Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2025-02-27
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-02-27

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Due to postponement of auction last week, no comparable offerings for steers or heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and very active internet bidding. Next Auction date March 6th Special Bred Female & Regular Sale Along with Russell Angus Bull Sale, March 13th Special Feeder & Breedable Heifer Sale

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $336.60/cwt on 1,055 head. That ranks 1 of 12 comparable sales and sits −124.31 against this barn's trailing median of $460.91.

Average price

$336.60

1,055 head · 553 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,862

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$89

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

$22.64/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+6.51

vs NE average

+29.59 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	552	338.36	1,869	973
Medium and Large 1-2	564	315.72	1,780	82

One grade step is worth $22.64/cwt here — about $89 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

12 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $488.17, low $412.50, median $460.91 across 12 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 sale1,055 hd

336.60

—

NE average10 barns · 2,940 hd

330.09

+6.51

National average189 barns · 18,586 hd

307.01

+29.59

This barn, trailing median12 sales

460.91

−124.31

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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	380	437.50/cwt	437.50–437.50	1,663	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	802	259.00/cwt	259.00–259.00	2,077	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	788	261.00/cwt	261.00–261.00	2,057	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	391.18/cwt	387.50–400.00	1,674	64
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	325.72/cwt	314.50–339.00	1,863	438
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	309.83/cwt	299.00–316.00	1,936	533
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	488	382.63/cwt	362.50–402.50	1,867	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	527	368.34/cwt	355.00–375.00	1,941	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	637	327.47/cwt	322.50–330.00	2,086	65
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	392	407.18/cwt	395.00–412.50	1,596	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	445	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,847	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	560	339.31/cwt	337.00–344.00	1,900	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	636	288.00/cwt	288.00–288.00	1,832	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	690	314.68/cwt	314.00–315.00	2,171	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	462	427.13/cwt	425.00–430.00	1,973	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	777	297.62/cwt	281.00–313.00	2,313	56
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	493	347.35/cwt	346.00–348.00	1,712	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	641	314.09/cwt	309.00–323.00	2,013	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	535	340.16/cwt	330.00–357.00	1,820	365
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	690	318.90/cwt	309.00–334.00	2,200	61
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	818	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,270	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	579	369.60/cwt	355.00–378.00	2,140	76
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	326.85/cwt	326.00–327.50	1,749	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	583	308.23/cwt	295.00–312.50	1,797	49
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	666	294.63/cwt	286.00–300.00	1,962	82
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	714	280.52/cwt	274.75–290.00	2,003	117
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	574	359.75/cwt	349.00–373.00	2,065	161
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	518	385.47/cwt	380.00–392.50	1,997	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	500–550	506	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,847	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	357.60/cwt	351.00–373.00	1,709	125
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	315	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	1,630	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	421	441.90/cwt	433.00–445.00	1,860	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	678	329.97/cwt	321.00–343.50	2,237	177
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	733	312.86/cwt	306.50–318.00	2,293	180
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	716	337.00/cwt	337.00–337.00	2,413	44
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	388	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,785	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	751	307.00/cwt	307.00–307.00	2,306	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	609	349.14/cwt	333.00–353.00	2,126	149

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 Feb 27, 2025

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

Receipts 3,825Last week 2,890Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
11	350–400	380	437.50	437.50
64	400–450	428	387.50–400.00	391.18
125	450–500	478	351.00–373.00	357.60
365	500–550	535	330.00–357.00	340.16
438	550–600	572	314.50–339.00	325.72
533	600–650	625	299.00–316.00	309.83
82	650–700	666	286.00–300.00	294.63
117	700–750	714	274.75–290.00	280.52
34	750–800	788	261.00	261.00
30	800–850	802	259.00	259.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
76	550–600	579	355.00–378.00	369.60
65	600–650	637	322.50–330.00	327.47
61	650–700	690	309.00–334.00	318.90
44	700–750	716	337.00	337.00
56	750–800	777	281.00–313.00	297.62
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
30	350–400	392	395.00–412.50	407.18
21	450–500	493	346.00–348.00	347.35
33	500–550	535	326.00–327.50	326.85
49	550–600	583	295.00–312.50	308.23
5	600–650	636	288.00	288.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
94	500–550	506	365.00	365.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	445	415.00	415.00
31	450–500	488	362.50–402.50	382.63
42	500–550	527	355.00–375.00	368.34
24	550–600	560	337.00–344.00	339.31
25	600–650	641	309.00–323.00	314.09
28	650–700	690	314.00–315.00	314.68
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
12	300–350	315	517.50	517.50
8	350–400	388	460.00	460.00
28	400–450	421	433.00–445.00	441.90
42	450–500	462	425.00–430.00	427.13
45	500–550	518	380.00–392.50	385.47
161	550–600	574	349.00–373.00	359.75
149	600–650	609	333.00–353.00	349.14
177	650–700	678	321.00–343.50	329.97
180	700–750	733	306.50–318.00	312.86
33	750–800	751	307.00	307.00
31	800–850	818	277.50	277.50

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

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