Name: South Central Regional Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-04-22
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-22

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Wednesday, feeder steers and heifers sold with a lower undertone but with no price trend established. Slaughter cows steady. Demand moderate. Supply light. The feeder market is generally lower this week with cattle futures also in decline in recent days. Cow sale following the feeders featured a liquidation of good quality older bred cows and pairs. A nice run of feeders is expected next week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $416.77/cwt on 49 head, down $21.05 from the prior sale. That ranks 4 of 20 comparable sales and sits −14.76 against this barn's trailing median of $431.53.

Average price

$416.77

▼ 21.05 vs prior sale

49 head · 550 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,292

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$154

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

$48.75/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−11.94

vs MO average

−5.40 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	548	420.75	2,304	45
Medium and Large 1-2	578	372.00	2,150	4thin

One grade step is worth $48.75/cwt here — about $154 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

20 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $462.49, low $382.87, median $431.53 across 20 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 sale49 hd

416.77

—

MO average18 barns · 2,584 hd

428.71

−11.94

National average167 barns · 11,519 hd

422.17

−5.40

This barn, trailing median20 sales

431.53

−14.76

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	1,815	217.12	3,941	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,559	178.63	2,786	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,342	171.32	2,299	9thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,081	151.40	1,637	21

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	All Stages (1-9 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,379	$3,847	6
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,258	$3,252	29
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,005	$5,700	7
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,173	$4,149	26

Every lot, as filed

42 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 1Fleshy	500–550	531	426.00/cwt	426.00–426.00	2,262	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	479	464.64/cwt	445.00–484.00	2,226	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	386	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,969	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	420	474.95/cwt	465.00–484.00	1,995	4
Steers	Medium 1-2	500–550	513	441.55/cwt	438.00–445.00	2,265	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	533	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,319	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	628	426.00/cwt	426.00–426.00	2,675	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	421	542.57/cwt	540.00–545.00	2,284	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	333	659.23/cwt	647.50–680.00	2,195	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	481	525.99/cwt	518.00–535.00	2,530	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	585	444.03/cwt	440.00–459.00	2,598	35
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	542	424.05/cwt	420.00–428.00	2,298	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	433	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,122	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	570	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,565	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	390	587.40/cwt	580.00–595.00	2,291	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	509	500.73/cwt	495.00–510.00	2,549	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	326.50/cwt	326.50–326.50	2,694	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	372.00/cwt	372.00–372.00	2,150	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	658	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,632	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	513	494.00/cwt	494.00–494.00	2,534	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	419.59/cwt	418.00–422.00	2,748	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	443	546.64/cwt	540.00–558.00	2,422	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	467	437.85/cwt	424.00–451.00	2,045	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	760	336.50/cwt	336.50–336.50	2,557	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	507	448.44/cwt	448.00–450.00	2,274	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	399.33/cwt	390.00–402.00	2,316	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	406	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	2,101	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	733	358.50/cwt	358.50–358.50	2,628	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,127	3,915.00/head	3,800.00–4,200.00	3,915	15
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,236	4,468.18/head	4,400.00–4,550.00	4,468	11
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,005	5,700.00/head	5,200.00–6,000.00	5,700	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,275	3,012.65/head	2,500.00–3,200.00	3,013	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,379	3,847.06/head	3,350.00–4,100.00	3,847	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,244	3,447.06/head	3,000.00–3,750.00	3,447	16
Bulls	—	—	1,815	217.12/cwt	205.00–223.00	3,941	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,346	172.84/cwt	165.00–177.00	2,326	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,530	171.66/cwt	167.50–177.50	2,626	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,579	183.28/cwt	178.00–187.50	2,894	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,117	157.34/cwt	150.00–164.00	1,757	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,034	143.47/cwt	140.00–147.00	1,483	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,405	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	2,487	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,250	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,938	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 →