Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Feeder Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 17, 2026

1,329 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ozarks Regional Stockyards Feeder Cattle report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $446.76/cwt +2.49 vs last sale · ≈ $2,332/hd at 522 lb · 96 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $520.30/cwt +17.24 vs last sale · ≈ $2,170/hd at 417 lb · 76 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $343.00/cwt ≈ $2,909/hd at 848 lb · 61 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,329 1,428 2,500
Feeder cattle 1,329 1,428 2,500

Market comments — USDA reporter

***Close*** Compared to last week, feeder steers and heifers were not well tested however undertones were steady to firm. Steer calves over 450 lbs. sold 4.00-8.00 higher. Heifer calves over 450 lbs sold 6.00-12.00 higher. Demand was good on a light supply. The quality of the offering was above average with only one draft over 20 head which was 61 head of 848 lb. steers which sold for 343.00/cwt. Winter weather returned to the Ozarks with morning temperatures dropping into the teens on Tuesday, however 80 degrees is forecasted by the weekend.

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
265 265 8 710.00 $710.00 $1,882 —
315–340 334 31 620.00–680.00 $633.23 $2,115 -39.64
349 thin fleshed 349 5 705.00 $705.00 $2,460 —
350–385 374 34 610.00–649.00 $635.82 $2,378 -2.03
400–430 418 5 565.00–575.00 $570.07 $2,383 -41.66
454–493 473 32 540.00–570.00 $556.77 $2,634 +18.23
504–511 508 26 495.00–525.00 $509.57 $2,589 -0.96
552–591 568 52 465.00–507.50 $481.62 $2,736 +34.08
608–639 625 48 420.00–463.00 $440.84 $2,755 -1.57
660–685 665 20 392.50–421.00 $413.95 $2,753 +20.18
708–715 710 5 372.50–385.00 $378.99 $2,691 +8.59
760–772 770 19 352.50–361.00 $359.68 $2,770 -0.02
848 848 61 343.00 $343.00 $2,909 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
368–392 383 16 555.00–585.00 $574.62 $2,201 -10.38
414–449 433 16 530.00–555.00 $551.02 $2,386 +16.69
450–488 469 41 492.50–532.50 $514.76 $2,414 +5.49
500–525 515 24 450.00–485.00 $474.26 $2,442 +5.39
555 555 8 450.00 $450.00 $2,498 +12.36
644–648 645 12 410.00–415.00 $413.75 $2,669 +6.33
653–695 670 5 365.00–390.00 $379.62 $2,543 -7.57
1004 1004 20 285.00 $285.00 $2,861 —
1055–1062 1061 12 252.00–262.50 $253.74 $2,692 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
371–397 389 17 515.00–545.00 $532.87 $2,073 +12.87
410–446 432 19 485.00–517.50 $506.01 $2,186 -13.70
473–480 474 10 470.00–485.00 $483.48 $2,292 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
448 448 6 425.00 $425.00 $1,904 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
572 572 5 470.00 $470.00 $2,688 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
284–298 289 18 580.00–610.00 $601.44 $1,738 —
300–348 332 9 570.00–620.00 $590.54 $1,961 +41.35
355–395 380 23 525.00–560.00 $539.53 $2,050 +0.03
400–430 417 76 502.50–550.00 $520.30 $2,170 +17.24
450–488 467 30 465.00–505.00 $486.67 $2,273 +23.90
500–548 522 96 435.00–480.00 $446.76 $2,332 +2.49
554–590 566 30 425.00–452.50 $434.78 $2,461 +0.12
602 602 8 385.00 $385.00 $2,318 -23.08
655–676 674 22 360.00–373.00 $366.52 $2,470 +14.52
758 758 11 361.00 $361.00 $2,736 —
828 828 10 330.00 $330.00 $2,732 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–338 332 16 535.00–550.00 $535.90 $1,779 +25.90
359–395 376 15 475.00–520.00 $499.76 $1,879 +19.45
442–447 446 9 447.50–475.00 $468.94 $2,091 +6.49
495–499 498 8 427.50–440.00 $435.34 $2,168 -7.22
505–548 540 26 420.00–432.00 $428.84 $2,316 +16.91
553–567 560 6 410.00 $410.00 $2,296 +28.91
602–645 616 8 340.00–365.00 $355.59 $2,190 -8.18
660–695 674 7 322.50–350.00 $340.09 $2,292 —
710 710 5 330.00 $330.00 $2,343 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
482 482 5 470.00 $470.00 $2,265 —
527 527 5 460.00 $460.00 $2,424 —
654 654 9 365.00 $365.00 $2,387 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340–345 343 8 465.00–490.00 $474.29 $1,627 —
438–447 443 6 405.00–435.00 $419.85 $1,860 -20.15
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
777 777 8 328.00 $328.00 $2,549 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
301–348 317 9 555.00–585.00 $561.34 $1,779 —
377–390 382 5 545.00–585.00 $561.33 $2,144 +30.56
458–488 474 27 475.00–510.00 $483.70 $2,293 -9.04
535–548 543 9 445.00–475.00 $451.56 $2,452 —
604–620 607 5 412.50–420.00 $418.47 $2,540 -3.24
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
544 544 6 420.00 $420.00 $2,285 —

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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.