Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 18, 2026

485 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 485 498 0
Slaughter cattle 176 171 0
Replacement cattle 309 327 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were 2.00-4.00 higher and slaughter bulls were steady. Demand was good on a light supply. The market was very active with several buyers ringside and a light offering of high quality replacements. The top slaughter bull sold for 215.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 189.00/cwt. On the replacement side, the top pairs sold for 4650.00/pair and the top bred cow sold for 4250.00/head. Spring flowers are starting to bloom in the Ozarks with the mild weather and 70 degree days, however things can change quickly in February and March.

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
1175–1230 1203 (<2 yrs)N/A 2 2,650.00–3,100.00 $2,880.15 —
1405–1930 1668 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 3,750.00–4,100.00 $3,952.55 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–1200 938 85-90% 29 115.00–132.50 $124.31 $1,166 —
880–1070 979 85-90% 7 157.00–170.00 $162.80 $1,594 —
900–1120 1010 85-90% 2 103.00–105.00 $103.89 $1,049 -10.07
875–1305 1052 85-90% 36 133.00–154.00 $141.71 $1,491 -18.35
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1245 1146 80-85% 22 158.00–170.00 $164.23 $1,882 —
1105–1310 1183 80-85% 8 172.00–187.00 $178.16 $2,108 +3.06
1225–1300 1263 80-85% 6 147.00–155.00 $151.67 $1,916 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1733 1488 75-80% 14 174.00–189.00 $176.68 $2,629 +15.92
1340–1680 1489 75-80% 7 140.00–158.00 $152.85 $2,276 -7.91
1305–1620 1495 75-80% 14 160.00–169.00 $165.60 $2,476 +4.84

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1112–1195 1140 3 220.00–233.00 $228.46 $2,604 —
1240–1535 1418 4 157.00–176.00 $169.53 $2,404 —
1340–2035 1640 15 180.00–197.00 $188.84 $3,097 +30.65
1360–2025 1678 9 199.00–215.00 $204.70 $3,435 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
705–1085 808 (<2 yrs)Open 14 257.50–325.00 $294.67 $2,381
702–1120 911 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 180.00–225.00 $200.32 $1,825
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1123 1123 (<2 yrs)Open 3 260.00 $260.00 $2,920
1125–1415 1262 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 169.00–195.00 $176.92 $2,233
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905–1000 953 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 152.50–170.00 $160.99 $1,534

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1195–1405 1276 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 15 2,450.00–3,100.00 $2,757.91
1175–1420 1281 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 36 2,600.00–3,650.00 $3,245.92
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
975–1145 1067 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 2,400.00–3,100.00 $2,784.02
1000–1135 1086 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 20 2,550.00–3,550.00 $2,915.37
1100 1100 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 2,500.00 $2,500.00
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
925–1045 990 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 1,400.00–2,150.00 $1,742.01
820–1125 1008 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 14 1,700.00–2,550.00 $2,154.74
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1125–1250 1236 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 9 2,400.00–2,500.00 $2,483.18
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1415 1415 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 4,250.00 $4,250.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750–875 854 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 6 2,100.00 $2,100.00
925–975 935 Young (2-4 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 2,400.00–2,500.00 $2,420.86
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800 800 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 2 1,600.00 $1,600.00

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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
1165–1420 1272 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 14 3,700.00–4,650.00 $4,428.57 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700–925 836 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 2,300.00–3,000.00 $2,700.00 —
955–975 970 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 3,350.00–3,400.00 $3,387.50 +808.93
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1045–1275 1229 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 3,200.00 $3,200.00 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1125 1125 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 3,700.00 $3,700.00 +400.00

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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.