Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 6, 2026

572 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 572 564 665
Slaughter cattle 249 267 319
Replacement cattle 323 297 346

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls were 1.00-2.00 higher. Demand was good on a moderate supply of slaughter animals and bred cows and a light supply of pairs. The top slaughter bull sold for 250.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 190.00/cwt. On the replacement side, the top pair sold for 5250.00/pair and the top bred cow sold for 3500.00/head. Light rain fell across the area this week with cooler overnight temperatures. Many producers are getting hay equipment ready to start harvest as soon as the ground dries out. Early harvest yields have been less than average.

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
830–1445 952 (<2 yrs)N/A 9 2,675.00–3,600.00 $2,936.75 —
1635–1690 1663 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 5,200.00–5,400.00 $5,298.35 —
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1265 1265 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 3,600.00 $3,600.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705–1065 886 85-90% 5 91.00–112.50 $103.59 $918 —
895–1115 998 85-90% 12 168.00–176.00 $171.05 $1,707 +37.63
715–1355 1003 85-90% 38 121.00–149.00 $137.92 $1,383 -35.12
780–1325 1012 85-90% 44 151.00–167.00 $157.23 $1,591 -15.81
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1305 1142 80-85% 16 148.00–166.00 $160.89 $1,837 -28.51
970–1345 1189 80-85% 47 169.00–185.00 $176.97 $2,104 +1.01
1030–1265 1192 80-85% 5 185.00–190.00 $187.73 $2,238 +11.77
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1795 1442 75-80% 30 170.00–185.00 $178.59 $2,575 -13.94
1370–1665 1456 75-80% 6 150.00–168.00 $161.65 $2,354 —
1330–1660 1518 75-80% 3 185.00–188.00 $186.56 $2,832 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1710 1443 7 153.00–198.00 $185.17 $2,672 —
1260–2110 1543 26 200.00–221.00 $212.64 $3,281 —
1310–2045 1736 10 224.00–250.00 $235.22 $4,083 +4.81

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
730–865 776 (<2 yrs)Open 10 272.50–341.00 $309.84 $2,404
770–1140 1030 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 41 185.00–270.00 $219.21 $2,258
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
750–1140 981 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 11 143.00–180.00 $163.33 $1,602
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1140–1260 1188 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 11 187.50–262.50 $199.90 $2,375

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Bred Cows

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
810–1130 1016 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 15 1,450.00–2,350.00 $1,833.38
790–1168 1052 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 33 1,950.00–2,700.00 $2,457.52
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1185–1345 1253 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 2,700.00–3,200.00 $2,926.60
1155–1515 1318 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 34 2,800.00–3,500.00 $2,990.30
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1155–1290 1205 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 8 1,800.00–2,400.00 $2,270.36
1175–1430 1278 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 18 2,300.00–2,750.00 $2,520.66
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–1070 825 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 10 700.00–2,200.00 $1,556.24
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000–1126 1064 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 2,800.00–3,100.00 $2,920.54

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750–940 891 (<2 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 10 2,300.00–2,500.00 $2,422.68
975 975 Young (2-4 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 2 2,900.00 $2,900.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
780–1125 995 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 19 2,550.00–3,650.00 $3,365.79 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1012–1120 1036 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 3,800.00 $3,800.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1220 1220 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 5,250.00 $5,250.00 +650.00
1400 1400 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 4,100.00 $4,100.00 —

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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.