Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 18, 2026

508 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 508 443 568
Slaughter cattle 166 118 244
Replacement cattle 342 325 324

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand was good on a moderate supply. The top slaughter bull sold for 235.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 185.00/cwt. On the replacement side, the top pairs sold for 5,550.00/pair and the top bred cows sold for 4,200.00/head. There were over 24 head of Medium Large 1 replacement bulls in the offering which averaged 5,994.00/head with the top bull selling for 7,400.00/head.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1505–2045 1733 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 24 5,300.00–7,400.00 $5,994.21 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1290–1310 1300 (<2 yrs)N/A 2 2,900.00–3,400.00 $3,148.08 —
1350–1762 1624 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 7 4,400.00–5,100.00 $4,806.07 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1085 968 85-90% 7 165.00–180.00 $172.72 $1,672 +49.44
785–1185 990 85-90% 20 117.50–139.00 $128.30 $1,270 -17.91
745–1350 1037 85-90% 26 140.00–163.00 $152.26 $1,579 -13.26
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1265 1145 80-85% 4 152.50–160.00 $157.87 $1,808 —
1065–1305 1198 80-85% 11 174.00–185.00 $178.19 $2,135 +5.40
1085–1280 1219 80-85% 29 164.00–172.00 $169.79 $2,070 +3.42
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1360 1345 75-80% 3 154.00–160.00 $156.32 $2,103 —
1320–1790 1537 75-80% 20 163.00–173.00 $170.30 $2,618 +7.51
1462–1660 1567 75-80% 6 176.00–181.00 $178.61 $2,799 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1892 1494 11 165.00–186.00 $175.95 $2,629 —
1280–1950 1596 17 190.00–204.00 $196.98 $3,144 —
1570–2670 1893 12 207.00–235.00 $217.77 $4,122 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
765–1140 928 (<2 yrs)Open 7 250.00–287.50 $266.83 $2,476
845–1135 972 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 12 180.00–240.00 $205.43 $1,997
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905–1135 1033 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 13 126.00–162.50 $151.67 $1,567
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1170–1285 1239 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 120.00–173.00 $162.56 $2,014
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1180–1310 1267 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 187.50–230.00 $215.16 $2,726

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1232–1293 1270 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 10 2,850.00–3,650.00 $3,176.77
1135–1430 1281 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 51 2,900.00–3,900.00 $3,345.06
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
725–1135 996 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 1,600.00–2,100.00 $1,817.79
975–1165 1084 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 18 2,300.00–2,700.00 $2,581.59
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
970–1105 1050 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 2,700.00–3,300.00 $2,950.95
925–1165 1080 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 18 2,800.00–4,100.00 $3,139.85
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1158–1470 1246 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 16 1,900.00–2,800.00 $2,494.96
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1465–1645 1534 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 3,050.00–4,200.00 $3,677.34
Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1420–1490 1463 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 2,600.00–2,750.00 $2,661.45

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
720–975 789 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 2,200.00–2,700.00 $2,405.71

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
975–1081 1040 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 12 3,600.00–4,100.00 $3,812.50 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
825–1150 1021 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 9 2,800.00–3,500.00 $3,261.11 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1250–1375 1354 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 5,400.00–5,550.00 $5,525.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1248–1390 1343 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 6 4,700.00–5,150.00 $5,000.00 —

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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.