Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 24, 2021

673 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 673 220 902
Slaughter cattle 405 142 472
Replacement cattle 268 78 430

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to the last sale two weeks ago, slaughter cows traded steady to 2.00 higher while slaughter bulls traded steady to weak. Demand was moderate on slaughter animals and good on replacement cattle. The supply was light to moderate due to muddy roads and barnyards. A large number of the stocker cows and some slaughter cows were in the offering due to the loss of newborn calves during the sub-zero temperatures last week. The USDA's Cold Storage report, released Monday, reported total pounds of beef in freezers was down 3 percent from the previous month but up 6 percent from a year ago.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
665–1070 809 85-90% 11 19.00–25.00 $23.04 $186 -12.41
680–1205 931 85-90% 37 30.00–44.00 $38.60 $359 -10.96
770–1525 1035 85-90% 91 44.00–57.00 $50.17 $519 —
840–1255 1046 85-90% 35 57.00–65.00 $58.95 $617 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1375 1212 80-85% 17 50.00–57.50 $54.72 $663 —
1000–1360 1213 80-85% 55 58.00–65.00 $61.13 $742 —
1055–1365 1217 80-85% 27 65.00–75.00 $68.16 $830 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1675 1423 75-80% 20 67.50–75.00 $70.34 $1,001 +1.24
1185–1790 1426 75-80% 42 60.00–67.00 $64.09 $914 -5.01
1200–1560 1427 75-80% 26 52.00–60.00 $57.17 $816 -11.93

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1795 1529 14 62.00–79.00 $73.14 $1,118 —
1255–2170 1758 19 80.00–92.00 $84.30 $1,482 —
1680–1900 1797 5 94.00–100.00 $97.37 $1,750 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
730–1045 839 (<2 yrs)Open 4 82.50–100.00 $90.72 $761
690–1435 1077 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 25 66.00–90.00 $77.35 $833
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
690–1290 964 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 21 38.00–62.50 $56.78 $547
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
610–805 674 (<2 yrs)Open 4 85.00–87.50 $86.53 $583
680–1300 976 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 13 66.00–88.00 $75.79 $740
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
805–1315 1039 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 52.00–66.00 $61.78 $642

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Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
650–1080 914 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 22 475.00–800.00 $632.47
730–1020 935 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 500.00–800.00 $647.01
955–1160 1028 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 525.00–725.00 $631.30
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1033–1260 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 875.00–1,050.00 $917.01
1010–1395 1221 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 18 900.00–1,150.00 $1,081.94
1270–1355 1313 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 900.00–950.00 $925.81
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
970–1175 1012 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 7 800.00–975.00 $893.04
1090–1195 1133 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 800.00–850.00 $833.97
1128–1295 1170 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 825.00 $825.00
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
470–890 719 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 14 135.00–575.00 $341.83
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1005 1005 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 800.00 $800.00
1065–1175 1127 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 650.00–800.00 $717.90
1225–1445 1308 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 850.00–900.00 $865.61

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
925 925 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 750.00 $750.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —
1171–1195 1173 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 10 1,375.00–1,425.00 $1,380.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
995–1025 1005 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 850.00–900.00 $866.67 —

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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.