Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 21, 2022

842 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 842 563 393
Slaughter cattle 466 291 238
Replacement cattle 376 272 155

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls traded 2.00-3.00 higher. Bred Cows traded steady while Pairs were not well tested. Demand was good on a moderate supply. Receipts were higher than expected as producers took advantage of the last sale of 2022 to stay a step ahead of the predicted sub-zero temperatures and negative double digit windchills. Replacement/Slaughter Cattle sales for 2022, at Ozark's Regional Stockyard, totaled 49,515 head which was 13 percent higher than a year ago and 6.7 percent higher than the 5-year average.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1275–1705 1448 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 4 1,400.00–2,000.00 $1,673.58 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685–1215 793 85-90% 35 30.00–46.00 $38.37 $304 —
765–1175 858 85-90% 67 47.00–55.00 $50.98 $437 —
740–1125 892 85-90% 80 57.00–66.00 $61.08 $545 —
840–1235 1025 85-90% 24 67.00–75.00 $69.59 $713 +1.58
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1345 1168 80-85% 62 65.00–75.00 $71.65 $837 +3.62
1025–1350 1202 80-85% 21 76.00–83.00 $78.55 $944 —
1080–1305 1208 80-85% 38 55.00–65.00 $61.55 $744 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1475 1420 75-80% 14 57.00–68.00 $63.67 $904 -13.81
1320–1660 1472 75-80% 11 78.00–86.00 $81.00 $1,192 +10.13
1320–1828 1480 75-80% 66 68.00–77.00 $73.93 $1,094 +3.06

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1935 1488 19 60.00–89.00 $81.55 $1,213 —
1215–2120 1669 21 90.00–104.00 $96.65 $1,613 —
1665–2460 1912 7 106.00–117.00 $108.36 $2,072 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
915–1319 1107 (<2 yrs)Open 17 108.00–133.50 $117.45 $1,300
825–1540 1197 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 34 75.00–116.00 $87.64 $1,049
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
756–960 809 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 32 50.00–76.00 $71.27 $577
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
750–780 770 (<2 yrs)Open 4 110.00–128.00 $119.51 $920
755–1012 859 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 24 75.00–100.00 $90.25 $775
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
831–1425 984 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 13 55.00–76.00 $68.22 $671

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
730–1075 852 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 35 500.00–875.00 $683.85
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
890–1200 1011 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 21 600.00–950.00 $796.98
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1075–1125 1092 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 950.00–1,100.00 $1,001.53
1080–1565 1221 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 17 1,000.00–1,350.00 $1,107.42
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
840–1080 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 975.00–1,025.00 $989.00

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
875 875 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 900.00 $900.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
695–950 833 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 700.00–1,000.00 $833.33 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1035 1035 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,050.00 $1,050.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1215 1215 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00 —

↑ 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.