Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-01-15
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-15

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared with last week steers traded unevenly steady with a limited number of comparable offerings for heifers with 600 lbs offerings trading 9.00 higher. Demand was good for replacement quality Sandhill raised heifers. Next Auction Date Jan 22nd Special Bred Female & Regular Sale

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $510.59/cwt on 1,044 head, down $1.12 from the prior sale. That ranks 7 of 13 comparable sales and sits +0.00 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$510.59

▼ 1.12 vs prior sale

1,044 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,863

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$94

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

$19.25/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+8.80

vs NE average

+38.61 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	561	511.59	2,868	990
Medium and Large 1-2	563	492.33	2,774	54

One grade step is worth $19.25/cwt here — about $94 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 sale1,044 hd

510.59

—

NE average11 barns · 4,759 hd

501.79

+8.80

National average187 barns · 29,067 hd

471.98

+38.61

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

+0.00

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

36 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 1-2	650–700	672	417.14/cwt	416.00–418.00	2,803	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	728	380.56/cwt	378.00–385.50	2,770	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	503	559.00/cwt	559.00–559.00	2,812	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	650–700	650	473.50/cwt	473.50–473.50	3,078	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	612	488.00/cwt	488.00–488.00	2,987	174
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,322	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	781	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	3,612	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	734	365.29/cwt	357.00–376.00	2,681	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	541	514.22/cwt	497.00–519.00	2,782	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,648	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	625	429.07/cwt	427.50–434.00	2,682	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	596	460.50/cwt	457.50–463.00	2,745	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	823	380.88/cwt	373.00–387.00	3,135	140
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	792	336.00/cwt	336.00–336.00	2,661	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	470	458.45/cwt	445.00–477.50	2,155	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	611	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,383	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	369	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,882	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	588	420.26/cwt	407.50–430.00	2,471	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	442	599.54/cwt	595.00–605.00	2,650	56
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	707	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,899	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	655	422.00/cwt	422.00–422.00	2,764	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	571	465.79/cwt	457.50–468.00	2,660	89
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	624	439.20/cwt	435.00–450.00	2,741	123
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	568.35/cwt	552.50–578.00	2,711	66
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	440.58/cwt	428.00–448.50	2,547	125
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	626	415.76/cwt	400.00–429.00	2,603	154
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	661	396.45/cwt	385.00–414.00	2,621	175
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	497.03/cwt	471.00–526.00	2,878	661
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	681	434.47/cwt	420.00–456.50	2,959	699
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	851	379.00/cwt	379.00–379.00	3,225	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	529	462.02/cwt	450.00–467.50	2,444	134
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	711	413.81/cwt	397.00–422.50	2,942	198
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	402.13/cwt	400.50–404.00	3,048	235
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	536.87/cwt	532.50–545.00	2,835	270
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	622	464.19/cwt	455.00–476.00	2,887	286
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	464	502.21/cwt	485.00–510.00	2,330	57

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 15, 2026

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

Receipts 4,600Last week 3,715Year ago 5,055

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
18	450–500	495	535.00	535.00
32	500–550	541	497.00–519.00	514.22
22	550–600	596	457.50–463.00	460.50
20	600–650	625	427.50–434.00	429.07
33	650–700	672	416.00–418.00	417.14
31	700–750	728	378.00–385.50	380.56
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
59	500–550	503	559.00	559.00
174	600–650	612	488.00	488.00
85	650–700	650	473.50	473.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
56	400–450	442	595.00–605.00	599.54
66	450–500	477	552.50–578.00	568.35
270	500–550	528	532.50–545.00	536.87
661	550–600	579	471.00–526.00	497.03
286	600–650	622	455.00–476.00	464.19
699	650–700	681	420.00–456.50	434.47
198	700–750	711	397.00–422.50	413.81
235	750–800	758	400.50–404.00	402.13
140	800–850	823	373.00–387.00	380.88
11	850–900	851	379.00	379.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	430	540.00	540.00
57	450–500	464	485.00–510.00	502.21
134	500–550	529	450.00–467.50	462.02
125	550–600	578	428.00–448.50	440.58
154	600–650	626	400.00–429.00	415.76
175	650–700	661	385.00–414.00	396.45
46	700–750	734	357.00–376.00	365.29
10	750–800	781	462.50	462.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	350–400	369	510.00	510.00
26	450–500	470	445.00–477.50	458.45
41	550–600	588	407.50–430.00	420.26
5	600–650	611	390.00	390.00
12	750–800	792	336.00	336.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
89	550–600	571	457.50–468.00	465.79
123	600–650	624	435.00–450.00	439.20
31	650–700	655	422.00	422.00
23	700–750	707	410.00	410.00

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

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Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

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