Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 29, 2026

564 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 564 878 843
Slaughter cattle 267 307 322
Replacement cattle 297 571 521

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows sold steady while slaughter bulls were 1.00-2.00 higher. Demand was good on a moderate supply of bred cows and slaughter animals and a light supply of pairs. The top slaugher bull sold for 242.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 198.00/cwt. Taking a look at the replacement animals, the top pairs sold for 5000.00/pair and the top bred cows sold for 3700.00/head. The USDA's Cold Storage Report, released Friday, reported total pounds of beef in freezers were down 2 percent from the previous month and down 3 percent from last year. Scattered rains and storms this past week added moisture to the soil, but most of the area continues to be well below average rainfall for the year.

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
1152–1385 1246 (<2 yrs)N/A 3 3,400.00–3,550.00 $3,483.30 —
1425–1500 1463 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 3,350.00–3,400.00 $3,375.64 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
745–1080 843 85-90% 4 106.00–117.50 $113.55 $957 —
740–1485 965 85-90% 32 120.00–148.00 $133.42 $1,288 -5.08
860–1275 1020 85-90% 13 167.00–178.00 $173.04 $1,765 —
715–1210 1037 85-90% 60 150.00–166.00 $156.05 $1,618 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1210 1123 80-85% 5 186.00–193.00 $189.40 $2,127 —
1025–1305 1188 80-85% 46 168.00–184.00 $175.96 $2,090 +14.41
1090–1355 1197 80-85% 16 145.00–167.00 $159.96 $1,915 -1.59
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1515 1390 75-80% 9 142.00–168.00 $159.64 $2,219 -3.22
1310–1630 1433 75-80% 41 169.00–185.00 $175.58 $2,516 -1.40
1325–1525 1437 75-80% 5 189.00–198.00 $192.53 $2,767 +15.55

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330–2035 1712 12 224.00–242.00 $230.41 $3,945 —
1365–2170 1764 22 198.00–220.00 $211.68 $3,734 —
1785–1855 1820 2 190.00–196.00 $192.94 $3,512 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
715–980 809 (<2 yrs)Open 9 285.00–335.00 $312.80 $2,531
700–1105 912 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 25 182.00–275.00 $221.18 $2,017
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
700–1095 938 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 15 140.00–180.00 $164.97 $1,547
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1155–1375 1228 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 131.00–180.00 $165.26 $2,029
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1190–1365 1277 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 187.50–245.00 $216.95 $2,770

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1160–1410 1270 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 42 2,100.00–2,850.00 $2,679.14
1190–1440 1295 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 5 1,850.00–2,450.00 $2,151.35
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800–1135 1004 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 11 1,250.00–2,500.00 $1,990.90
750–1145 1038 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 33 1,700.00–2,800.00 $2,348.52
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950–1080 1023 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 2,750.00–3,000.00 $2,847.56
898–1137 1093 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 23 2,800.00–3,400.00 $3,132.54
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1165–1405 1294 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 16 2,900.00–3,700.00 $3,090.14
1255–1325 1298 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 2,800.00–3,100.00 $2,947.30
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–1027 767 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 8 1,150.00–2,000.00 $1,663.49
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1495–1522 1512 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 2,600.00–3,000.00 $2,840.46

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–1075 832 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 22 2,200.00–2,800.00 $2,619.66

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1175–1278 1237 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 4,000.00–5,000.00 $4,600.00 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
775 775 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 3,300.00 $3,300.00 —
760–825 793 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 2,100.00–2,800.00 $2,450.00 —

↑ 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.