Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 8, 2026

3,309 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $467.74/cwt +22.99 vs last sale · ≈ $2,907/hd at 621 lb · 488 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $504.42/cwt +35.07 vs last sale · ≈ $2,855/hd at 566 lb · 345 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $520.97/cwt +25.15 vs last sale · ≈ $2,803/hd at 538 lb · 325 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 3,309

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 18 602.00 $602.00 $2,649 +37.04
455–473 466 92 565.00–590.00 $574.94 $2,679 +34.90
526–549 538 325 517.00–536.00 $520.97 $2,803 +20.41
550–587 566 345 488.00–518.00 $504.42 $2,855 +34.40
608–613 fancy 609 132 481.00 $481.00 $2,929
608–644 626 356 445.00–476.00 $462.82 $2,897 +18.28
663 fancy 663 175 457.00 $457.00 $3,030
652–671 665 135 432.00–444.00 $440.50 $2,929 +16.74
703–724 719 159 391.00–415.00 $409.22 $2,942 +0.86
718–731 fancy 725 155 422.50–430.50 $426.23 $3,090
766–797 774 210 372.00–389.00 $384.18 $2,974 -10.51
802–822 816 60 370.00–374.00 $371.25 $3,029
869 869 50 362.00 $362.00 $3,146
934 934 10 329.00 $329.00 $3,073
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 9 555.00 $555.00 $2,664 +92.50
522–539 531 14 507.00–512.50 $509.71 $2,707 +38.45
571 571 9 460.00 $460.00 $2,627 +14.00
609–643 627 37 425.00–438.00 $430.80 $2,701
690–692 691 33 401.00–416.00 $411.00 $2,840
717–741 726 13 360.00–373.00 $365.10 $2,651
752 752 26 372.00 $372.00 $2,797

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–449 426 16 507.50–515.00 $512.53 $2,183 +27.53
468–493 484 55 472.50–507.50 $491.02 $2,377 +46.42
516–547 530 250 445.00–480.00 $472.49 $2,504 +49.49
566–574 568 135 445.00–459.00 $455.84 $2,589 +45.14
601–646 623 103 390.00–420.00 $405.87 $2,529 +13.41
663–697 672 120 392.00–436.00 $424.58 $2,853 -4.42
657–698 685 59 387.00–395.00 $392.38 $2,688 -36.62
713 713 11 410.00 $410.00 $2,923
754 754 8 380.00 $380.00 $2,865
770–786 782 131 405.00–433.00 $422.36 $3,303
805 805 7 332.00 $332.00 $2,673
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584–596 591 34 402.50–426.00 $412.98 $2,441 +29.98
692 692 10 365.00 $365.00 $2,526
772 772 7 365.00 $365.00 $2,818

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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.