 -5.79
603–639 617 20 286.50–294.50 $289.81 $1,788 -22.51
603–645 unweaned 629 78 285.50–292.50 $289.13 $1,819 —
664–697 unweaned 681 146 269.50–291.50 $276.51 $1,883 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
339–349 342 30 387.50–402.50 $397.91 $1,361 —
371–384 375 17 367.50–372.50 $370.99 $1,391 +20.60
457–499 491 104 323.00–338.00 $335.34 $1,647 +4.09
543 543 22 310.00 $310.00 $1,683 -6.97
599 599 17 292.00 $292.00 $1,749 -12.07
656 unweaned 656 9 267.00 $267.00 $1,752 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
302–319 308 24 400.00–410.00 $403.88 $1,244 +26.18
353–397 375 216 325.00–355.00 $337.71 $1,266 +6.53
407–446 428 342 313.00–332.00 $322.48 $1,380 -2.28
450 thin fleshed 450 25 339.00 $339.00 $1,526 —
480–496 490 174 304.00–314.00 $305.34 $1,496 -5.86
502–545 516 208 286.00–303.00 $293.89 $1,516 -1.09
551–583 567 61 276.00–295.00 $283.39 $1,607 +5.68
590 590 35 309.00 $309.00 $1,823 +31.29
604–640 unweaned 619 48 268.00–295.00 $280.63 $1,737 —
654 unweaned 654 70 259.50 $259.50 $1,697 —
755–788 778 28 235.00–240.00 $238.32 $1,854 —
859 859 10 228.00 $228.00 $1,959 —
934 934 10 216.00 $216.00 $2,017 —
990 990 15 214.00 $214.00 $2,119 —
1010–1030 1019 11 196.00–199.00 $197.62 $2,014 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 12 365.00 $365.00 $1,241 —
458–488 474 24 294.00–295.00 $294.56 $1,396 -2.94
536–541 538 29 266.00–284.00 $275.27 $1,481 -0.08
596 596 20 259.00 $259.00 $1,544 -10.00

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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.