Name: South Central Regional Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-05-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Wednesday, feeder steers steady, although unevenly so in the lighter weights. Feeder heifers steady. Slaughter cows 2.00-3.00 higher. Demand good. Supply moderate. Lots of nice cattle again this week with several consignments of reputation weaned fall calves weighing 600-725 lbs. Receipts were less than expected with heavy rain Monday and Tuesday holding some cattle back. Good buyer attendance. This Friday's Cattle on Feed report will be closely watched as the on feed total may be rising due to the slow pace of slaughter depending on where the placement number lands.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $496.54/cwt on 234 head, down $5.11 from the prior sale. That ranks 15 of 21 comparable sales and sits +12.55 against this barn's trailing median of $483.99.

Average price

$496.54

▼ 5.11 vs prior sale

234 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,734

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$181

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$33.47/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+15.54

vs MO average

+22.06 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	551	499.47	2,754	209
Medium and Large 1-2	541	474.51	2,566	18thin
Medium 1	552	466.00	2,572	7thin

One grade step is worth $33.47/cwt here — about $181 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 sale234 hd

496.54

—

MO average19 barns · 5,442 hd

481.01

+15.54

National average171 barns · 13,387 hd

474.48

+22.06

This barn, trailing median21 sales

483.99

+12.55

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	—	Low	1,629	216.75	3,530	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,560	188.55	2,941	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,319	181.06	2,388	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,030	153.07	1,577	11

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 Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,282	$2,762	4thin

Every lot, as filed

56 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	350–400	380	543.18/cwt	535.00–552.50	2,064	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	614	383.59/cwt	377.00–390.00	2,355	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	632	448.28/cwt	434.00–458.00	2,833	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	527	521.01/cwt	490.00–540.00	2,746	111
Steers	Medium 1-2	450–500	450	507.00/cwt	507.00–507.00	2,282	5
Steers	Medium 1	450–500	486	522.00/cwt	522.00–522.00	2,537	4
Steers	Medium 1	550–600	552	466.00/cwt	466.00–466.00	2,572	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	563	441.00/cwt	441.00–441.00	2,483	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	476	550.40/cwt	520.00–563.00	2,620	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	750–800	780	383.00/cwt	383.00–383.00	2,987	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	587	472.08/cwt	449.00–489.00	2,771	51
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	374	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	2,281	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	713	414.39/cwt	409.50–415.50	2,955	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	678	433.12/cwt	423.00–452.50	2,937	106
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	600	421.00/cwt	421.00–421.00	2,526	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	733	397.91/cwt	368.00–407.00	2,917	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	497	544.00/cwt	544.00–544.00	2,704	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	563	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,759	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	434	562.40/cwt	545.00–575.00	2,441	63
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	523	501.32/cwt	484.00–522.00	2,622	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	334	637.72/cwt	610.00–652.00	2,130	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	627	456.00/cwt	448.00–464.00	2,859	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	458	457.50/cwt	457.50–457.50	2,095	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	569	431.03/cwt	420.00–443.00	2,453	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	379.80/cwt	364.00–396.00	2,552	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	729	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	2,570	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	450.91/cwt	438.00–460.00	2,345	37
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	407	550.16/cwt	530.00–560.00	2,239	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,560	192.32/cwt	190.00–195.00	3,000	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,567	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	2,429	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,276	189.49/cwt	186.50–190.00	2,418	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,055	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	1,910	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,000	139.70/cwt	130.00–154.00	1,397	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	735	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	845	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,108	165.80/cwt	156.50–175.00	1,837	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,560	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	2,824	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,297	181.20/cwt	174.00–187.00	2,350	11
Bulls	—	—	1,405	195.50/cwt	195.50–195.50	2,747	1
Bulls	—	—	1,703	223.83/cwt	216.00–235.00	3,812	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,282	2,762.49/head	2,700.00–2,800.00	2,762	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	408.54/cwt	406.00–410.00	2,537	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	593	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,609	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	420	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,268	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	572	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,517	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	471	452.84/cwt	446.00–460.00	2,133	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	446	456.00/cwt	456.00–456.00	2,034	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	335	567.56/cwt	542.50–575.00	1,901	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	489	511.53/cwt	508.00–515.00	2,501	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	621	403.92/cwt	386.00–420.00	2,508	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	378	528.06/cwt	524.00–535.00	1,996	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	526.42/cwt	512.00–540.00	2,290	40
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	476	476.31/cwt	461.00–508.00	2,267	60
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	796	356.50/cwt	356.50–356.50	2,838	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	794	374.00/cwt	374.00–374.00	2,970	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	430	540.83/cwt	538.00–545.00	2,326	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	410	515.20/cwt	478.00–532.50	2,112	11

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 →