Cattle Market Pulse

South Central Regional Stockyards Market Report

Vienna, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 17, 2024

904 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest South Central Regional Stockyards report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $311.87/cwt +0.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,653/hd at 530 lb · 63 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $321.88/cwt +1.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,551/hd at 482 lb · 54 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $299.51/cwt -10.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,407/hd at 470 lb · 47 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 904 617 1,442
Feeder cattle 782 478 1,366
Slaughter cattle 102 129 76
Replacement cattle 20 10 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday, feeder steers under 500 lbs steady to firm, over 500 lbs 2.00-4.00 higher. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs 3.00-10.00 lower following last weeks higher trade. Heifers over 550 lbs steady. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 lower. Demand good. Supply moderate. There are several unweaned calves in the bulk price ranges under 560 lbs that sold with minimal discounts due to quality and condition. Cattle futures eased back on Wednesday after a strong start to the week.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–397 379 25 339.00–361.00 $348.00 $1,319 -21.60
405–435 416 17 339.00–361.00 $352.69 $1,467 +25.12
481 unweaned 481 4 309.00 $309.00 $1,486 -7.00
455–495 482 50 310.00–331.00 $322.91 $1,556 +13.91
500–543 530 63 305.00–326.00 $311.87 $1,653 +0.01
551–598 569 33 288.00–321.50 $303.16 $1,725 +1.89
600–636 619 27 279.00–295.50 $284.06 $1,758 +29.56
651–677 663 21 267.00–283.50 $275.84 $1,829 —
700–727 707 11 261.00–270.50 $267.84 $1,894 +13.84
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–320 315 4 341.00–342.00 $341.51 $1,076 —
360–397 381 7 320.00–331.00 $327.89 $1,249 -26.18
421–430 425 7 325.00–332.00 $328.96 $1,398 +3.31
510–540 524 14 291.00–304.00 $300.11 $1,573 —
558 558 4 271.00 $271.00 $1,512 -5.97
607–620 612 6 272.00–283.00 $278.33 $1,703 +16.66
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
591 591 5 227.50 $227.50 $1,345 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 3 300.00 $300.00 $1,350 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
256–295 269 6 327.00–328.00 $327.37 $881 —
303–348 334 18 314.00–324.00 $317.15 $1,059 —
375–389 385 17 314.00–326.00 $322.37 $1,241 -6.21
402–445 426 40 313.00–327.00 $318.66 $1,357 -18.20
450–491 466 40 284.00–319.00 $304.90 $1,421 -5.37
486 486 3 269.00 $269.00 $1,307 -41.27
495 unweaned 495 4 268.50 $268.50 $1,329 —
510 unweaned 510 7 272.00–276.50 $274.57 $1,400 —
512–542 531 17 277.00–284.00 $281.09 $1,493 -12.55
535 535 3 261.00 $261.00 $1,396 -32.64
550–575 554 14 253.00–269.00 $264.07 $1,463 -5.24
566–596 584 10 245.00 $245.00 $1,431 -6.11
617–646 638 10 237.00–243.00 $238.41 $1,521 +2.41
653 653 5 231.00 $231.00 $1,508 -2.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–360 353 7 298.00–308.00 $304.00 $1,073 —
415–425 420 7 298.00–317.00 $307.36 $1,291 -2.17
481–492 484 12 274.00–277.00 $275.50 $1,333 -10.20
507–515 511 4 274.00 $274.00 $1,400 +3.35
554 554 6 248.50 $248.50 $1,377 +0.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 3 265.00 $265.00 $1,174 —
477–490 481 7 230.00–254.00 $247.01 $1,188 +2.01
557 557 4 230.00 $230.00 $1,281 -2.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323 323 8 351.00 $351.00 $1,134 —
397 397 22 346.00 $346.00 $1,374 —
413–423 417 9 338.00 $338.00 $1,409 —
473 473 14 306.00 $306.00 $1,447 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–431 419 10 302.00–320.00 $306.41 $1,284 —
502–535 516 11 241.00–302.00 $273.88 $1,413 —
575–597 581 7 259.00–267.00 $264.65 $1,538 —
625–640 633 4 241.50–245.00 $243.23 $1,540 -11.77
650–667 659 4 231.00–243.50 $237.17 $1,563 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245 1245 80-85% 1 132.50 $132.50 $1,650 +4.90
1107–1395 1253 80-85% 29 124.00–132.50 $128.25 $1,607 —
1175–1380 1291 80-85% 7 113.50–122.00 $119.34 $1,541 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935 935 85-90% 1 65.00 $65.00 $608 -7.00
1015–1035 1022 85-90% 7 104.00–105.50 $105.07 $1,074 -20.82
895–1230 1037 85-90% 16 106.50–118.50 $113.09 $1,173 -12.80
1045 1045 85-90% 1 124.50 $124.50 $1,301 -1.39
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450 1450 75-80% 1 123.00 $123.00 $1,784 -11.68
1360–1705 1479 75-80% 9 128.00–131.50 $130.07 $1,924 -4.61
1552 1552 75-80% 2 131.00 $131.00 $2,033 +2.90

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405 1405 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,953 —
1355–1980 1798 9 145.00–155.00 $150.94 $2,714 -3.06
1850 1850 1 155.50 $155.50 $2,877 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1002–1265 1060 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 1,710.00–1,910.00 $1,774.71

↑ Back to top

Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.