Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2024-12-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-12-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago steers less than 500 lbs sold sharply higher. Flat 5 weight sold 9.00 higher and over 550 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher. Heifers were lightly tested with most trading steady to 5.00 higher. The market was incredibly active throughout the day as there were ample buyers on the seats actively bidding with some internet buying. The bidding was fast paced as many times bids were taken 2.50 to 5.00 at a time. Bulk of the sale was longtime weaned, with several lots running out on dry after grass meadows and getting a little long stem grass hay. Quite a few of the offering on Thursday was born from April to June.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $366.12/cwt on 789 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −144.47 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$366.12

789 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,993

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$143

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

$27.42/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+19.45

vs NE average

+39.49 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	544	370.67	2,017	658
Medium and Large 1-2	546	343.26	1,874	131

One grade step is worth $27.42/cwt here — about $143 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 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 sale789 hd

366.12

—

NE average9 barns · 3,781 hd

346.67

+19.45

National average173 barns · 17,754 hd

326.63

+39.49

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

−144.47

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

38 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	609	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,766	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	469	314.90/cwt	314.00–317.50	1,477	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	636	263.00/cwt	263.00–263.00	1,673	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	263	1,120.00/head	1,120.00–1,120.00	1,120	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	320	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,248	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	441	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,422	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	487	374.45/cwt	365.00–388.00	1,824	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	625	298.33/cwt	296.00–303.00	1,865	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	709	286.49/cwt	285.00–287.00	2,031	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	442	376.00/cwt	376.00–376.00	1,662	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	581	338.18/cwt	327.00–344.00	1,965	153
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	728	302.77/cwt	300.00–305.75	2,204	153
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	376	447.22/cwt	442.50–452.50	1,682	103
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	391	419.59/cwt	410.00–423.00	1,641	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	434.25/cwt	416.00–447.00	1,854	159
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	622	329.67/cwt	306.00–346.00	2,051	317
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	766	292.09/cwt	290.50–292.50	2,237	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	344	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,479	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	380.52/cwt	360.00–394.00	2,028	505
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	304	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	1,353	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	308	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,263	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	577	297.96/cwt	295.00–302.00	1,719	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	532	352.08/cwt	346.00–358.00	1,873	94
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	581	320.84/cwt	312.00–329.00	1,864	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	511	339.64/cwt	321.00–349.00	1,736	236
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	718	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,849	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	379	379.02/cwt	360.00–385.00	1,436	77
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	429	345.12/cwt	339.00–360.00	1,481	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	472	427.45/cwt	400.00–435.00	2,018	339
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	669	318.09/cwt	304.00–329.00	2,128	355
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	533	301.17/cwt	283.00–311.00	1,605	54
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	697	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,917	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	612	299.59/cwt	299.00–301.00	1,833	89
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	469	341.47/cwt	330.00–353.00	1,601	116
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	683	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	1,926	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	737	283.00/cwt	283.00–283.00	2,086	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	394	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,369	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	577	281.09/cwt	277.00–285.00	1,622	12

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 Dec 19, 2024

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

Receipts 3,766Last week 0Year ago 1,855

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	600–650	609	290.00	290.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	300–350	320	390.00	390.00
6	350–400	394	347.50	347.50
5	400–450	441	322.50	322.50
16	450–500	469	314.00–317.50	314.90
54	500–550	533	283.00–311.00	301.17
12	550–600	577	277.00–285.00	281.09
10	600–650	636	263.00	263.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
9	250–300	263	1,120.00	1,120.00
4	300–350	308	410.00	410.00
77	350–400	379	360.00–385.00	379.02
85	400–450	429	339.00–360.00	345.12
116	450–500	469	330.00–353.00	341.47
236	500–550	511	321.00–349.00	339.64
19	550–600	577	295.00–302.00	297.96
89	600–650	612	299.00–301.00	299.59
12	650–700	697	275.00	275.00
5	700–750	718	257.50	257.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
35	650–700	683	282.00	282.00
21	700–750	737	283.00	283.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
11	300–350	344	430.00	430.00
29	350–400	391	410.00–423.00	419.59
16	400–450	442	376.00	376.00
88	450–500	487	365.00–388.00	374.45
94	500–550	532	346.00–358.00	352.08
37	550–600	581	312.00–329.00	320.84
15	600–650	625	296.00–303.00	298.33
28	700–750	709	285.00–287.00	286.49
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	300–350	304	445.00	445.00
103	350–400	376	442.50–452.50	447.22
159	400–450	427	416.00–447.00	434.25
339	450–500	472	400.00–435.00	427.45
505	500–550	533	360.00–394.00	380.52
153	550–600	581	327.00–344.00	338.18
317	600–650	622	306.00–346.00	329.67
355	650–700	669	304.00–329.00	318.09
153	700–750	728	300.00–305.75	302.77
72	750–800	766	290.50–292.50	292.09

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.

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