Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 3, 2021

229 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Cattleman's Livestock report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.35/cwt -0.65 vs last sale · ≈ $741/hd at 582 lb · 12 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $135.32/cwt -2.33 vs last sale · ≈ $704/hd at 520 lb · 10 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $110.41/cwt +5.41 vs last sale · ≈ $759/hd at 687 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 229 191 246
Feeder cattle 143 175 216
Slaughter cattle 23 12 13
Replacement cattle 63 4 17

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week : Feeder steers and heifers ---3.00--4.00 lower. Slaughter cows 1.00--2.00 higher bulls Light test . Todays receipts 229 hd.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
426 426 6 161.50 $161.50 $688 -0.50
466–495 473 8 144.00–155.00 $151.06 $715 -6.94
542 542 3 150.00 $150.00 $813 —
608 608 3 133.00 $133.00 $809 -8.81
658 658 4 130.00 $130.00 $855 —
762 762 3 119.50 $119.50 $911 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 1 132.00 $132.00 $686 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 130.00 $130.00 $312 —
330 330 1 141.00 $141.00 $465 -12.39
377 377 3 146.00 $146.00 $550 -9.00
410–433 423 6 140.00–145.00 $143.17 $606 -1.81
462–465 463 6 129.00–142.00 $139.82 $647 +4.23
503–530 520 10 119.00–140.00 $135.32 $704 -2.33
570–583 582 12 120.00–128.00 $127.35 $741 -0.65
602–640 619 8 110.00–114.50 $112.21 $695 -2.77
653–696 687 10 109.50–111.50 $110.41 $759 +5.41
800 800 1 106.00 $106.00 $848 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 2 121.00 $121.00 $575 —
574 574 4 100.00 $100.00 $574 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 120.00 $120.00 $678 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 163.00 $163.00 $644 —
460–478 472 9 143.00–150.00 $148.02 $699 -6.50
515 515 2 146.00 $146.00 $752 -4.50
580 580 4 134.00 $134.00 $777 -2.07
640 640 1 128.00 $128.00 $819 +3.00
653 653 4 129.00 $129.00 $842 +4.00
712 712 3 117.00 $117.00 $833 +3.00
837 837 3 104.50 $104.50 $875 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 130.00 $130.00 $624 —
790 790 2 96.00 $96.00 $758 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 1 127.00 $127.00 $711 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1890 1368 75-80% 9 60.00–71.50 $65.73 $899 —
1450 1450 75-80% 1 58.50 $58.50 $848 ±0.00
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 85-90% 1 20.00 $20.00 $165 —
855–935 885 85-90% 3 21.00–34.00 $28.40 $251 —
955–1125 1018 85-90% 3 54.00–65.00 $60.27 $614 +41.27
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010 1010 80-85% 1 43.00 $43.00 $434 —
1040–1060 1047 80-85% 3 42.00–50.00 $46.47 $487 —
965–1175 1070 80-85% 2 52.00–55.50 $53.92 $577 +0.42

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275 1275 1 61.00 $61.00 $778 —
1995 1995 1 95.50 $95.50 $1,905 —

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Stock Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
985 985 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 475.00 $475.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 575.00 $575.00
1125 1125 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 725.00 $725.00
1070–1225 1156 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 875.00–925.00 $892.73
1255 1255 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1465 1465 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 850.00 $850.00
1585 1585 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
855 855 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00

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Bred Heifers

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
785 785 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 575.00 $575.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1075 1075 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 875.00 $875.00 —
1075 1075 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,160.00 $1,160.00 —
1055–1200 1113 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 4 1,200.00–1,400.00 $1,332.95 —
1065–1200 1127 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 925.00–1,525.00 $1,276.35 —
1090–1235 1163 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,050.00–1,075.00 $1,063.28 -161.72
1180 1180 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 +125.00
1185 1185 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00 +375.00
1205 1205 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00 —
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1370 1370 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00 —
1400–1465 1433 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 1,400.00–1,475.00 $1,441.31 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
970 970 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —
1015 1015 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1185 1185 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,025.00 $1,025.00 —

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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.