Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 1, 2024

403 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 403 740 704
Slaughter cattle 207 380 305
Replacement cattle 196 360 399

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls sold steady. Demand was good on a light supply. Rain over the weekend, and continuing throughout the week, have helped the drought condition in the Acorn Belt. Producers are getting equipment ready to start haying when the ground dries out.

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
1480–1575 1528 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 3,400.00–3,500.00 $3,448.45 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–995 810 85-90% 3 81.00–85.00 $82.62 $669 +8.58
760–1225 962 85-90% 26 90.00–104.00 $96.80 $931 —
765–1300 1015 85-90% 39 105.00–116.00 $110.90 $1,126 +1.54
905–1270 1106 85-90% 9 116.00–125.00 $119.26 $1,319 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1305 1182 80-85% 31 114.00–123.00 $118.07 $1,396 -7.77
1124–1275 1204 80-85% 11 90.00–113.00 $108.13 $1,302 —
995–1380 1247 80-85% 9 123.00–134.00 $127.39 $1,589 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1535 1371 75-80% 7 104.00–115.00 $109.07 $1,495 +0.41
1325–1590 1403 75-80% 10 125.00–130.00 $127.17 $1,784 +5.42
1280–1675 1412 75-80% 25 115.00–125.00 $120.49 $1,701 -1.26

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–2025 1514 9 115.00–139.00 $129.32 $1,958 -24.67
1300–2065 1653 20 143.00–165.00 $152.55 $2,522 —
1485–2048 1885 6 170.00–180.00 $172.30 $3,248 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
715–905 778 (<2 yrs)Open 3 165.00–205.00 $189.50 $1,474
885–1020 957 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 121.00–170.00 $141.13 $1,351
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
920–1185 1069 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 112.00–168.00 $138.37 $1,479

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1160–1500 1303 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 42 1,600.00–2,300.00 $1,982.41
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
970–1050 1029 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 11 1,550.00–1,810.00 $1,745.32
955–1071 1042 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 12 1,650.00–1,900.00 $1,714.09
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–1090 940 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 15 1,000.00–1,550.00 $1,319.86
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1082–1195 1127 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 14 900.00–1,550.00 $1,371.91
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–825 742 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 300.00–975.00 $589.61

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
890–1100 960 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 1,350.00 $1,350.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
858–1065 936 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 2,250.00–2,575.00 $2,395.83 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
775–1050 913 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,500.00–2,250.00 $1,975.00 —

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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.