Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 20, 2023

567 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 567 642 842
Slaughter cattle 370 468 466
Replacement cattle 197 174 376

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were steady to 2.00 higher and slaughter bulls were steady. Demand was good on a moderate supply of slaughter animals and bred cows and a light supply of pairs. A good home cooked meal, provided by the Ozarks Regional Stockyard, drew a crowd both Tuesday and Wednesday as the Sale Barn celebrated another successful year. A total of 220,805 head of cattle were marketed by ORS in 2023 and included 40,481 head of replacement cattle and slaughter animals. ORS will remain closed until January 2 when it resumes its normal schedule. On behalf of the Market News Service, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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
1375–1390 1383 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 2,000.00–2,400.00 $2,198.92 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–1100 835 85-90% 11 41.00–51.00 $48.95 $409 —
725–1225 927 85-90% 40 60.00–73.00 $66.72 $618 —
835–1160 994 85-90% 16 85.00–95.00 $88.64 $881 +20.47
855–1275 1031 85-90% 74 73.00–85.00 $78.78 $812 -7.62
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1540 1151 80-85% 67 82.50–93.00 $87.88 $1,011 —
1030–1310 1201 80-85% 19 93.00–100.00 $95.19 $1,143 +8.59
1110–1280 1202 80-85% 12 77.50–83.00 $80.65 $969 -5.95
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1740 1465 75-80% 19 95.00–105.00 $98.28 $1,440 —
1340–1610 1490 75-80% 4 78.00–82.50 $80.75 $1,203 —
1295–1860 1721 75-80% 60 85.00–94.00 $89.97 $1,548 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–2095 1463 11 81.00–100.00 $92.75 $1,357 —
1300–2165 1640 18 102.00–114.00 $108.08 $1,773 —
1640–1820 1732 5 114.00–130.00 $119.42 $2,068 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
977–1100 1015 (<2 yrs)Open 6 140.00–157.50 $149.73 $1,520
1005–1315 1148 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 9 100.00–137.50 $116.18 $1,334
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–1025 871 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 14 80.00–96.00 $87.86 $765
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–900 830 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 102.00–135.00 $114.09 $947

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Bred Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
855–1130 1003 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 20 1,200.00–1,750.00 $1,354.83
985–1057 1039 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 1,275.00–1,350.00 $1,332.22
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1085–1165 1112 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,275.00–1,475.00 $1,344.87
1105–1375 1240 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 21 1,200.00–1,775.00 $1,460.46
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
820–1030 913 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 12 800.00–1,100.00 $940.57
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1030–1150 1097 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 1,075.00–1,150.00 $1,135.44
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–790 740 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 525.00–675.00 $597.30

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
785 785 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 1,100.00 $1,100.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
975 975 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
800–1035 917 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 1,000.00–1,300.00 $1,090.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150–1320 1263 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,500.00–1,650.00 $1,600.00 —

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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.