Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 1, 2023

172 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $197.66/cwt +9.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,556/hd at 787 lb · 19 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $204.82/cwt +9.82 vs last sale · ≈ $1,075/hd at 525 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 172 214 325
Feeder cattle 145 171 223
Slaughter cattle 23 26 49
Replacement cattle 4 17 53

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week all feeder classes sold steady with yearlings selling sharply higher. There was good demand for feeder classes. Compared to last week slaughter classes sold steady with good demand on all classes.

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
305 fancy 305 1 241.00 $241.00 $735 —
368 fancy 368 3 245.00 $245.00 $902 -6.00
385 385 2 230.00–231.00 $230.50 $887 +6.50
455–475 465 2 212.00–229.00 $220.32 $1,024 —
471 fancy 471 4 234.00 $234.00 $1,102 +4.00
509 value added 509 4 237.50 $237.50 $1,209 -2.50
510 510 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,071 —
613–621 618 7 201.00–209.00 $204.40 $1,263 —
785–787 787 19 197.50–198.50 $197.66 $1,556 +9.66
831 831 4 192.50 $192.50 $1,600 +16.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 1 187.00 $187.00 $944 —
565 565 1 167.00 $167.00 $944 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 2 220.00 $220.00 $539 —
253–298 275 8 221.00–238.00 $230.01 $633 —
355–370 363 2 217.00–225.00 $221.08 $803 +21.08
375 fancy 375 1 237.00 $237.00 $889 +2.00
415 415 2 226.00 $226.00 $938 —
450 450 1 212.00 $212.00 $954 +7.00
510–538 525 10 197.00–208.00 $204.82 $1,075 +9.82
565 565 2 201.00 $201.00 $1,136 +16.00
600–615 606 4 170.00–181.00 $175.22 $1,062 +0.93
683 683 2 170.00 $170.00 $1,161 -5.24
710–720 714 5 155.00–164.00 $158.63 $1,133 -9.37
823–845 829 4 141.00–152.00 $149.20 $1,237 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–290 280 2 200.00–205.00 $202.41 $567 —
350 350 1 195.00 $195.00 $682 —
465–475 468 3 187.00–190.00 $188.01 $880 —
585–595 590 2 165.00–179.00 $172.06 $1,015 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1245 1102 3 129.00–137.00 $133.99 $1,477 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–435 420 2 227.00–235.00 $230.86 $970 +10.86
485 485 5 228.00 $228.00 $1,106 +34.00
510 510 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,046 —
545 fancy 545 3 222.00 $222.00 $1,210 +7.29
555 555 1 211.00 $211.00 $1,171 —
615 fancy 615 2 207.00 $207.00 $1,273 -7.50
620–630 627 3 195.00–205.00 $201.70 $1,265 —
668–685 677 4 190.00–200.00 $194.94 $1,320 -3.06
845 845 1 161.00 $161.00 $1,360 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 180.00 $180.00 $621 —
555 555 1 175.00 $175.00 $971 -5.00
760 760 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,064 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1355 1245 80-85% 2 80.00–87.50 $84.08 $1,047 —
1320 1320 80-85% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,267 +21.50
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–785 743 85-90% 2 55.00–64.00 $59.76 $444 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1720 1720 75-80% 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,462 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1540–1905 1700 3 95.00–105.00 $100.36 $1,706 —
2110–2145 2130 3 116.00–118.00 $117.00 $2,492 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1255 1255 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,225.00 $1,225.00
1465 1465 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
1580 1580 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00

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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
1200 1200 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —

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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.