Name: South Central Regional Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-04-09
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-04-09

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Feeders sold with a lower undertone but with no price trend established. Slaughter cows steady. Demand moderate to good. Feeder cattle movement is very light so far this week with most producers taking a wait and see attitude on tariff news. Markets shot higher midday Wednesday with the announcement of a 90 day pause on tariffs for most countries with the May feeder cattle contract up 332 points and others up 527 to 647 points.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $324.05/cwt on 17 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −159.94 against this barn's trailing median of $483.99.

Average price

$324.05

17 head · 557 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,804

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$97

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

$7.22/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−20.46

vs MO average

−30.25 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	571	330.00	1,884	3thin
Medium and Large 1-2	554	322.78	1,787	14thin

One grade step is worth $7.22/cwt here — about $97 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

21 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $516.16, low $414.87, median $483.99 across 21 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 sale17 hd

324.05

—

MO average15 barns · 1,365 hd

344.52

−20.46

National average175 barns · 9,187 hd

354.30

−30.25

This barn, trailing median21 sales

483.99

−159.94

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Average	1,820	169.75	3,089	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,510	147.50	2,227	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,314	141.70	1,863	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,051	112.60	1,184	8thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,040	$2,319	2thin

Every lot, as filed

31 lots · USDA AMS · South Central Regional Stockyards - Vienna, MO

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 1	500–550	520	302.93/cwt	300.00–309.00	1,575	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	472	328.82/cwt	328.00–330.00	1,552	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	418	321.96/cwt	320.00–324.00	1,346	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	405	363.00/cwt	363.00–363.00	1,470	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	335	410.04/cwt	391.00–425.00	1,374	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	551	296.00/cwt	296.00–296.00	1,631	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	616	312.11/cwt	309.50–318.00	1,923	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	479	331.82/cwt	322.00–346.00	1,589	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	568	324.69/cwt	316.00–340.00	1,844	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	665	288.50/cwt	288.50–288.50	1,919	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	500–550	528	319.34/cwt	312.00–324.00	1,686	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	571	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,884	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	305.50/cwt	305.50–305.50	2,001	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	482	324.23/cwt	322.00–325.00	1,563	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,598	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	542	289.72/cwt	289.00–290.00	1,570	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	377	369.02/cwt	368.00–370.00	1,391	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	466	315.48/cwt	301.00–331.00	1,470	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	367	360.47/cwt	354.00–364.00	1,323	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	363.73/cwt	350.00–373.00	1,546	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	432	331.90/cwt	330.00–335.00	1,434	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,040	2,318.75/head	2,150.00–2,450.00	2,319	2
Bulls	—	—	1,820	169.75/cwt	167.00–174.00	3,089	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	895	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	707	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,100	99.25/cwt	90.00–108.00	1,092	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,297	138.87/cwt	135.00–143.50	1,801	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,355	148.32/cwt	147.00–149.00	2,010	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,560	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	2,239	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,485	149.50/cwt	149.00–150.00	2,220	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,051	123.19/cwt	112.00–128.50	1,295	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,110	130.50/cwt	130.50–130.50	1,449	1

How this sale compares

Missouri weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Missouri auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Missouri feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →