Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2025-10-30
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-30

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Today's auction consisted of bawling calves from many Sandhill area ranches, majority of all consignments with Fall shots. Compared with last week, the market showed a significant downward trend for both steers and heifers. Demand was moderate to good with several buyer and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date Nov 3rd Special Bred Female & Regular Sale, Nov 6th Special Spring Calf Sale

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $465.90/cwt on 1,266 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −44.69 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$465.90

1,266 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,569

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$204

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

$37.76/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+5.11

vs NE average

+36.18 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	551	467.25	2,576	1,221
Medium and Large 1-2	552	429.49	2,372	45

One grade step is worth $37.76/cwt here — about $204 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 sale1,266 hd

465.90

—

NE average9 barns · 6,251 hd

460.80

+5.11

National average179 barns · 33,800 hd

429.72

+36.18

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

−44.69

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

29 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	450–500	468	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	2,363	79
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	410	581.00/cwt	581.00–581.00	2,382	101
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	513	499.45/cwt	493.00–512.50	2,562	275
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	558	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,651	63
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	460	537.00/cwt	537.00–537.00	2,470	116
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	477.50/cwt	477.50–477.50	1,624	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	570	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,366	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	522	446.23/cwt	437.50–462.50	2,329	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	566	421.93/cwt	421.00–422.50	2,388	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	431	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,940	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	660	415.84/cwt	413.00–416.50	2,745	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	601	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,344	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	441	510.72/cwt	500.00–521.00	2,252	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	431.50/cwt	431.00–432.00	2,309	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	485	466.06/cwt	465.00–467.50	2,260	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	422	468.92/cwt	455.00–487.50	1,979	105
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	473	434.85/cwt	425.00–440.00	2,057	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	475	470.51/cwt	447.50–487.50	2,235	153
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	539	463.63/cwt	446.00–475.00	2,499	372
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	451.59/cwt	430.00–465.00	2,619	511
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	621	441.89/cwt	437.50–452.50	2,744	54
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	384	565.03/cwt	535.00–591.00	2,170	78
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,631	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	467	506.38/cwt	494.00–516.00	2,365	256
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	628	424.70/cwt	411.00–435.00	2,667	353
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	381	500.11/cwt	495.00–510.00	1,905	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	440.58/cwt	435.00–475.00	2,326	98
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	314	652.50/cwt	652.50–652.50	2,049	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	414	553.59/cwt	540.00–561.00	2,292	47

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 30, 2025

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

Receipts 3,540Last week 3,600Year ago 4,010

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
79	450–500	468	505.00	505.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
9	300–350	340	477.50	477.50
37	350–400	381	495.00–510.00	500.11
105	400–450	422	455.00–487.50	468.92
153	450–500	475	447.50–487.50	470.51
98	500–550	528	435.00–475.00	440.58
16	550–600	572	460.00	460.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
12	400–450	431	450.00	450.00
24	450–500	473	425.00–440.00	434.85
22	500–550	535	431.00–432.00	431.50
7	550–600	570	415.00	415.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
54	600–650	621	437.50–452.50	441.89
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
101	400–450	410	581.00	581.00
116	450–500	460	537.00	537.00
275	500–550	513	493.00–512.50	499.45
63	550–600	558	475.00	475.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
57	400–450	441	500.00–521.00	510.72
31	450–500	485	465.00–467.50	466.06
14	500–550	522	437.50–462.50	446.23
31	550–600	566	421.00–422.50	421.93
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
353	600–650	628	411.00–435.00	424.70
49	650–700	660	413.00–416.50	415.84
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	600–650	601	390.00	390.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
12	300–350	314	652.50	652.50
78	350–400	384	535.00–591.00	565.03
47	400–450	414	540.00–561.00	553.59
256	450–500	467	494.00–516.00	506.38
372	500–550	539	446.00–475.00	463.63
511	550–600	580	430.00–465.00	451.59

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

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Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

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