Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-05-07
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-07

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No recent test of market for an accurate comparison a trend will not be given for steers or heifers. However, a higher undertone was noted on most weights. Demand was very good with several buyers and active internet bidding. Most cattle sold in light flesh with weigh-up in the buyers favor. Several consignments in town due to loss of pasture grass from recent fires and the lingering drought across the trade area. Ranchers have opted to sell would be yearling cattle to save grass for cow/calf pairs on the ranch. Next Auction Dates May 14th Weigh-up, Bred Cows, and May 21st Weigh-ups

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $531.78/cwt on 755 head, up $0.51 from the prior sale. That ranks 13 of 13 comparable sales and sits +21.19 against this barn's trailing median of $510.59.

Average price

$531.78

▲ 0.51 vs prior sale

755 head · 558 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,967

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$137

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

$27.25/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+13.78

vs NE average

+44.23 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	558	535.28	2,984	658
Medium and Large 1-2	561	508.03	2,848	97

One grade step is worth $27.25/cwt here — about $137 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 sale755 hd

531.78

—

NE average5 barns · 1,800 hd

518.00

+13.78

National average180 barns · 14,267 hd

487.55

+44.23

This barn, trailing median13 sales

510.59

+21.19

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

44 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	1050–1100	1,065	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	3,089	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	623	481.29/cwt	480.00–483.00	2,998	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	567	544.00/cwt	544.00–544.00	3,084	96
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	646	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	3,230	184
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	416.00/cwt	416.00–416.00	2,995	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	790	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	2,860	51
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	750	377.50/cwt	377.50–377.50	2,831	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	539	519.88/cwt	510.00–541.00	2,802	59
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	418	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	2,153	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	735	379.10/cwt	377.50–385.00	2,786	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	594	489.64/cwt	486.00–500.00	2,908	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	832	383.11/cwt	379.00–387.00	3,187	60
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	687	434.58/cwt	434.00–436.00	2,986	67
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	648	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,884	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	459.01/cwt	445.00–476.00	3,085	265
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	759	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	3,150	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	478	492.84/cwt	487.50–502.50	2,356	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	540	487.50/cwt	487.50–487.50	2,633	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	589	452.50/cwt	452.50–452.50	2,665	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	625	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,688	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	924	366.47/cwt	365.00–368.00	3,386	120
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	529	546.73/cwt	511.00–571.00	2,892	226
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	723	405.99/cwt	383.00–416.00	2,935	44
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	550–600	563	537.00/cwt	537.00–537.00	3,023	105
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	395	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,054	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	519.68/cwt	509.00–534.00	3,009	231
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	771	403.89/cwt	382.50–423.00	3,114	78
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	488	569.88/cwt	553.00–610.00	2,781	112
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	684	398.12/cwt	390.00–405.00	2,723	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	423.51/cwt	410.00–457.50	2,846	183
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	472.06/cwt	455.00–487.50	2,733	339
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	434	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	2,474	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	806	415.11/cwt	404.00–416.75	3,346	363
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	633	480.84/cwt	474.00–497.00	3,044	458
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	665	471.00/cwt	471.00–471.00	3,132	61
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	617	448.81/cwt	435.00–481.00	2,769	149
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	501.05/cwt	487.50–517.50	2,656	257
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	897	367.92/cwt	367.25–372.50	3,300	70
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	451	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	2,571	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	432	607.43/cwt	600.00–620.00	2,624	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	807	366.56/cwt	363.00–370.00	2,958	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	726	442.31/cwt	421.00–449.00	3,211	530
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	893	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	3,197	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	549.84/cwt	539.00–567.50	2,601	144

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 May 7, 2026

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

Receipts 5,880Last week 0Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	1050–1100	1,065	290.00	290.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
50	600–650	623	480.00–483.00	481.29
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
17	350–400	395	520.00	520.00
8	400–450	434	570.00	570.00
144	450–500	473	539.00–567.50	549.84
257	500–550	530	487.50–517.50	501.05
339	550–600	579	455.00–487.50	472.06
149	600–650	617	435.00–481.00	448.81
183	650–700	672	410.00–457.50	423.51
18	700–750	720	416.00	416.00
51	750–800	790	362.00	362.00
55	850–900	893	358.00	358.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	400–450	418	515.00	515.00
26	450–500	478	487.50–502.50	492.84
6	500–550	540	487.50	487.50
20	550–600	589	452.50	452.50
22	600–650	625	430.00	430.00
51	650–700	684	390.00–405.00	398.12
32	700–750	735	377.50–385.00	379.10
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
61	650–700	665	471.00	471.00
17	750–800	759	415.00	415.00
53	800–850	807	363.00–370.00	366.56
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
96	550–600	567	544.00	544.00
184	600–650	646	500.00	500.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
19	450–500	451	570.00	570.00
59	500–550	539	510.00–541.00	519.88
38	550–600	594	486.00–500.00	489.64
10	600–650	648	445.00	445.00
67	650–700	687	434.00–436.00	434.58
44	700–750	723	383.00–416.00	405.99
12	750–800	750	377.50	377.50
60	800–850	832	379.00–387.00	383.11
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
31	400–450	432	600.00–620.00	607.43
112	450–500	488	553.00–610.00	569.88
226	500–550	529	511.00–571.00	546.73
231	550–600	579	509.00–534.00	519.68
458	600–650	633	474.00–497.00	480.84
265	650–700	672	445.00–476.00	459.01
530	700–750	726	421.00–449.00	442.31
78	750–800	771	382.50–423.00	403.89
363	800–850	806	404.00–416.75	415.11
70	850–900	897	367.25–372.50	367.92
120	900–950	924	365.00–368.00	366.47
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
105	550–600	563	537.00	537.00

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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