Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, November 7, 2024

1,685 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $358.27/cwt -6.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,673/hd at 467 lb · 242 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $320.49/cwt +10.29 vs last sale · ≈ $1,820/hd at 568 lb · 189 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $342.97/cwt +20.49 vs last sale · ≈ $1,495/hd at 436 lb · 121 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,685 4,010 3,525
Feeder cattle 1,685 4,010 3,525

Market comments — USDA reporter

Today's Special Spring Calf Sale featuring Hereford and BWF offerings, started the day with calves off dry Sandhill grass, with lighter weights than expected. Steer offerings 450 and 500 lbs traded 6.00 to 8.00 lower and 550 lbs offerings trading strongly higher. Heifer offerings 400 to 500 lbs also traded strongly higher. Demand was good with several buyers at the barn, but not much bidding from the internet. Next Auction Date Nov 11th Weigh ups 1000 head, Nov 14th 12:00 pm Special Spring Calf Sale with weaned & non-weaned calves

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
310 310 21 395.00 $395.00 $1,224 -28.21
387–398 390 51 382.00–385.00 $384.10 $1,498 -6.38
401–408 404 44 385.00–387.00 $386.22 $1,560 -3.09
457–475 467 242 351.00–362.50 $358.27 $1,673 -6.17
507–546 528 106 311.00–328.00 $320.59 $1,693 -8.31
550–583 568 189 305.50–329.00 $320.49 $1,820 +10.29
624–632 unweaned 631 27 293.00–294.50 $293.27 $1,851 +4.14
656 unweaned 656 90 301.25 $301.25 $1,976 +24.74
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373–388 383 23 353.00–365.00 $356.55 $1,366 -14.44
414–442 426 32 330.00–357.00 $348.20 $1,483 —
478–495 487 43 320.00–340.00 $328.89 $1,602 -6.45
535–547 544 46 308.00–310.00 $309.40 $1,683 -0.60
579–598 591 39 280.00–301.00 $290.57 $1,717 -1.43
618 unweaned 618 9 270.00 $270.00 $1,669 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
366 366 13 357.50 $357.50 $1,308 +19.79
435–440 436 121 323.00–348.50 $342.97 $1,495 +20.49
453–483 475 105 311.00–318.00 $316.06 $1,501 +10.72
501–543 522 105 283.00–296.00 $289.97 $1,514 -3.92
556–589 574 35 283.50–301.00 $292.12 $1,677 +8.73
601 unweaned 601 15 263.00 $263.00 $1,581 -17.63
730 730 7 242.00 $242.00 $1,767 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306 306 24 350.00 $350.00 $1,071 -15.00
369 369 30 325.00 $325.00 $1,199 —
401–448 429 25 292.50–315.00 $308.10 $1,322 —
458–491 477 40 280.00–295.00 $290.03 $1,383 -4.53

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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.