Name: Lonestar Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2024-03-12
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-12

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers sold 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Trade was fairly active on good demand. Slaughter cows and bulls were 5.00 to 8.00 higher on a limited test.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $297.48/cwt on 127 head. That ranks 1 of 30 comparable sales and sits −106.10 against this barn's trailing median of $403.58.

Average price

$297.48

127 head · 547 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,628

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$54

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

$25.46/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+26.59

vs TX average

+21.31 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	538	305.50	1,644	87
Medium and Large 1	568	280.04	1,589	40

One grade step is worth $25.46/cwt here — about $54 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

30 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $444.74, low $346.29, median $403.58 across 30 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 sale127 hd

297.48

—

TX average5 barns · 480 hd

270.88

+26.59

National average176 barns · 16,729 hd

276.17

+21.31

This barn, trailing median30 sales

403.58

−106.10

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	—	High	1,979	138.99	2,750	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,475	126.00	1,859	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,235	119.21	1,472	8thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,008	99.14	999	5thin

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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,475	$2,500	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,420	$2,025	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,345	$1,525	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,200	$2,850	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,100	$1,700	1thin

Every lot, as filed

42 lots · USDA AMS · Lonestar Stockyards - Wildorado, TX

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
Bulls	—	—	2,223	142.48/cwt	141.00–144.00	3,167	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	1,625	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	596	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	1,693	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	860	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	1,832	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	363	392.00/cwt	392.00–392.00	1,423	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	576	275.41/cwt	264.00–280.00	1,586	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	830	239.01/cwt	238.00–239.50	1,984	144
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	308	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,124	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,475	124.50/cwt	123.50–125.50	1,836	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,080	107.00/cwt	107.00–107.00	1,156	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,475	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	1,859	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	900	87.35/cwt	85.50–89.00	786	2
Bulls	—	—	1,490	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,967	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	500–550	538	305.50/cwt	305.50–305.50	1,644	87
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	1,700.00/head	1,700.00–1,700.00	1,700	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,200	2,850.00/head	2,850.00–2,850.00	2,850	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,345	1,525.00/head	1,525.00–1,525.00	1,525	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,475	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,420	2,025.00/head	2,025.00–2,025.00	2,025	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	721	226.77/cwt	225.00–227.25	1,635	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	760	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,854	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	671	272.67/cwt	263.00–285.00	1,830	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	828	222.64/cwt	215.75–224.75	1,843	259
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	409	327.40/cwt	325.00–329.00	1,339	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	469	312.37/cwt	292.00–321.00	1,465	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	880	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	2,015	52
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	443	352.00/cwt	352.00–352.00	1,559	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	920	224.76/cwt	222.00–227.00	2,068	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	524	319.23/cwt	307.00–327.00	1,673	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	708	253.10/cwt	251.00–256.00	1,792	51
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	788	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,765	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,544	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	394	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	1,304	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	542	293.91/cwt	274.00–305.00	1,593	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	642	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	1,554	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	782	224.78/cwt	224.50–227.00	1,758	35
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,155	117.44/cwt	117.00–120.00	1,356	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	1,142	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	755	221.75/cwt	221.75–221.75	1,674	56
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	832	226.50/cwt	226.50–226.50	1,884	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	810	215.75/cwt	215.75–215.75	1,748	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	873	222.95/cwt	218.00–223.50	1,946	133

How this sale compares

Texas weighted averages

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

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