Sale reports / Nebraska / Valentine / 2025-12-18

Valentine

Feeder Cattle · Valentine, Nebraska · Thu, Dec 18
● Final33 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1856
Receipts
3,319 head
▲ 3,319 vs last sale 0▼ 447 vs year ago 3,766 · −11.9%
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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to feeder sale two weeks ago, steers were mixed with 500-600 lbs. 11.00-15.00 lower and 600-700 lbs. bringing 6.00-7.00 higher. Heifers were too lightly tested with a lower undertone noticed throughout the sale. Demand was good on cattle with multiple rounds of Spring and Fall shots. Quality was attractive and uniform throughout a majority of the sale giving the buyers plenty of solid options for disposition and condition. Extreme wind gusts reported in the area but did not hamper the active bidding of the larger loads on offer.

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot
500–600 lb steers averaged $481.19/cwt on 571 head. That ranks 9 of 14 comparable sales and sits +9.83 against this barn's trailing median of $471.36.
Average price
$481.19
571 head · 558 lb average
Value per head Derived
$2,684
Price × average weight ÷ 100
Grade differential Derived
$183
per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2
$28.81/cwt at this weight
vs the market
+9.69
vs NE average
+37.09 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade
Frame / muscleAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Medium and Large 1558483.012,696535
Medium and Large 1-2553454.202,51336
One grade step is worth $28.81/cwt here — about $183 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.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only
This sale571 hd
481.19
—
NE average7 barns · 2,041 hd
471.51
+9.69
National average163 barns · 16,063 hd
444.10
+37.09
This barn, trailing median14 sales
471.36
+9.83
A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

14 sales
546502459415median 471.3603/1205/2809/1010/1210/29
Steers 500–600 lb: high $531.78, low $428.87, median $471.36 across 14 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

Every lot

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. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.
ClassWeightGrade / descriptionAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Feeder Cattle · Steers19 lots · lightest first
Steers350–400Medium and Large 1367595.00/cwt595.00–595.002,18446
Steers400–450Medium and Large 1-2429516.97/cwt507.50–527.502,21834
Steers400–450Medium and Large 1430564.96/cwt550.00–575.002,429141
Steers400–450Medium and Large 1Unweaned433544.21/cwt530.00–550.002,35657
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1484540.04/cwt534.00–545.002,614229
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1Unweaned486523.99/cwt495.00–528.002,547114
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1-2494462.50/cwt462.50–462.502,28511
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1-2521471.26/cwt465.00–480.002,45512
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1534500.56/cwt485.00–509.002,673192
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned540445.00/cwt445.00–445.002,4038
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1Unweaned547485.00/cwt485.00–485.002,65384
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1579470.02/cwt455.00–482.502,721236
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1-2584446.00/cwt446.00–446.002,60516
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1Unweaned586462.50/cwt462.50–462.502,71023
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1Unweaned606448.00/cwt448.00–448.002,71518
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1627444.54/cwt415.00–451.002,787288
Steers650–700Medium and Large 1668423.76/cwt401.00–441.002,831633
Steers700–750Medium and Large 1712408.36/cwt399.00–417.002,908411
Steers750–800Medium and Large 1763394.69/cwt389.00–399.003,011175
Feeder Cattle · Heifers14 lots · lightest first
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 1386565.73/cwt540.00–580.002,18423
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 1439485.00/cwt485.00–485.002,12911
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1489444.60/cwt442.50–447.502,17426
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1Unweaned533410.00/cwt410.00–410.002,1856
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1534423.00/cwt423.00–423.002,25931
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1563410.70/cwt391.00–420.002,31258
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1-2594383.00/cwt383.00–383.002,2757
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1Unweaned604402.00/cwt402.00–402.002,4288
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1614392.46/cwt390.00–398.002,41043
Heifers650–700Medium and Large 1Replacement682429.00/cwt429.00–429.002,92642
Heifers700–750Medium and Large 1-2731328.00/cwt328.00–328.002,3986
Heifers1000–1050Large 11,003303.00/cwt303.00–303.003,03912
Heifers1050–1100Large 11,078309.43/cwt280.00–314.503,33687
Heifers1150–1200Large 11,179259.43/cwt255.00–265.003,0599

This sale against other markets

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.