Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 17, 2023

109 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $233.56/cwt +1.66 vs last sale · ≈ $992/hd at 425 lb · 12 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $210.37/cwt -4.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,145/hd at 544 lb · 12 head
light 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $248.67/cwt +34.03 vs last sale · ≈ $816/hd at 328 lb · 10 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 109 215 113
Feeder cattle 80 143 94
Slaughter cattle 29 26 19
Replacement cattle 46

Compared to last Monday: No trend on feeder steers. Feeder heifers sold 10.00-12.00 higher and bull calves were 4.00-6.00 higher. Slaughter cows traded steady to 2.00 higher and slaughter bulls sold steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306–349 fancy 328 10 247.50–250.00 $248.67 $816 +34.03
395 fancy 395 5 231.00 $231.00 $912
440 fancy 440 2 224.00 $224.00 $986 +18.00
465 465 1 197.00 $197.00 $916
515 515 4 195.00 $195.00 $1,004
564 564 4 184.50 $184.50 $1,041 +0.50
630–642 639 4 165.00–170.50 $169.14 $1,081 -0.61
680 680 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,054 -1.98
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 1 170.00 $170.00 $884 -6.00
555 555 1 167.50 $167.50 $930
815 815 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,068

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–225 fancy 222 3 240.00–255.00 $249.92 $555
348 fancy 348 2 247.50 $247.50 $861 -2.03
355 355 1 231.00 $231.00 $820
406–434 fancy 423 10 236.00–238.00 $236.77 $1,002 +4.87
430–435 433 2 215.00–220.00 $217.49 $942
465–493 fancy 487 5 219.00–230.00 $221.10 $1,077
515–525 520 2 192.50–202.00 $197.20 $1,025
549 fancy 549 10 213.00 $213.00 $1,169 -2.00
599 599 4 198.00 $198.00 $1,186
700–710 705 2 160.00–167.50 $163.78 $1,155 -6.03
765 765 2 176.00 $176.00 $1,346 +10.42

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1200 1153 80-85% 4 92.50–103.00 $99.04 $1,142 +6.51
1195 1195 80-85% 1 68.50 $68.50 $819 -24.03
1145–1245 1200 80-85% 3 80.00–86.50 $83.57 $1,003 -3.43
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895 895 85-90% 1 72.00 $72.00 $644
960–1060 1010 85-90% 2 91.00–98.00 $94.67 $956 +26.03
900–1100 1030 85-90% 3 78.00–89.00 $83.63 $861 +14.99
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235 1235 75-80% 1 74.50 $74.50 $920
1300–1385 1343 75-80% 2 92.00–100.00 $95.87 $1,288

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415–1625 1520 2 125.00–128.00 $126.60 $1,924
1295–2070 1605 5 110.00–122.00 $119.02 $1,910

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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.