Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-03-12
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-03-12

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. Demand was good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Next Auction Date March 26th Regular Sale, April 2nd Special Feeder Sale

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $513.47/cwt on 687 head, down $16.40 from the prior sale. That ranks 9 of 13 comparable sales and sits +2.88 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$513.47

▼ 16.40 vs prior sale

687 head · 547 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,810

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$99

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

$40.47/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+11.99

vs NE average

+41.27 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	543	520.13	2,825	574
Medium and Large 1-2	568	479.66	2,726	113

One grade step is worth $40.47/cwt here — about $99 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale687 hd

513.47

—

NE average7 barns · 1,920 hd

501.49

+11.99

National average178 barns · 10,669 hd

472.20

+41.27

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

+2.88

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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	602	484.50/cwt	484.50–484.50	2,917	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	732	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	3,184	71
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	837	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,888	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,823	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	711	363.70/cwt	355.00–370.00	2,586	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	479	474.14/cwt	455.00–481.00	2,271	67
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	579	471.27/cwt	455.00–477.50	2,729	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	620	422.00/cwt	422.00–422.00	2,616	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	738	376.55/cwt	373.00–379.00	2,779	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	527	440.94/cwt	412.50–456.00	2,324	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	637	377.88/cwt	376.00–385.00	2,407	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	588	407.14/cwt	404.00–409.00	2,394	60
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	824	372.00/cwt	372.00–372.00	3,065	58
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	440	602.00/cwt	602.00–602.00	2,649	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	531	509.19/cwt	502.00–512.00	2,704	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	660	420.81/cwt	409.00–432.00	2,777	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	685	357.87/cwt	342.00–367.00	2,451	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	490	437.00/cwt	437.00–437.00	2,141	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	512	548.92/cwt	529.00–554.00	2,810	185
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	634	459.49/cwt	455.00–463.50	2,913	224
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	416	545.00/cwt	545.00–545.00	2,267	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	467	537.50/cwt	537.50–537.50	2,510	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	773	366.94/cwt	361.00–381.00	2,836	105
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	744	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	2,842	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	478.27/cwt	464.00–482.00	2,549	122
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	627	410.64/cwt	395.00–435.00	2,575	130
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	573	441.71/cwt	425.00–456.00	2,531	191
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	662	413.04/cwt	376.00–438.00	2,734	335
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	721	402.44/cwt	380.00–414.50	2,902	256
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	669	442.69/cwt	420.00–454.00	2,962	270
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	558	506.44/cwt	482.00–518.00	2,826	389
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,979	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	407.00/cwt	407.00–407.00	3,126	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	560.69/cwt	548.00–576.00	2,691	125

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 Mar 12, 2026

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

Receipts 3,830Last week 0Year ago 4,020

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
55	600–650	602	484.50	484.50
71	700–750	732	435.00	435.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	400–450	416	545.00	545.00
20	450–500	467	537.50	537.50
25	500–550	531	502.00–512.00	509.19
88	550–600	579	455.00–477.50	471.27
14	600–650	620	422.00	422.00
34	650–700	660	409.00–432.00	420.81
42	700–750	738	373.00–379.00	376.55
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
42	400–450	440	602.00	602.00
125	450–500	480	548.00–576.00	560.69
185	500–550	512	529.00–554.00	548.92
389	550–600	558	482.00–518.00	506.44
224	600–650	634	455.00–463.50	459.49
270	650–700	669	420.00–454.00	442.69
256	700–750	721	380.00–414.50	402.44
72	750–800	768	407.00	407.00
69	800–850	805	370.00	370.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
12	400–450	405	450.00	450.00
67	450–500	479	455.00–481.00	474.14
122	500–550	533	464.00–482.00	478.27
191	550–600	573	425.00–456.00	441.71
130	600–650	627	395.00–435.00	410.64
335	650–700	662	376.00–438.00	413.04
62	700–750	711	355.00–370.00	363.70
7	800–850	837	345.00	345.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
10	450–500	490	437.00	437.00
32	500–550	527	412.50–456.00	440.94
60	550–600	588	404.00–409.00	407.14
42	600–650	637	376.00–385.00	377.88
19	650–700	685	342.00–367.00	357.87
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
12	700–750	744	382.00	382.00
105	750–800	773	361.00–381.00	366.94
58	800–850	824	372.00	372.00

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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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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