Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2025-10-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Demand was good for the Special Spring Calf Sale today with all consignments unweaned. Comparable offerings were sharply higher with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date: Mon. Oct 20th Special Fall Pair and Regular Sale, Oct 23rd Special Spring Calf Sale

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $509.55/cwt on 902 head. That ranks 7 of 13 comparable sales and sits −1.05 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$509.55

902 head · 542 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,761

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$247

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

$55.70/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+16.46

vs NE average

+40.51 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	541	513.25	2,777	842
Medium and Large 1-2	553	457.56	2,530	60

One grade step is worth $55.70/cwt here — about $247 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale902 hd

509.55

—

NE average10 barns · 4,989 hd

493.09

+16.46

National average176 barns · 29,227 hd

469.04

+40.51

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

−1.05

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

30 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 1Fancy	500–550	517	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,585	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	484	526.00/cwt	526.00–526.00	2,546	101
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	615	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,952	82
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	526	548.50/cwt	548.50–548.50	2,885	100
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	317	571.35/cwt	560.00–575.00	1,811	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	596	445.81/cwt	445.00–446.00	2,657	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	514	419.69/cwt	405.00–450.00	2,157	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	491	470.66/cwt	460.00–477.50	2,311	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	439	574.04/cwt	572.50–575.00	2,520	58
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	344	595.00/cwt	595.00–595.00	2,047	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	472	514.46/cwt	507.50–525.00	2,428	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	564	448.48/cwt	385.00–462.50	2,529	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	706	418.00/cwt	418.00–418.00	2,951	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	666	436.56/cwt	388.00–447.00	2,907	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	614	459.45/cwt	452.00–465.00	2,821	152
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	527	478.73/cwt	474.00–485.00	2,523	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	379	528.93/cwt	520.00–540.00	2,005	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	429	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,016	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	470	558.76/cwt	537.00–567.50	2,626	404
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	525	519.95/cwt	499.00–536.00	2,730	490
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	514	469.27/cwt	465.00–472.50	2,412	87
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	608.50/cwt	603.00–640.00	2,598	83
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	500–550	542	542.00/cwt	542.00–542.00	2,938	83
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	651	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	2,783	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	379	552.34/cwt	542.50–562.50	2,093	104
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	468	503.74/cwt	496.00–508.00	2,358	137
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	515.07/cwt	507.00–542.50	2,241	159
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	329	662.32/cwt	630.00–670.00	2,179	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	395	636.01/cwt	615.00–640.00	2,512	102
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	486.24/cwt	477.00–500.00	2,810	252

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 Oct 16, 2025

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

Receipts 3,060Last week 2,366Year ago 6,210

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
101	450–500	484	526.00	526.00
94	500–550	517	500.00	500.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
35	300–350	317	560.00–575.00	571.35
104	350–400	379	542.50–562.50	552.34
159	400–450	435	507.00–542.50	515.07
137	450–500	468	496.00–508.00	503.74
87	500–550	514	465.00–472.50	469.27
57	550–600	596	445.00–446.00	445.81
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
11	350–400	379	520.00–540.00	528.93
15	400–450	429	470.00	470.00
31	450–500	491	460.00–477.50	470.66
15	500–550	514	405.00–450.00	419.69
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
83	500–550	542	542.00	542.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
8	650–700	651	427.50	427.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
100	500–550	526	548.50	548.50
82	600–650	615	480.00	480.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
11	300–350	344	595.00	595.00
58	400–450	439	572.50–575.00	574.04
30	450–500	472	507.50–525.00	514.46
18	500–550	527	474.00–485.00	478.73
42	550–600	564	385.00–462.50	448.48
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
152	600–650	614	452.00–465.00	459.45
59	650–700	666	388.00–447.00	436.56
12	700–750	706	418.00	418.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
39	300–350	329	630.00–670.00	662.32
102	350–400	395	615.00–640.00	636.01
83	400–450	427	603.00–640.00	608.50
404	450–500	470	537.00–567.50	558.76
490	500–550	525	499.00–536.00	519.95
252	550–600	578	477.00–500.00	486.24

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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