Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 16, 2025

5,055 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $361.87/cwt +2.71 vs last sale · ≈ $2,076/hd at 574 lb · 849 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $345.39/cwt +1.79 vs last sale · ≈ $2,150/hd at 623 lb · 769 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $379.23/cwt +2.92 vs last sale · ≈ $2,002/hd at 528 lb · 639 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,055 4,445 0
Feeder cattle 5,055 4,445 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week's auction 500 to 700 lbs steers traded steady to 5.00 higher and a high demand for 700 lb offerings, trading sharply higher. Heifer offerings 500 to 600 lbs traded 7.00 to 9.00 higher. Demand was very good for all offerings with several buyers at the auction. Internet bidding was slower today put several logged in to web to watch the show. Next Auction Dates Jan 23rd Special Bred Female Auction & Regular Sale, Diamond Lazy J Bull Sale

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 9 512.50 $512.50 $1,589 +62.50
373–375 374 25 467.00–490.00 $480.77 $1,798 —
432–446 442 116 414.00–430.00 $422.42 $1,867 +4.09
464–494 482 59 399.00–404.00 $400.88 $1,932 +1.53
500–543 528 639 367.00–395.00 $379.23 $2,002 +2.92
557 fancy 557 103 379.00 $379.00 $2,111 —
551–598 576 746 350.00–369.00 $359.50 $2,071 +0.34
619 fancy 619 80 360.50 $360.50 $2,231 -2.50
600–644 623 689 337.00–354.50 $343.63 $2,141 +5.61
654 fancy 654 166 345.00 $345.00 $2,256 +11.00
650–670 661 222 317.00–339.00 $324.19 $2,143 +3.25
706–748 729 188 298.00–320.00 $312.71 $2,280 +13.71
769–797 778 32 280.00–288.50 $285.78 $2,223 -7.68
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 10 435.00 $435.00 $1,731 —
463–473 466 24 390.00–396.00 $394.48 $1,838 +8.14
569–596 577 42 327.00–348.00 $338.14 $1,951 -4.05
635–646 643 40 322.00–328.00 $323.48 $2,080 +10.64
660–691 678 61 310.00–311.00 $310.34 $2,104 +6.73

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
328 328 8 410.00 $410.00 $1,345 —
402–448 428 92 355.00–368.00 $361.73 $1,548 +14.23
456–496 483 84 334.00–357.00 $351.46 $1,698 +0.61
522 fancy 522 39 363.00 $363.00 $1,895 —
500–544 526 312 334.00–356.00 $340.68 $1,792 +7.82
551–577 563 199 324.00–338.00 $332.22 $1,870 +9.40
602–645 615 197 290.00–313.00 $306.23 $1,883 +7.97
621–646 639 117 315.00–320.00 $316.29 $2,021 +18.03
655 655 44 322.00 $322.00 $2,109 +48.59
682 682 48 304.00 $304.00 $2,073 +30.59
705–733 721 69 291.00–312.00 $300.17 $2,164 +29.51
725 725 5 274.00 $274.00 $1,986 +3.34
778 778 75 262.50 $262.50 $2,042 —
796 796 47 274.50 $274.50 $2,185 —
891 891 23 257.00 $257.00 $2,290 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
471–495 485 35 325.00–328.00 $326.75 $1,585 +4.60
538–543 541 24 329.00–330.00 $329.67 $1,784 +17.36
555–595 584 44 301.00–316.00 $305.94 $1,787 +2.16

↑ 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.