Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 17, 2021

296 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.78/cwt ≈ $799/hd at 625 lb · 18 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $128.43/cwt -0.32 vs last sale · ≈ $741/hd at 577 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $128.87/cwt -4.68 vs last sale · ≈ $674/hd at 523 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 296 84 217
Feeder cattle 168 72 167
Slaughter cattle 39 8 14
Replacement cattle 89 4 36

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week : Feeder steers---4.00--7.00 higher and Feeder heifers ---Steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter cows 2.00--3.00 higher and bulls firm. Todays receipts : 296 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
340 fancy 340 1 174.00 $174.00 $592 —
380–383 382 3 162.00–171.00 $168.02 $642 —
405 405 1 160.00 $160.00 $648 ±0.00
450–465 458 2 155.50–157.00 $156.24 $716 —
505–543 530 3 149.00–150.00 $149.68 $793 —
572–586 580 9 127.00–144.00 $137.75 $799 -2.25
627–638 634 9 130.50–136.50 $134.52 $853 +10.21
655–665 659 4 117.50–130.50 $127.02 $837 —
700–701 701 5 127.50–128.50 $127.70 $895 —
755–790 765 4 114.00–126.00 $120.68 $923 —
809 809 7 124.00 $124.00 $1,003 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 336 4 140.00 $140.00 $470 +11.00
430 430 1 135.00 $135.00 $580 +1.00
458 458 2 137.00 $137.00 $627 +3.73
521–530 523 14 121.00–132.00 $128.87 $674 -4.68
565–581 577 16 118.00–131.50 $128.43 $741 -0.32
618–631 625 18 124.00–132.00 $127.78 $799 —
685 685 1 125.00 $125.00 $856 —
715–745 730 2 100.00–124.00 $111.75 $816 —
768–785 771 5 111.00–115.50 $114.58 $883 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/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
250 250 1 171.00 $171.00 $428 —
350 350 2 171.00 $171.00 $598 —
420 420 1 155.00 $155.00 $651 -3.50
462–480 469 5 148.00–151.00 $149.77 $702 +6.74
510–537 530 10 140.00–146.00 $143.20 $759 +3.48
560–599 581 9 127.00–139.50 $134.79 $783 -3.21
660–668 665 5 120.00–128.00 $124.79 $830 +3.79
700–705 702 3 114.00–120.00 $117.99 $828 —
835 835 1 100.00 $100.00 $835 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
840–870 855 (<2 yrs)N/A 2 850.00–925.00 $888.16 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1460 1305 75-80% 13 61.50–72.50 $67.17 $877 —
1320 1320 75-80% 1 57.00 $57.00 $752 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1250 1068 80-85% 4 45.00–55.50 $51.27 $548 —
1305–1330 1318 80-85% 2 53.00–53.50 $53.25 $702 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1120 1057 85-90% 3 57.50–63.50 $59.58 $630 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325 1325 1 75.00 $75.00 $994 —
1825–1855 1840 2 89.00–93.00 $90.98 $1,674 —
2005 2005 1 80.00 $80.00 $1,604 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1075 1075 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,125.00 $1,125.00
1120 1120 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 875.00 $875.00
1095–1175 1135 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,175.00–1,200.00 $1,187.06
1035–1265 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 700.00–1,275.00 $1,016.25
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 850.00 $850.00
1155–1200 1170 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 750.00–1,150.00 $886.75
1265 1265 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,050.00 $1,050.00
1285 1285 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00
1295 1295 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,235.00 $1,235.00
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1325 1325 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,225.00 $1,225.00
1325–1550 1396 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 725.00–1,175.00 $1,009.51
1345–1590 1459 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 825.00–1,150.00 $1,057.97
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
985 985 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
1020 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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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
1065–1110 1088 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,225.00–1,300.00 $1,261.72 —
1050–1235 1143 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,025.00–1,050.00 $1,038.51 —
1165–1250 1199 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,175.00–1,325.00 $1,270.40 —
1275 1275 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 950.00 $950.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1050 1050 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —
1125 1125 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 925.00 $925.00 —
1065–1270 1151 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,025.00–1,275.00 $1,217.70 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1020 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 775.00 $775.00 —
1025–1050 1038 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,100.00–1,425.00 $1,260.54 —
1065 1065 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00 —
Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1470 1470 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —
1580 1580 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,360.00 $1,360.00 —
Small 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
885 885 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00 —

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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.