Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 4, 2026

350 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 350 663 704
Slaughter cattle 142 216 227
Replacement cattle 208 447 477

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week slaughter cows and bulls were steady to 2.00 higher. Demand was good on a light supply. The top slaughter cow sold for 185.00/cwt. and the top slaughter bull sold for 220.cwt. The top bred cow sold for 4200.00 with Cow/Calf Pairs not well tested. Much needed rain was moving across the area today and is expected for the next several days. Producers are hopeful that it will fill up some ponds and streams. Grass is really starting to green up in the Ozarks with some wild cherry and plums beginning to bloom.

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
1310–1635 1473 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 4,400.00–4,600.00 $4,511.04 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1360 988 85-90% 39 111.00–135.00 $126.30 $1,248 +29.47
720–1410 1001 85-90% 26 136.00–158.00 $146.18 $1,463 -15.92
860–1225 1009 85-90% 5 158.00–170.00 $160.91 $1,624 +17.35
875–1170 1021 85-90% 4 101.00–106.00 $104.54 $1,067 -39.02
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1240 1153 80-85% 6 144.00–157.00 $152.32 $1,756 -26.05
890–1290 1177 80-85% 20 160.00–171.00 $165.03 $1,942 +13.99
1255 1255 80-85% 1 175.00 $175.00 $2,196 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1585 1434 75-80% 7 150.00–158.00 $153.17 $2,196 -13.49
1435 1435 75-80% 1 185.00 $185.00 $2,655 +18.34
1315–2060 1544 75-80% 6 163.00–173.00 $169.50 $2,617 -6.37

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1245 1166 7 217.50–255.00 $240.40 $2,803 —
1180–1855 1518 2 160.00–170.00 $166.11 $2,522 —
1228–2030 1600 8 183.00–199.00 $191.17 $3,059 -19.30
1450–1972 1661 10 208.00–220.00 $212.06 $3,522 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–790 760 (<2 yrs)Open 3 282.50–325.00 $310.27 $2,358
805–1135 1003 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 17 177.50–257.50 $213.50 $2,141
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
775–1115 920 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 117.50–173.00 $155.04 $1,426
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1130–1630 1282 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 176.00–232.50 $195.54 $2,507
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1175–1495 1325 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 131.00–170.00 $158.47 $2,100

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1125–1370 1245 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 7 2,800.00–3,150.00 $2,930.49
1120–1505 1262 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 33 2,700.00–4,200.00 $3,192.25
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
780–1025 947 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 1,500.00–2,100.00 $1,755.91
720–1120 974 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 8 1,900.00–2,400.00 $2,205.89
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
870–1010 897 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 13 1,000.00–1,600.00 $1,287.77
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
860–1125 1039 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 2,500.00–3,000.00 $2,791.72
1005–1115 1063 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 2,900.00–3,400.00 $3,075.18
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1180–1430 1256 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 1,900.00–2,500.00 $2,322.79

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–850 775 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 2 2,000.00–2,100.00 $2,054.84
780–870 834 Young (2-4 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 2,900.00–3,200.00 $3,012.23

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
975–1135 1055 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 3,200.00–3,300.00 $3,250.00 —

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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.