Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 11, 2024

581 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 581 632 642
Slaughter cattle 320 390 468
Replacement cattle 261 242 174

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls sold steady. Demand was good on a moderate supply. Receipts were lighter than normal following Saturday's Special Replacement Sale. Top slaughter cows brought 129.00/cwt. while the top slaughter bulls brought 166.00/cwt. There were several buyers ringside looking to make capital purchases before the end of the year. The top bred cows brought 2450.00/head and the top pairs brought 2750.00/pair with few high-quality replacement cattle in the offering.

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
1315–1555 1460 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 3 2,350.00–3,400.00 $2,946.86 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–1180 866 85-90% 7 51.00–72.50 $65.03 $563 —
860–1180 987 85-90% 8 108.00–117.00 $111.95 $1,105 —
700–1285 1023 85-90% 20 76.00–92.00 $85.78 $878 +0.24
720–1485 1095 85-90% 72 92.50–107.00 $100.73 $1,103 -10.64
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290–1985 1473 75-80% 13 98.00–108.00 $104.40 $1,538 +0.83
1295–1730 1477 75-80% 55 109.00–118.00 $114.01 $1,684 +10.44
1290–1775 1497 75-80% 18 118.00–129.00 $122.65 $1,836 +19.08
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1290 1182 80-85% 11 119.00–127.00 $121.05 $1,431 +19.53
1055–1610 1213 80-85% 11 98.00–106.00 $103.32 $1,253 -17.61
1040–1390 1214 80-85% 63 106.00–118.00 $113.29 $1,375 -7.64

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1970 1579 11 115.00–138.00 $127.69 $2,016 —
1435–2300 1689 7 159.00–166.00 $161.92 $2,735 —
1300–2155 1704 23 139.00–158.00 $148.90 $2,537 -1.01

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
775–1085 951 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 21 124.00–177.50 $153.09 $1,456
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905–1500 1231 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 14 120.00–177.50 $136.45 $1,680
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
805–1065 906 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 78.00–122.50 $110.13 $998

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1105–1135 1120 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,900.00–1,950.00 $1,925.33
1130–1490 1263 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 34 1,850.00–2,450.00 $2,137.82
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
775–1075 981 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 22 1,100.00–1,750.00 $1,387.37
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100–1360 1202 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 14 1,200.00–1,825.00 $1,623.81
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950–1090 1021 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 1,800.00–2,250.00 $1,970.52
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–925 782 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 475.00–1,050.00 $809.62

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
725–785 773 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 1,800.00–1,850.00 $1,840.62
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1125 1125 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 2,300.00 $2,300.00

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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
1125–1330 1220 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 2,400.00–2,750.00 $2,512.50 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1050–1125 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,250.00–2,350.00 $2,316.67 —

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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.