Name: Lonestar Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-08-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Steer and heifer calves traded mostly 10.00 to 15.00 lower, with some larger discounts noted on unweaned or short weaned calves tagged fleshy. Not enough comparable sales on yearlings for a market trend but a few loads of good feeding type yearlings were on offer today. Quality was mixed, with the majority of the supply consisting of plainer unweaned or short weaned calves. Trading activity was moderate on light to moderate buyer demand, especially on unweaned calves as higher than average temperatures continue. Slaughter cows and bulls were mostly 5.00 to 10.00 lower.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $397.64/cwt on 76 head, down $19.51 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 28 comparable sales and sits −49.12 against this barn's trailing median of $446.77.

Average price

$397.64

▼ 19.51 vs prior sale

76 head · 540 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,146

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$182

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

$20.73/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+23.00

vs TX average

+9.23 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	543	401.73	2,183	61
Medium and Large 1-2	525	381.00	2,001	15thin

One grade step is worth $20.73/cwt here — about $182 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

28 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $516.73, low $393.85, median $446.77 across 28 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 sale76 hd

397.64

—

TX average5 barns · 357 hd

374.65

+23.00

National average109 barns · 4,104 hd

388.41

+9.23

This barn, trailing median28 sales

446.77

−49.12

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	1,943	199.26	3,872	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,215	166.36	2,021	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,039	154.49	1,605	78
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,472	151.62	2,231	3thin

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)	1,117	$3,308	14
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,299	$2,897	7
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,135	$2,694	25
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	954	$2,547	6
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,163	$2,351	15
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,108	$1,860	25

Every lot, as filed

61 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	937	293.00/cwt	293.00–293.00	2,745	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	735	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	2,073	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,390	158.43/cwt	157.50–159.50	2,202	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,151	162.27/cwt	155.00–163.00	1,868	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,246	168.35/cwt	165.00–171.00	2,098	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,098	159.05/cwt	154.00–162.00	1,746	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	530	367.07/cwt	362.00–372.50	1,945	14
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,115	2,943.87/head	2,700.00–3,075.00	2,944	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	384	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,786	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	500	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	2,025	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	761	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,283	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	825	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,640	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	463	407.00/cwt	407.00–407.00	1,884	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	425	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,934	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	463	386.39/cwt	367.50–393.00	1,789	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	412	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,730	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	708	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,266	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	696	329.00/cwt	329.00–329.00	2,290	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,220	2,523.80/head	2,350.00–2,750.00	2,524	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,299	2,896.63/head	2,875.00–2,900.00	2,897	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,076	2,062.60/head	2,000.00–2,300.00	2,063	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,117	3,308.14/head	3,050.00–3,450.00	3,308	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,881	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	820	248.57/cwt	222.00–265.00	2,038	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,185	2,826.44/head	2,725.00–2,975.00	2,826	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	955	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,671	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	150–200	167	975.00/head	975.00–975.00	975	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	543	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,928	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	570	332.11/cwt	330.00–335.00	1,893	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	397	502.50/cwt	502.50–502.50	1,995	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	594	352.74/cwt	349.00–358.00	2,095	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	524	423.72/cwt	412.50–429.00	2,220	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	299	575.00/cwt	575.00–575.00	1,719	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	438	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	2,026	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	478	412.00/cwt	412.00–412.00	1,969	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	436	433.55/cwt	430.00–440.00	1,890	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	432.00/cwt	432.00–432.00	1,849	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	538	403.33/cwt	400.00–410.00	2,170	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	470	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,951	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	448.28/cwt	445.00–455.00	1,672	45
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,114	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	345	533.00/cwt	533.00–533.00	1,839	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	217	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	1,074	43
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	296	467.52/cwt	455.00–500.00	1,384	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	318	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,288	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	300	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	1,560	16
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	793	2,150.00/head	2,150.00–2,150.00	2,150	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	500–550	547	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,969	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	100–150	129	1,000.00/head	1,000.00–1,000.00	1,000	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	150–200	159	900.00/head	900.00–900.00	900	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	227	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	1,249	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	890	315.17/cwt	305.00–315.50	2,805	63
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	394	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,655	11
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,129	1,725.00/head	1,725.00–1,725.00	1,725	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,059	2,494.12/head	2,300.00–2,625.00	2,494	10
Bulls	—	—	1,871	201.03/cwt	198.50–203.00	3,761	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,148	166.50/cwt	165.00–169.50	1,911	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	888	140.51/cwt	139.00–149.00	1,248	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,635	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	2,256	1
Bulls	—	—	1,990	208.87/cwt	208.00–209.50	4,157	4
Bulls	—	—	1,969	187.89/cwt	175.50–192.50	3,700	4

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 →