Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2025-12-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-12-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to feeder sale two weeks ago, steers were mixed with 500-600 lbs. 11.00-15.00 lower and 600-700 lbs. bringing 6.00-7.00 higher. Heifers were too lightly tested with a lower undertone noticed throughout the sale. Demand was good on cattle with multiple rounds of Spring and Fall shots. Quality was attractive and uniform throughout a majority of the sale giving the buyers plenty of solid options for disposition and condition. Extreme wind gusts reported in the area but did not hamper the active bidding of the larger loads on offer.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $481.19/cwt on 571 head. That ranks 3 of 13 comparable sales and sits −29.40 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$481.19

571 head · 558 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,684

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$183

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

$28.81/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+9.69

vs NE average

+37.09 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	558	483.01	2,696	535
Medium and Large 1-2	553	454.20	2,513	36

One grade step is worth $28.81/cwt here — about $183 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 sale571 hd

481.19

—

NE average7 barns · 2,041 hd

471.51

+9.69

National average163 barns · 16,063 hd

444.10

+37.09

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

−29.40

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

33 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	Large 1	1150–1200	1,179	259.43/cwt	255.00–265.00	3,059	9
Heifers	Large 1	1000–1050	1,003	303.00/cwt	303.00–303.00	3,039	12
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,078	309.43/cwt	280.00–314.50	3,336	87
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	563	410.70/cwt	391.00–420.00	2,312	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	731	328.00/cwt	328.00–328.00	2,398	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	439	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,129	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	763	394.69/cwt	389.00–399.00	3,011	175
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	606	448.00/cwt	448.00–448.00	2,715	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	586	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	2,710	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	534	500.56/cwt	485.00–509.00	2,673	192
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	484	540.04/cwt	534.00–545.00	2,614	229
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	367	595.00/cwt	595.00–595.00	2,184	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	547	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,653	84
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	486	523.99/cwt	495.00–528.00	2,547	114
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	540	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,403	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	682	429.00/cwt	429.00–429.00	2,926	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	604	402.00/cwt	402.00–402.00	2,428	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	470.02/cwt	455.00–482.50	2,721	236
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	429	516.97/cwt	507.50–527.50	2,218	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	494	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	2,285	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	433	544.21/cwt	530.00–550.00	2,356	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	614	392.46/cwt	390.00–398.00	2,410	43
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	386	565.73/cwt	540.00–580.00	2,184	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	489	444.60/cwt	442.50–447.50	2,174	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	564.96/cwt	550.00–575.00	2,429	141
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	521	471.26/cwt	465.00–480.00	2,455	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	584	446.00/cwt	446.00–446.00	2,605	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	534	423.00/cwt	423.00–423.00	2,259	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	533	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,185	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	594	383.00/cwt	383.00–383.00	2,275	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	627	444.54/cwt	415.00–451.00	2,787	288
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	712	408.36/cwt	399.00–417.00	2,908	411
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	668	423.76/cwt	401.00–441.00	2,831	633

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 18, 2025

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

Receipts 3,319Last week 0Year ago 3,766

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
12	1000–1050	1,003	303.00	303.00
87	1050–1100	1,078	280.00–314.50	309.43
9	1150–1200	1,179	255.00–265.00	259.43
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
23	350–400	386	540.00–580.00	565.73
11	400–450	439	485.00	485.00
26	450–500	489	442.50–447.50	444.60
31	500–550	534	423.00	423.00
58	550–600	563	391.00–420.00	410.70
43	600–650	614	390.00–398.00	392.46
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	550–600	594	383.00	383.00
6	700–750	731	328.00	328.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
42	650–700	682	429.00	429.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	500–550	533	410.00	410.00
8	600–650	604	402.00	402.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
46	350–400	367	595.00	595.00
141	400–450	430	550.00–575.00	564.96
229	450–500	484	534.00–545.00	540.04
192	500–550	534	485.00–509.00	500.56
236	550–600	579	455.00–482.50	470.02
288	600–650	627	415.00–451.00	444.54
633	650–700	668	401.00–441.00	423.76
411	700–750	712	399.00–417.00	408.36
175	750–800	763	389.00–399.00	394.69
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
57	400–450	433	530.00–550.00	544.21
114	450–500	486	495.00–528.00	523.99
84	500–550	547	485.00	485.00
23	550–600	586	462.50	462.50
18	600–650	606	448.00	448.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
8	500–550	540	445.00	445.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
34	400–450	429	507.50–527.50	516.97
11	450–500	494	462.50	462.50
12	500–550	521	465.00–480.00	471.26
16	550–600	584	446.00	446.00

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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