Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 21, 2021

393 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 393 768 411
Slaughter cattle 238 416 244
Replacement cattle 155 352 167

Market comments — USDA reporter

***Close*** Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls traded steady to 2.00 higher. Demand was good on a light supply, due to the upcoming holiday. The last sale of 2021 was a combined feeder and slaughter/replacement cow auction. The offering consisted of several small drafts as sellers were looking to turn some beef into cash for Santa and the County Collector. Ozarks Regional Stockyard's yearly totals for 2021 were: Feeder cattle 163,165 head which was 837 head more than a year ago; Video Auction 30,816 head which was 17,230 more than a year ago; Slaughter/Replacement Cow 43,683 head which was 3,289 head less than a year ago. On behalf of the Market News Service I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
720–1155 873 85-90% 13 15.00–32.50 $25.54 $223 —
790–1160 952 85-90% 29 32.50–48.00 $40.46 $385 -2.28
795–1235 1027 85-90% 49 47.50–58.00 $53.80 $553 +2.00
855–1165 1068 85-90% 9 58.00–66.00 $60.96 $651 +1.17
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1295 1163 80-85% 9 52.00–57.00 $55.57 $646 +2.19
1089–1300 1177 80-85% 44 58.00–65.00 $61.32 $722 +7.94
1080–1265 1191 80-85% 16 65.00–79.00 $68.82 $820 +15.44
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1635 1416 75-80% 10 49.00–59.00 $55.57 $787 -6.32
1305–1595 1462 75-80% 13 67.00–78.00 $70.03 $1,024 —
1210–1815 1486 75-80% 24 59.00–67.00 $62.56 $930 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1390 1240 7 60.00–79.00 $69.37 $860 —
1230–1715 1490 7 84.00–95.00 $89.80 $1,338 +15.13
1765–2130 1935 5 96.00–107.00 $99.91 $1,933 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
890–1195 1054 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 67.00–100.00 $82.29 $867
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
990–1155 1043 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 54.00–63.00 $58.72 $612
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
785–855 825 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 44.00–58.00 $51.53 $425

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Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
765–1070 933 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 10 400.00–600.00 $472.67
845–1071 955 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 29 525.00–925.00 $725.52
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1025–1055 1048 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 650.00 $650.00
1017–1185 1097 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 17 650.00–900.00 $838.25
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1015–1028 1024 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,050.00 $1,050.00
1090 1090 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 15 880.00 $880.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1215 1215 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 925.00 $925.00
1130–1382 1282 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 15 950.00–1,200.00 $1,064.74
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
720–915 800 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 13 250.00–400.00 $345.85
Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1175–1472 1361 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 600.00–900.00 $834.62

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825–950 879 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 700.00–850.00 $782.39
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
828–875 840 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 850.00–900.00 $863.02

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
775–925 866 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 800.00–1,000.00 $916.67 —

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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.