Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-01-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

First auction of the New Year. No recent test of market for an accurate comparison of steers and heifers but a higher trend should be noted. Demand was very good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Several loads of replacement quality heifers with even higher demands. Next Auction Date Jan 15th Special Feeder Calf, Jan 22nd Special Bred Female and Bull Sale

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $511.71/cwt on 693 head, up $30.52 from the prior sale. That ranks 8 of 13 comparable sales and sits +1.12 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$511.71

▲ 30.52 vs prior sale

693 head · 552 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,826

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$151

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

$22.19/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+17.91

vs NE average

+45.38 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	552	512.45	2,831	670
Medium and Large 1-2	547	490.26	2,680	23

One grade step is worth $22.19/cwt here — about $151 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale693 hd

511.71

—

NE average6 barns · 3,002 hd

493.80

+17.91

National average195 barns · 28,890 hd

466.33

+45.38

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

+1.12

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

35 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	609	481.00/cwt	481.00–481.00	2,929	132
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	725	426.23/cwt	422.50–430.50	3,090	155
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	650–700	663	457.00/cwt	457.00–457.00	3,030	175
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	332.00/cwt	332.00–332.00	2,673	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	754	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,865	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	426	512.53/cwt	507.50–515.00	2,183	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	691	411.00/cwt	401.00–416.00	2,840	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	480	555.00/cwt	555.00–555.00	2,664	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	571	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,627	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	726	365.10/cwt	360.00–373.00	2,651	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	466	574.94/cwt	565.00–590.00	2,679	92
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	627	430.80/cwt	425.00–438.00	2,701	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	772	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,818	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	591	412.98/cwt	402.50–426.00	2,441	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	531	509.71/cwt	507.00–512.50	2,707	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	934	329.00/cwt	329.00–329.00	3,073	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	752	372.00/cwt	372.00–372.00	2,797	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	774	384.18/cwt	372.00–389.00	2,974	210
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	455.84/cwt	445.00–459.00	2,589	135
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	869	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	3,146	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	440	602.00/cwt	602.00–602.00	2,649	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	566	504.42/cwt	488.00–518.00	2,855	345
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	692	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,526	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	719	409.22/cwt	391.00–415.00	2,942	159
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	672	424.58/cwt	392.00–436.00	2,853	120
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	626	462.82/cwt	445.00–476.00	2,897	356
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	623	405.87/cwt	390.00–420.00	2,529	103
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	538	520.97/cwt	517.00–536.00	2,803	325
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	782	422.36/cwt	405.00–433.00	3,303	131
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	484	491.02/cwt	472.50–507.50	2,377	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	685	392.38/cwt	387.00–395.00	2,688	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	816	371.25/cwt	370.00–374.00	3,029	60
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	472.49/cwt	445.00–480.00	2,504	250
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	665	440.50/cwt	432.00–444.00	2,929	135
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	713	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,923	11

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 Jan 8, 2026

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

Receipts 3,715Last week 3,319Year ago 4,445

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
132	600–650	609	481.00	481.00
175	650–700	663	457.00	457.00
155	700–750	725	422.50–430.50	426.23
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	450–500	480	555.00	555.00
14	500–550	531	507.00–512.50	509.71
9	550–600	571	460.00	460.00
37	600–650	627	425.00–438.00	430.80
33	650–700	691	401.00–416.00	411.00
13	700–750	726	360.00–373.00	365.10
26	750–800	752	372.00	372.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
18	400–450	440	602.00	602.00
92	450–500	466	565.00–590.00	574.94
325	500–550	538	517.00–536.00	520.97
345	550–600	566	488.00–518.00	504.42
356	600–650	626	445.00–476.00	462.82
135	650–700	665	432.00–444.00	440.50
159	700–750	719	391.00–415.00	409.22
210	750–800	774	372.00–389.00	384.18
60	800–850	816	370.00–374.00	371.25
50	850–900	869	362.00	362.00
10	900–950	934	329.00	329.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
16	400–450	426	507.50–515.00	512.53
55	450–500	484	472.50–507.50	491.02
250	500–550	530	445.00–480.00	472.49
135	550–600	568	445.00–459.00	455.84
103	600–650	623	390.00–420.00	405.87
59	650–700	685	387.00–395.00	392.38
8	750–800	754	380.00	380.00
7	800–850	805	332.00	332.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
34	550–600	591	402.50–426.00	412.98
10	650–700	692	365.00	365.00
7	750–800	772	365.00	365.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
120	650–700	672	392.00–436.00	424.58
11	700–750	713	410.00	410.00
131	750–800	782	405.00–433.00	422.36

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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