Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 28, 2024

827 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 827 1,056 675
Slaughter cattle 489 514 379
Replacement cattle 338 542 296

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were 2.00-3.00 higher and slaughter bulls were steady. Demand was good on a moderate supply. The quality of the offering was above average on breaking cows and pairs. Forty registered Angus cows in the 1st stage with 300+ lb. calves from the Hilliard Farms averaged 3616.88/pair. The USDA's Cold Storage report, released Monday, reported the total pounds of beef in freezers were down 1 percent from the previous month and down 11 percent from last 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
1065–1930 1401 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 4 2,000.00–2,900.00 $2,496.88 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
750–1230 896 85-90% 64 73.00–92.00 $84.80 $760 +22.85
745–1040 908 85-90% 9 61.00–67.00 $63.68 $578 -34.55
810–1175 1065 85-90% 33 105.00–112.00 $107.10 $1,141 —
835–1155 1090 85-90% 70 93.00–103.00 $99.77 $1,087 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1300 1139 80-85% 18 92.00–99.00 $96.94 $1,104 —
885–1385 1204 80-85% 74 100.00–112.00 $108.39 $1,305 +3.21
1055–1395 1269 80-85% 38 113.00–123.00 $116.08 $1,473 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305–1835 1434 75-80% 63 116.00–129.00 $120.50 $1,728 +5.48
1280–1865 1450 75-80% 37 103.00–115.00 $110.47 $1,602 —
1355–1560 1462 75-80% 8 93.00–101.00 $97.96 $1,432 -8.88

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225–1670 1354 13 100.00–116.00 $110.57 $1,497 —
1270–2025 1687 39 118.00–133.00 $125.24 $2,113 -2.02
1278–2495 1701 22 133.00–150.00 $137.94 $2,346 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–850 770 (<2 yrs)Open 3 130.00–167.00 $144.45 $1,112
700–1055 875 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 18 104.00–127.50 $116.92 $1,023
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
850–980 920 (<2 yrs)Open 4 145.00–167.50 $160.93 $1,481
1100–1245 1149 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 8 104.00–132.00 $119.88 $1,377
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–1225 965 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 99.00–105.00 $100.79 $973

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Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
866–975 880 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 1,300.00–1,400.00 $1,386.14
700–1097 917 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 32 800.00–1,400.00 $1,146.45
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1065–1235 1178 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 12 1,350.00–2,400.00 $2,043.67
1100–1370 1220 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 26 1,400.00–2,500.00 $1,735.87
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
860–980 937 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,350.00–1,500.00 $1,417.62
890–1065 999 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 10 1,400.00–1,850.00 $1,504.48
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1095–1227 1147 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 8 1,050.00–1,400.00 $1,265.21
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–825 765 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 550.00–750.00 $666.70

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
790 790 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 1,350.00 $1,350.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100–1375 1265 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 40 3,425.00–3,925.00 $3,616.88 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1130–1280 1206 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 1,975.00–2,200.00 $2,079.17 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
825–1035 907 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 1,400.00–1,825.00 $1,665.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,600.00 $1,600.00 -228.57

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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.