Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 5, 2026

3,955 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $440.02/cwt +30.30 vs last sale · ≈ $2,758/hd at 627 lb · 474 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $453.76/cwt +18.25 vs last sale · ≈ $2,591/hd at 571 lb · 411 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $425.85/cwt +28.03 vs last sale · ≈ $2,859/hd at 671 lb · 352 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,955 4,210 2,890
Feeder cattle 3,955 — 2,890

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week's auction on Thursday, steers and heifer traded sharply higher. Demand was very good for all offerings especially, replacement quality heifers, with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date Feb 12th Special Bred Female & Regular Sale Feb 19th Special Feeder & Breed-able Heifer 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
460–486 466 37 570.00–572.50 $571.07 $2,661 -3.61
518–542 523 50 525.00–551.50 $545.46 $2,853 +17.38
552–596 580 155 484.00–521.00 $496.01 $2,877 +5.81
602–627 611 112 460.00–476.00 $469.57 $2,869 +15.69
660–692 672 308 429.00–460.00 $444.55 $2,987 +14.99
738–749 746 322 399.00–420.50 $410.66 $3,064 +3.96
761–791 775 29 379.00–391.00 $385.09 $2,984 -20.90
808–848 820 105 371.50–385.00 $380.75 $3,122 +23.95
850 850 28 370.00 $370.00 $3,145 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
428 428 6 525.00 $525.00 $2,247 —
535 535 6 514.00 $514.00 $2,750 -0.41
588–597 592 42 468.00–478.00 $474.36 $2,808 +0.35
649 649 25 436.00 $436.00 $2,830 +16.25
670–687 682 95 391.00–411.00 $407.02 $2,776 -6.25
798 798 12 367.00 $367.00 $2,929 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–447 431 24 505.00–537.50 $514.82 $2,219 +0.65
488–491 490 89 501.00–527.50 $514.74 $2,522 +8.74
500–534 522 185 470.00–495.00 $480.70 $2,509 +21.92
555–597 571 411 437.50–465.00 $453.76 $2,591 +18.25
610–621 616 302 430.00–437.50 $433.57 $2,671 +25.78
644–648 646 172 440.00–462.50 $451.35 $2,916 +43.56
651–699 669 300 400.00–432.50 $422.53 $2,827 +24.71
685 685 52 445.00 $445.00 $3,048 +47.18
700 700 29 430.00 $430.00 $3,010 +79.49
706–744 722 175 390.00–407.50 $399.14 $2,882 +5.73
754–792 769 80 391.00–402.50 $397.91 $3,060 +30.41
836 836 26 402.00 $402.00 $3,361 +57.00
856–866 862 22 320.00–323.00 $321.08 $2,768 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
446 446 6 455.00 $455.00 $2,029 -52.00
533 533 10 455.00 $455.00 $2,425 -9.62
574–597 583 53 425.00–435.00 $431.18 $2,514 —
622 622 23 404.00 $404.00 $2,513 +24.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003 1003 15 309.00 $309.00 $3,099 —

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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.