Name: Lonestar Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-12-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-12-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers traded mostly 1.00 to 5.00 higher, which was inline with the gains noted on the CME cattle futures. Not enough comparable sales on steer or heifer calves for a market trend but a higher undertone was noted. Trading activity was moderate to active on good buyer demand. Quality was mostly plain to attractive. The majority of the supply consisted of load lots of yearlings and small bunches of bred cows.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $352.70/cwt on 129 head. That ranks 3 of 30 comparable sales and sits −50.88 against this barn's trailing median of $403.58.

Average price

$352.70

129 head · 573 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,022

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$119

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

$30.99/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−11.26

vs TX average

−37.21 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	563	371.92	2,095	49
Medium and Large 1-2	580	340.92	1,976	80

One grade step is worth $30.99/cwt here — about $119 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

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 sale129 hd

352.70

—

TX average5 barns · 579 hd

363.96

−11.26

National average175 barns · 15,310 hd

389.91

−37.21

This barn, trailing median30 sales

403.58

−50.88

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	1,806	150.14	2,711	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,100	159.00	1,749	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,583	139.00	2,200	4thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,040	133.58	1,390	14

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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	993	$3,175	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,324	$3,040	21
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,347	$2,586	29
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,480	$2,500	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,234	$2,221	59
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	954	$3,544	50
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,135	$4,100	2thin

Every lot, as filed

50 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,015	130.51/cwt	126.00–131.00	1,325	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,712	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	2,311	3
Bulls	—	—	1,788	148.90/cwt	145.00–167.50	2,662	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,195	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	1,804	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,180	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	1,817	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,078	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	1,477	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,347	2,585.58/head	2,325.00–2,750.00	2,586	29
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,296	2,429.66/head	2,250.00–2,900.00	2,430	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	600–650	635	387.00/cwt	387.00–387.00	2,457	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	800–850	814	322.00/cwt	322.00–322.00	2,621	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	890	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	1,931	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,348	2,725.00/head	2,725.00–2,725.00	2,725	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	696	348.00/cwt	348.00–348.00	2,422	13
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,135	4,100.00/head	4,100.00–4,100.00	4,100	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	500	398.00/cwt	398.00–398.00	1,990	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	876	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,847	30
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,480	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	993	3,175.00/head	3,175.00–3,175.00	3,175	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	459	524.23/cwt	500.00–530.00	2,406	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	586	387.23/cwt	375.00–400.00	2,269	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	836	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,600	60
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	366	581.17/cwt	537.00–592.00	2,127	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	474.00/cwt	474.00–474.00	2,029	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	750–800	760	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,280	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	726	339.77/cwt	337.00–342.00	2,467	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	571	413.50/cwt	413.50–413.50	2,361	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	340.50/cwt	340.50–340.50	2,809	59
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	569	371.00/cwt	371.00–371.00	2,111	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	537	377.50/cwt	377.50–377.50	2,027	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	467	415.64/cwt	409.00–420.00	1,941	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	350–400	397	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,985	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	633	356.00/cwt	356.00–356.00	2,253	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	745	332.00/cwt	332.00–332.00	2,473	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	479	472.59/cwt	445.00–485.00	2,264	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	595	371.00/cwt	371.00–371.00	2,207	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	313	590.00/cwt	590.00–590.00	1,847	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,056	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	2,936	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	567	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,985	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,076	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	1,861	9
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	954	3,544.01/head	3,500.00–3,575.00	3,544	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	587	334.47/cwt	334.00–342.00	1,963	68
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	377	545.00/cwt	545.00–545.00	2,055	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	763	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,213	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	464	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	1,772	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,100	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	1,749	1
Bulls	—	—	2,090	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	3,553	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,157	2,102.65/head	2,075.00–2,150.00	2,103	25
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,248	1,400.00/head	1,400.00–1,400.00	1,400	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	992	187.32/cwt	185.00–191.00	1,858	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,320	3,092.82/head	2,950.00–3,300.00	3,093	18

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 →