Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-02-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-02-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared with two weeks ago, steers and heifers traded unevenly steady. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Light snow in the trade area did not stop buyers from purchasing cattle. Also, some heifers continue to go back to the country and will become a bred heifer for next year calving. Next Auction Date Feb 26th !:00 pm The Dam Ranch II Dispersion-1100 hd.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $467.46/cwt on 1,058 head, up $7.93 from the prior sale. That ranks 8 of 12 comparable sales and sits +6.55 against this barn's trailing median of $460.91.

Average price

$467.46

▲ 7.93 vs prior sale

1,058 head · 554 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,592

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$145

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

$33.04/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.08

vs NE average

+38.29 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	554	468.24	2,595	1,033
Medium and Large 1-2	563	435.20	2,450	25

One grade step is worth $33.04/cwt here — about $145 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 sale1,058 hd

467.46

—

NE average9 barns · 2,683 hd

465.38

+2.08

National average184 barns · 15,729 hd

429.17

+38.29

This barn, trailing median12 sales

460.91

+6.55

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

34 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 1Replacement	700–750	710	430.20/cwt	427.50–435.00	3,054	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	673	418.92/cwt	413.00–432.00	2,819	120
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	453.50/cwt	428.00–471.00	2,621	546
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	478.53/cwt	465.00–493.00	2,536	381
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	599	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	2,321	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	483	511.11/cwt	499.00–529.00	2,469	192
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	679	439.43/cwt	430.00–449.00	2,984	139
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	409	607.50/cwt	607.50–607.50	2,485	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	635	412.29/cwt	412.00–412.50	2,618	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	539	467.00/cwt	467.00–467.00	2,517	15
Steers	Large 1	1000–1050	1,020	304.00/cwt	304.00–304.00	3,101	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	500–550	519	507.17/cwt	506.00–507.50	2,632	106
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	545	514.00/cwt	514.00–514.00	2,801	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	726	426.73/cwt	409.00–436.00	3,098	252
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	809	396.00/cwt	396.00–396.00	3,204	67
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	626	436.81/cwt	424.00–447.00	2,734	506
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	829	366.50/cwt	366.50–366.50	3,038	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	625	448.44/cwt	432.50–466.00	2,803	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	402	634.44/cwt	627.50–637.50	2,550	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	622	478.00/cwt	472.00–490.00	2,973	188
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	581	482.86/cwt	475.00–495.00	2,805	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	2,562	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	386	640.00/cwt	640.00–640.00	2,470	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	711	392.50/cwt	392.50–392.50	2,791	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	515	550.61/cwt	539.00–565.00	2,836	108
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	557	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,924	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	481	553.32/cwt	540.00–560.00	2,661	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	762	378.96/cwt	373.00–388.00	2,888	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	497	466.65/cwt	460.00–470.00	2,319	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	667	396.06/cwt	375.00–407.00	2,642	267
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	732	379.94/cwt	351.00–403.00	2,781	175
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	408.22/cwt	399.00–417.00	3,094	142
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	2,914	75
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	419	498.29/cwt	480.00–510.00	2,088	68

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 19, 2026

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

Receipts 2,530Last week 0Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
120	650–700	673	413.00–432.00	418.92
25	700–750	710	427.50–435.00	430.20
67	800–850	809	396.00	396.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
68	400–450	419	480.00–510.00	498.29
192	450–500	483	499.00–529.00	511.11
381	500–550	530	465.00–493.00	478.53
546	550–600	578	428.00–471.00	453.50
506	600–650	626	424.00–447.00	436.81
267	650–700	667	375.00–407.00	396.06
175	700–750	732	351.00–403.00	379.94
142	750–800	758	399.00–417.00	408.22
75	800–850	805	362.00	362.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
15	450–500	497	460.00–470.00	466.65
15	500–550	539	467.00	467.00
10	550–600	599	387.50	387.50
29	600–650	635	412.00–412.50	412.29
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
106	500–550	519	506.00–507.50	507.17
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	350–400	386	640.00	640.00
23	400–450	402	627.50–637.50	634.44
34	450–500	481	540.00–560.00	553.32
108	500–550	515	539.00–565.00	550.61
41	550–600	557	525.00	525.00
188	600–650	622	472.00–490.00	478.00
139	650–700	679	430.00–449.00	439.43
252	700–750	726	409.00–436.00	426.73
33	750–800	762	373.00–388.00	378.96
28	800–850	829	366.50	366.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	400–450	409	607.50	607.50
5	450–500	495	517.50	517.50
13	500–550	545	514.00	514.00
39	550–600	581	475.00–495.00	482.86
24	600–650	625	432.50–466.00	448.44
15	700–750	711	392.50	392.50
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
10	1000–1050	1,020	304.00	304.00

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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