Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Slaughter / Replacement Cattle Market Report, West Plains, MO

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 12, 2026

324 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 324 433 459
Slaughter cattle 137 165 164
Replacement cattle 187 268 295

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows and bulls were 2.00-3.00 lower. Demand was moderate on a light supply. The top slaughter bull sold for 236.00/cwt. and the top slaughter cow sold for 182.50/cwt. The top bred cow sold for 3850.00/head with pairs not well tested. Receipts of slaughter animals were affected by the excessive heat and humidity. Replacement numbers were affected by the special cow sale this Friday with most producers holding back bred cows and pairs for that sale.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–1190 953 85-90% 7 109.00–120.00 $116.50 $1,110 —
700–1300 963 85-90% 44 120.00–152.00 $135.47 $1,305 —
745–1455 1116 85-90% 19 153.00–170.00 $159.07 $1,775 —
1150–1260 1205 85-90% 2 174.00–175.00 $174.52 $2,103 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1335 1185 80-85% 9 154.00–166.00 $160.81 $1,906 —
1130–1280 1218 80-85% 3 180.00–181.00 $180.69 $2,201 +19.20
1120–1365 1260 80-85% 12 168.00–178.00 $172.19 $2,170 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245–1368 1307 75-80% 2 181.00–182.50 $181.79 $2,376 —
1355–1665 1495 75-80% 10 170.00–180.00 $173.46 $2,593 -6.10
1345–1630 1532 75-80% 3 168.00 $168.00 $2,574 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1324–1855 1540 4 175.00–195.00 $185.82 $2,862 —
1355–1805 1581 14 200.00–215.00 $205.76 $3,253 —
1420–2195 1723 7 219.00–236.00 $225.88 $3,892 —

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Stock Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
760–1060 909 (<2 yrs)Open 17 250.00–280.00 $272.80 $2,480
875–1130 1052 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 185.00–227.50 $210.29 $2,212
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1160–1325 1260 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 187.50–225.00 $205.78 $2,593

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1200 1200 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 3,050.00 $3,050.00
1146–1585 1296 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 30 2,800.00–3,850.00 $3,123.84
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–1111 963 Aged (>8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 8 1,500.00–1,800.00 $1,657.79
925–1150 1022 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 21 1,800.00–2,600.00 $2,258.21
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1069 1069 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 3,150.00 $3,150.00
1050–1118 1091 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 23 2,900.00–3,800.00 $3,059.44
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1150–1305 1199 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 2,100.00–2,700.00 $2,392.56
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700–990 829 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 7 700.00–1,900.00 $1,377.93
Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1158 1158 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 3 2,000.00 $2,000.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
850–1140 998 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 3,250.00–3,450.00 $3,358.33 —

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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.