Cattle Market Pulse

Valentine Livestock Auction Market Report

Valentine, Nebraska · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 12, 2026

3,830 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $506.44/cwt ≈ $2,826/hd at 558 lb · 389 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $413.04/cwt ≈ $2,734/hd at 662 lb · 335 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $409.51/cwt ≈ $2,962/hd at 723 lb · 327 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,830 725 4,020
Feeder cattle 3,830 — 4,020
Replacement cattle — 725 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date March 26th Regular Sale, April 2nd Special Feeder 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
440 440 42 602.00 $602.00 $2,649 —
475–498 480 125 548.00–576.00 $560.69 $2,691 —
502–516 512 185 529.00–554.00 $548.92 $2,810 —
551–583 558 389 482.00–518.00 $506.44 $2,826 —
602 fancy 602 55 484.50 $484.50 $2,917 —
618–639 634 224 455.00–463.50 $459.49 $2,913 —
653–699 669 270 420.00–454.00 $442.69 $2,962 —
713–733 721 256 380.00–414.50 $402.44 $2,902 —
732 fancy 732 71 435.00 $435.00 $3,184 —
768 768 72 407.00 $407.00 $3,126 —
805 805 69 370.00 $370.00 $2,978 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
416 416 9 545.00 $545.00 $2,267 —
467 467 20 537.50 $537.50 $2,510 —
530–532 531 25 502.00–512.00 $509.19 $2,704 —
550–599 579 88 455.00–477.50 $471.27 $2,729 —
620 620 14 422.00 $422.00 $2,616 —
656–664 660 34 409.00–432.00 $420.81 $2,777 —
733–746 738 42 373.00–379.00 $376.55 $2,779 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 12 450.00 $450.00 $1,822 —
467–495 479 67 455.00–481.00 $474.14 $2,271 —
516–537 533 122 464.00–482.00 $478.27 $2,549 —
561–591 573 191 425.00–456.00 $441.71 $2,531 —
600–649 627 130 395.00–435.00 $410.64 $2,575 —
652–678 662 335 376.00–438.00 $413.04 $2,734 —
706–735 711 62 355.00–370.00 $363.70 $2,586 —
744 744 12 382.00 $382.00 $2,842 —
754–782 773 105 361.00–381.00 $366.94 $2,836 —
824 824 58 372.00 $372.00 $3,065 —
837 837 7 345.00 $345.00 $2,888 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 10 437.00 $437.00 $2,141 —
506–545 527 32 412.50–456.00 $440.94 $2,324 —
583–597 588 60 404.00–409.00 $407.14 $2,394 —
620–641 637 42 376.00–385.00 $377.88 $2,407 —
679–688 685 19 342.00–367.00 $357.87 $2,451 —

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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.