Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 8, 2026

511 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 511 607 396
Slaughter cattle 173 149 157
Replacement cattle 338 458 239

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher. Demand was good on a moderate supply. The top slaughter bull sold for 240.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 205.00/cwt. On the replacement side, the top pairs sold for 4700.00 and the top bred cows sold for 4200.00/head. Much needed rain fell over the weekend but still not enough to ease drought concerns. Choice boxed beef closed on Wednesday at 379.66 which is 14.76 lower than a week ago. Negotiated fed cattle prices have gained almost 10.00 this past week.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Bulls

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1015 1015 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1760 1760 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 6,100.00 $6,100.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1275 1275 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 3,350.00 $3,350.00 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
710–1085 881 85-90% 4 90.00–111.00 $103.10 $908 -35.28
720–1180 915 85-90% 22 117.00–146.00 $138.50 $1,267 -35.32
880–1235 1027 85-90% 23 148.00–168.00 $157.74 $1,620 -1.48
960–1115 1050 85-90% 9 170.00–179.00 $174.22 $1,829 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1365–1480 1417 75-80% 3 156.00–163.00 $159.28 $2,257 —
1335–1825 1450 75-80% 16 186.00–205.00 $192.22 $2,787 +4.28
1270–1718 1483 75-80% 25 169.00–185.00 $177.93 $2,639 -10.01
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1240 1178 80-85% 4 153.00–165.00 $159.35 $1,877 -32.14
1045–1400 1200 80-85% 13 185.00–204.00 $190.90 $2,291 +14.93
1045–1445 1205 80-85% 22 169.00–185.00 $177.22 $2,136 +1.25

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255–2375 1600 16 196.00–215.00 $206.15 $3,298 —
1400–1900 1629 5 183.00–189.00 $186.99 $3,046 —
1385–2205 1848 10 221.00–241.00 $231.28 $4,274 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
705–1025 796 (<2 yrs)Open 13 285.00–350.00 $325.09 $2,588
700–1135 976 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 38 186.00–270.00 $221.11 $2,158
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1150–1645 1230 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 14 187.00–247.50 $206.92 $2,545
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
750–1115 932 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 12 131.00–182.50 $164.43 $1,532
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1175–1465 1254 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 155.00–177.50 $164.99 $2,069

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
875–1125 1002 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 12 1,600.00–2,300.00 $1,898.62
880–1110 1039 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 51 1,700.00–2,800.00 $2,463.12
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1170–1395 1281 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 2,800.00–3,450.00 $3,083.72
1175–1490 1290 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 36 2,900.00–3,800.00 $3,249.52
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
820–1148 1038 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 20 2,900.00–3,400.00 $3,030.20
1025–1125 1073 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 10 2,900.00–3,300.00 $3,042.26
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1150–1320 1236 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 12 2,000.00–2,750.00 $2,555.71
1240–1295 1265 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 2,000.00–2,500.00 $2,249.90
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1510–1552 1537 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 2,800.00–3,600.00 $3,266.95
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1342 1342 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 4,200.00 $4,200.00
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–815 748 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 6 900.00–1,800.00 $1,452.62

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825–975 900 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 6 2,300.00–2,900.00 $2,575.00
985–1025 1015 Young (2-4 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 4 3,150.00–3,600.00 $3,415.09

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150–1185 1168 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 2 4,500.00–4,700.00 $4,600.00 —
1175–1400 1265 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 3,500.00–4,400.00 $3,800.00 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700–1000 882 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,300.00–2,850.00 $2,650.00 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
940–1125 1033 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 3,200.00–3,400.00 $3,300.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.