Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-04-09
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-09

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No recent test of market to compare, a trend will not be given for steer or heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date April 16th Weigh-Ups, Special Pair, Fall and Bred Cows

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $531.27/cwt on 535 head, up $17.80 from the prior sale. That ranks 12 of 13 comparable sales and sits +20.68 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$531.27

▲ 17.80 vs prior sale

535 head · 552 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,933

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$92

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2

$34.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+19.91

vs NE average

+40.44 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	550	535.41	2,943	470
Medium and Large 1-2	569	501.41	2,852	65

One grade step is worth $34.00/cwt here — about $92 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 700–800 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $531.78, low $475.00, median $510.59 across 13 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale535 hd

531.27

—

NE average5 barns · 1,316 hd

511.36

+19.91

National average167 barns · 10,529 hd

490.83

+40.44

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

+20.68

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot, as filed

40 lots · USDA AMS · Valentine Livestock Auction - Valentine, NE

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	866	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,858	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	466	507.21/cwt	505.00–512.50	2,364	83
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	678	432.77/cwt	420.00–436.00	2,934	103
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	431	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,327	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	705	407.50/cwt	407.50–407.50	2,873	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	681	432.31/cwt	427.50–437.00	2,944	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	785	387.32/cwt	381.50–391.00	3,040	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	635	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	3,048	91
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	710	468.00/cwt	468.00–468.00	3,323	172
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	494	551.10/cwt	550.00–555.00	2,722	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	538	534.25/cwt	520.00–538.00	2,874	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	531	454.21/cwt	432.50–472.50	2,412	76
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	806	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	3,305	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	727	410.51/cwt	397.50–420.00	2,984	184
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	641	455.82/cwt	447.50–467.50	2,922	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	592	476.55/cwt	447.50–487.50	2,821	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	589	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,474	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	846	334.00/cwt	334.00–334.00	2,826	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	788	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	3,310	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	684	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	3,146	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	820	361.96/cwt	358.00–370.00	2,968	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	676	383.28/cwt	370.00–400.00	2,591	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	653	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,808	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	490	547.50/cwt	547.50–547.50	2,683	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	666	458.27/cwt	456.00–460.00	3,052	129
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	721	384.00/cwt	384.00–384.00	2,769	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	454.38/cwt	440.00–465.00	2,567	172
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	600–650	632	412.50/cwt	412.50–412.50	2,607	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	811	394.46/cwt	382.00–402.00	3,199	200
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	582	502.05/cwt	497.00–532.50	2,922	213
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	563.05/cwt	542.50–573.00	2,945	257
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	456	599.79/cwt	595.00–607.50	2,735	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	785	419.00/cwt	419.00–419.00	3,289	148
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	642	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,568	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	616.22/cwt	605.00–630.00	2,588	47
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	626	484.97/cwt	470.00–500.00	3,036	178
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	623	420.10/cwt	407.00–460.00	2,617	163
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	880	366.37/cwt	363.50–373.50	3,224	91
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	719	429.78/cwt	412.00–440.00	3,090	236
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	508	506.29/cwt	500.00–509.00	2,572	253

How this sale compares

Nebraska weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Nebraska auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Nebraska feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Valentine Livestock Auction - Valentine, NE

Thu Apr 9, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Kearney, NE (LS-WH)

Receipts 3,970Last week 3,830Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
19	400–450	431	540.00	540.00
83	450–500	466	505.00–512.50	507.21
253	500–550	508	500.00–509.00	506.29
172	550–600	565	440.00–465.00	454.38
163	600–650	623	407.00–460.00	420.10
103	650–700	678	420.00–436.00	432.77
30	700–750	721	384.00	384.00
6	850–900	866	330.00	330.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
91	600–650	635	480.00	480.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
76	500–550	531	432.50–472.50	454.21
8	550–600	589	420.00	420.00
24	650–700	676	370.00–400.00	383.28
8	800–850	846	334.00	334.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
85	650–700	684	460.00	460.00
184	700–750	727	397.50–420.00	410.51
62	750–800	788	420.00	420.00
14	800–850	806	410.00	410.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
27	600–650	632	412.50	412.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	600–650	642	400.00	400.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
31	450–500	494	550.00–555.00	551.10
28	500–550	538	520.00–538.00	534.25
37	550–600	592	447.50–487.50	476.55
31	600–650	641	447.50–467.50	455.82
10	650–700	681	427.50–437.00	432.31
8	700–750	705	407.50	407.50
29	750–800	785	381.50–391.00	387.32
15	800–850	820	358.00–370.00	361.96
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
172	700–750	710	468.00	468.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
34	450–500	490	547.50	547.50
9	650–700	653	430.00	430.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
47	400–450	420	605.00–630.00	616.22
42	450–500	456	595.00–607.50	599.79
257	500–550	523	542.50–573.00	563.05
213	550–600	582	497.00–532.50	502.05
178	600–650	626	470.00–500.00	484.97
129	650–700	666	456.00–460.00	458.27
236	700–750	719	412.00–440.00	429.78
148	750–800	785	419.00	419.00
200	800–850	811	382.00–402.00	394.46
91	850–900	880	363.50–373.50	366.37

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

Valentine