Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 15, 2024

885 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 885 1,081 789
Slaughter cattle 549 659 498
Replacement cattle 336 422 291

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 higher and slaughter bulls sold steady. Demand was very good on a moderate supply. The market was very active with new slaughter buyers ringside and plenty of local producers looking to take home bred cows and pairs from three herd sellouts. The top slaughter bull sold for 181.00/cwt. while the top slaughter cows brought 144.00/cwt. The top bred cows brought 2323.00/head while the top pairs brought 2550.00/pair.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
710–1135 894 85-90% 11 78.00–90.00 $84.39 $754 —
700–1310 973 85-90% 42 91.00–112.00 $103.17 $1,004 —
830–1250 1014 85-90% 28 126.00–138.00 $131.41 $1,332 +4.46
775–1215 1038 85-90% 92 110.00–125.00 $118.14 $1,226 -8.81
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1290 1151 80-85% 100 118.00–133.00 $125.40 $1,443 +11.59
1050–1285 1152 80-85% 24 105.00–117.00 $113.03 $1,302 -0.78
1010–1315 1193 80-85% 34 133.00–143.00 $138.11 $1,648 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1500 1368 75-80% 10 110.00–118.00 $114.93 $1,572 -0.08
1265–1560 1383 75-80% 30 135.00–144.00 $137.75 $1,905 +22.74
1205–1670 1409 75-80% 107 120.00–134.00 $129.51 $1,825 +2.67

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240–1580 1356 9 128.00–149.00 $142.63 $1,934 —
1270–2205 1672 43 150.00–168.00 $158.23 $2,646 -0.70
1545–2250 1854 13 168.00–181.00 $171.94 $3,188 -2.01

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–1050 877 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 20 123.00–150.00 $131.34 $1,152
810–1070 915 (<2 yrs)Open 4 145.00–170.00 $154.04 $1,409
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
880–1110 996 (<2 yrs)Open 8 150.00–202.50 $176.11 $1,754
930–1365 1128 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 16 121.00–145.00 $131.86 $1,487
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–775 719 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 92.50–107.50 $98.37 $707

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Bred Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900–1077 1023 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 29 1,700.00–1,775.00 $1,722.60
875–1095 1051 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 79 1,600.00–1,975.00 $1,806.65
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1105–1300 1172 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 44 1,600.00–2,325.00 $2,056.03
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800–1050 945 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 26 1,050.00–1,650.00 $1,358.11
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1090–1175 1135 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 11 1,275.00–1,550.00 $1,471.56
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700 700 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 10 525.00–800.00 $680.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925–1170 1048 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 4 2,050.00–2,400.00 $2,225.00 +425.00
1075–1205 1140 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 2,400.00–2,550.00 $2,475.00 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700–1000 850 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,400.00–2,050.00 $1,725.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1120–1125 1123 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,000.00–2,250.00 $2,083.33 —
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700 700 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 2 950.00 $950.00 —

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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.