Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-02-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-02-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared with last week's auction on Thursday, steers and heifer traded sharply higher. Demand was very good for all offerings especially, replacement quality heifers, with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date Feb 12th Special Bred Female & Regular Sale Feb 19th Special Feeder & Breed-able Heifer Sale

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $459.53/cwt on 659 head, up $11.91 from the prior sale. That ranks 6 of 12 comparable sales and sits −1.39 against this barn's trailing median of $460.91.

Average price

$459.53

▲ 11.91 vs prior sale

659 head · 558 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,562

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$67

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

$27.16/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+7.41

vs NE average

+27.99 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	556	462.12	2,568	596
Medium and Large 1-2	575	434.96	2,501	63

One grade step is worth $27.16/cwt here — about $67 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

12 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $488.17, low $412.50, median $460.91 across 12 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 sale659 hd

459.53

—

NE average9 barns · 2,762 hd

452.11

+7.41

National average145 barns · 12,920 hd

431.54

+27.99

This barn, trailing median12 sales

460.91

−1.39

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	1000–1050	1,003	309.00/cwt	309.00–309.00	3,099	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	862	321.08/cwt	320.00–323.00	2,768	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	431	514.82/cwt	505.00–537.50	2,219	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	490	514.74/cwt	501.00–527.50	2,522	89
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	722	399.14/cwt	390.00–407.50	2,882	175
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	480.70/cwt	470.00–495.00	2,509	185
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	592	474.36/cwt	468.00–478.00	2,808	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	682	407.02/cwt	391.00–411.00	2,776	95
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	446	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	2,029	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	775	385.09/cwt	379.00–391.00	2,984	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	466	571.07/cwt	570.00–572.50	2,661	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	496.01/cwt	484.00–521.00	2,877	155
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	622	404.00/cwt	404.00–404.00	2,513	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	583	431.18/cwt	425.00–435.00	2,514	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	649	436.00/cwt	436.00–436.00	2,830	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	611	469.57/cwt	460.00–476.00	2,869	112
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	669	422.53/cwt	400.00–432.50	2,827	300
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	616	433.57/cwt	430.00–437.50	2,671	302
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	428	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,247	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	514.00/cwt	514.00–514.00	2,750	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	850	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	3,145	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	700	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	3,010	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	685	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	3,048	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	769	397.91/cwt	391.00–402.50	3,060	80
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	444.55/cwt	429.00–460.00	2,987	308
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	798	367.00/cwt	367.00–367.00	2,929	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	820	380.75/cwt	371.50–385.00	3,122	105
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	533	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	2,425	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	646	451.35/cwt	440.00–462.50	2,916	172
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	545.46/cwt	525.00–551.50	2,853	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	571	453.76/cwt	437.50–465.00	2,591	411
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	746	410.66/cwt	399.00–420.50	3,064	322
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	836	402.00/cwt	402.00–402.00	3,361	26

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 Feb 5, 2026

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

Receipts 3,955Last week 4,210Year ago 2,890

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
15	1000–1050	1,003	309.00	309.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
24	400–450	431	505.00–537.50	514.82
89	450–500	490	501.00–527.50	514.74
185	500–550	522	470.00–495.00	480.70
411	550–600	571	437.50–465.00	453.76
302	600–650	616	430.00–437.50	433.57
300	650–700	669	400.00–432.50	422.53
175	700–750	722	390.00–407.50	399.14
22	850–900	862	320.00–323.00	321.08
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	446	455.00	455.00
10	500–550	533	455.00	455.00
53	550–600	583	425.00–435.00	431.18
23	600–650	622	404.00	404.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
172	600–650	646	440.00–462.50	451.35
52	650–700	685	445.00	445.00
29	700–750	700	430.00	430.00
80	750–800	769	391.00–402.50	397.91
26	800–850	836	402.00	402.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	428	525.00	525.00
6	500–550	535	514.00	514.00
42	550–600	592	468.00–478.00	474.36
25	600–650	649	436.00	436.00
95	650–700	682	391.00–411.00	407.02
12	750–800	798	367.00	367.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
37	450–500	466	570.00–572.50	571.07
50	500–550	523	525.00–551.50	545.46
155	550–600	580	484.00–521.00	496.01
112	600–650	611	460.00–476.00	469.57
308	650–700	672	429.00–460.00	444.55
322	700–750	746	399.00–420.50	410.66
29	750–800	775	379.00–391.00	385.09
105	800–850	820	371.50–385.00	380.75
28	850–900	850	370.00	370.00

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.

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Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

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