Name: Valentine livestock auction prices — 2026-10-01
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-10-01

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Special Spring Calf Sale today, featuring the first large run of calves off the cow. Demand was good with strong buyer participation and a large crowd in attendance. Next Auction Dates: Monday, October 5th (Bred Cow); October 8th (Spring Calf Sale); Monday, October 12th (Special Yearling Sale); and October 15th (Spring Calf Sale)

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $458.84/cwt on 720 head, up $29.97 from the prior sale (only 15 head in that comparison). That ranks 2 of 12 comparable sales and sits −46.78 against this barn's trailing median of $505.62.

Average price

$458.84

▲ 29.97 vs prior sale

720 head · 552 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,531

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$253

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

$38.82/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+3.87

vs NE average

+45.01 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	552	460.62	2,542	687
Medium and Large 1-2	543	421.80	2,290	33

One grade step is worth $38.82/cwt here — about $253 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

12 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $531.78, low $428.87, median $505.62 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 sale720 hd

458.84

—

NE average5 barns · 1,356 hd

454.98

+3.87

National average172 barns · 15,995 hd

413.83

+45.01

This barn, trailing median12 sales

505.62

−46.78

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

25 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	550–600	553	473.00/cwt	473.00–473.00	2,616	96
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	611	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	2,334	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	399	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,855	36
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	574	387.63/cwt	382.00–407.00	2,225	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,158	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	438	445.03/cwt	432.50–452.00	1,949	74
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	668	417.00/cwt	417.00–417.00	2,786	86
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	622	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,488	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	645	418.76/cwt	412.00–423.00	2,701	152
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	539	402.00/cwt	402.00–402.00	2,167	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	503	433.61/cwt	424.00–436.00	2,181	86
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	529.54/cwt	527.00–535.00	2,303	107
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	486	485.49/cwt	475.00–494.00	2,359	187
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	372	507.93/cwt	500.00–515.00	1,889	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	702	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,738	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	582	408.90/cwt	401.00–419.00	2,380	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	445.35/cwt	425.00–455.00	2,574	314
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	473.64/cwt	454.00–487.00	2,472	277
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	368	552.50/cwt	552.50–552.50	2,033	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	400	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,720	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	460	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	1,967	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	437	484.13/cwt	462.50–501.00	2,116	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	506	433.94/cwt	432.00–435.00	2,196	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	476	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,975	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	669	382.65/cwt	382.00–384.00	2,560	25

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 Oct 1, 2026

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

Receipts 1,900Last week 2,000Year ago 3,290

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
96	550–600	553	473.00	473.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
7	350–400	368	552.50	552.50
107	400–450	435	527.00–535.00	529.54
187	450–500	486	475.00–494.00	485.49
277	500–550	522	454.00–487.00	473.64
314	550–600	578	425.00–455.00	445.35
152	600–650	645	412.00–423.00	418.76
86	650–700	668	417.00	417.00
25	700–750	702	390.00	390.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
12	350–400	372	500.00–515.00	507.93
23	400–450	437	462.50–501.00	484.13
12	450–500	460	427.50	427.50
17	500–550	506	432.00–435.00	433.94
16	550–600	582	401.00–419.00	408.90
5	600–650	622	400.00	400.00
25	650–700	669	382.00–384.00	382.65
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
36	350–400	399	465.00	465.00
74	400–450	438	432.50–452.00	445.03
58	450–500	485	445.00	445.00
86	500–550	503	424.00–436.00	433.61
48	550–600	574	382.00–407.00	387.63
13	600–650	611	382.00	382.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
13	400–450	400	430.00	430.00
16	450–500	476	415.00	415.00
11	500–550	539	402.00	402.00

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

More

Valentine