Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Mondays

Sale of Monday, July 20, 2026

183 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (261)

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 183 226 156
Feeder cattle 106 184 127
Slaughter cattle 28 29 24
Replacement cattle 49 13 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers sold sharply lower. Feeder heifers traded 6.00-8.00 lower on a light test. The demand for all classes of feeders continues to be softer due to the downward trending futures market over the last couple of weeks and the very warm temperatures in place. Slaughter cows sold steady and no test on slaughter bulls.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 2 412.50 $412.50 $1,621 —
510–543 534 6 391.00–420.00 $404.26 $2,159 —
605–620 613 2 351.00–360.00 $355.44 $2,179 -15.56
740 740 2 331.00 $331.00 $2,449 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 565.00 $565.00 $2,090 +20.00
470 470 1 472.50 $472.50 $2,221 -23.50
500 500 1 442.50 $442.50 $2,212 ±0.00
559 559 4 421.00 $421.00 $2,353 -9.00
673 673 2 355.00 $355.00 $2,389 -25.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 530.00 $530.00 $1,431 -75.00
452 452 6 427.00 $427.00 $1,930 -9.00
560–585 568 3 375.00–382.50 $377.57 $2,145 -10.93
620–626 625 9 335.00–340.00 $339.45 $2,122 -1.13
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–495 480 3 400.00–405.00 $403.44 $1,937 +37.78
515–530 521 4 355.00–367.50 $363.17 $1,892 -24.33
568 568 3 340.00 $340.00 $1,931 -19.24

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 585.00 $585.00 $1,726 —
300 300 1 580.00 $580.00 $1,740 —
390 390 3 542.50 $542.50 $2,116 —
405–440 432 6 472.50–475.00 $473.30 $2,045 -71.70
475 475 1 422.50 $422.50 $2,007 -34.02
505–540 523 4 411.00–420.00 $415.35 $2,172 -13.83
588 588 3 375.00 $375.00 $2,205 -45.00
692 692 5 331.00 $331.00 $2,291 —
738 738 3 316.00 $316.00 $2,332 -29.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 430.00 $430.00 $1,570 -35.00
510–530 520 2 366.00–372.50 $369.19 $1,920 —
650–655 653 3 270.00–306.00 $294.06 $1,920 -45.94
725 725 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,139 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,909 —
595 595 2 357.50 $357.50 $2,127 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,440 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1640 1640 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 6,750.00 $6,750.00 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1575 1388 75-80% 12 180.00–195.00 $186.36 $2,587 —
1215–1630 1428 75-80% 4 166.00–179.00 $174.42 $2,491 -13.47
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030 1030 85-90% 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,802 —
990–1250 1097 85-90% 3 151.00–156.00 $154.40 $1,694 —
1180 1180 85-90% 1 148.00 $148.00 $1,746 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1125 1115 80-85% 2 182.00–187.00 $184.48 $2,057 —
990–1280 1178 80-85% 3 165.00–176.00 $170.23 $2,005 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1770 1770 1 230.00 $230.00 $4,071 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1105 1105 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,550.00 $2,550.00
1195–1415 1305 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 3,000.00–3,700.00 $3,320.50
1245–1455 1350 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,700.00–3,900.00 $3,253.33
1505 1505 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,825.00 $2,825.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
910 910 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,250.00 $2,250.00
1015 1015 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
890 890 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1090–1230 1162 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 5,400.00–5,900.00 $5,602.44 —
1240–1375 1306 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 4,450.00–5,500.00 $4,767.86 —
1360 thin fleshed 1360 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,600.00 $2,600.00 —
1370–1460 1415 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 3,650.00–5,000.00 $4,303.53 —
1565–1655 1610 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 4 3,750.00–3,775.00 $3,762.85 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
955 955 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 3,750.00 $3,750.00 —
1025 1025 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 4,300.00 $4,300.00 —

↑ Back to top

Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1165 1165 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 4,200.00 $4,200.00 —

↑ Back to top

Price trend

high 427.50 low 305.00 Jul 2025 Jul 2026

600–649 lb Medium and Large 1-2 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Jul 13, 2026)

Markets near Bowling Green