Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 15, 2026

4,160 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $438.70/cwt -11.11 vs last sale · ≈ $2,973/hd at 678 lb · 784 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $497.03/cwt -7.39 vs last sale · ≈ $2,878/hd at 579 lb · 661 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $473.20/cwt +5.46 vs last sale · ≈ $2,925/hd at 618 lb · 460 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 4,160 — —

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
414–449 442 56 595.00–605.00 $599.54 $2,650 -2.46
468–491 477 66 552.50–578.00 $568.35 $2,711 -6.59
503 fancy 503 59 559.00 $559.00 $2,812 —
500–541 528 270 532.50–545.00 $536.87 $2,835 +15.90
552–599 579 661 471.00–526.00 $497.03 $2,878 -7.39
612 fancy 612 174 488.00 $488.00 $2,987 +7.00
602–635 622 286 455.00–476.00 $464.19 $2,887 +1.37
650 fancy 650 85 473.50 $473.50 $3,078 +16.50
650–694 681 699 420.00–456.50 $434.47 $2,959 -6.03
702–746 711 198 397.00–422.50 $413.81 $2,942 +4.59
752–762 758 235 400.50–404.00 $402.13 $3,048 +17.95
819–829 823 140 373.00–387.00 $380.88 $3,135 +9.63
851 851 11 379.00 $379.00 $3,225 +17.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 18 535.00 $535.00 $2,648 -20.00
522–548 541 32 497.00–519.00 $514.22 $2,782 +4.51
596–597 596 22 457.50–463.00 $460.50 $2,745 +0.50
603–632 625 20 427.50–434.00 $429.07 $2,682 -1.73
663–684 672 33 416.00–418.00 $417.14 $2,803 +6.14
717–743 728 31 378.00–385.50 $380.56 $2,770 +15.46

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 6 540.00 $540.00 $2,322 +27.47
458–472 464 57 485.00–510.00 $502.21 $2,330 +11.19
520–546 529 134 450.00–467.50 $462.02 $2,444 -10.47
562–573 571 89 457.50–468.00 $465.79 $2,660 +9.95
564–596 578 125 428.00–448.50 $440.58 $2,547 -15.26
614–628 624 123 435.00–450.00 $439.20 $2,741 +33.33
610–647 626 154 400.00–429.00 $415.76 $2,603 +9.89
655 655 31 422.00 $422.00 $2,764 -2.58
654–689 661 175 385.00–414.00 $396.45 $2,621 -28.13
707 707 23 410.00 $410.00 $2,899 ±0.00
724–745 734 46 357.00–376.00 $365.29 $2,681 -44.71
781 781 10 462.50 $462.50 $3,612 +40.14
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
369 369 7 510.00 $510.00 $1,882 —
457–489 470 26 445.00–477.50 $458.45 $2,155 —
585–596 588 41 407.50–430.00 $420.26 $2,471 +7.28
611 611 5 390.00 $390.00 $2,383 —
792 792 12 336.00 $336.00 $2,661 -29.00

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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.