Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 15, 2023

276 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 $194.07/cwt +5.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,112/hd at 573 lb · 17 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $196.57/cwt ≈ $1,006/hd at 512 lb · 16 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $224.42/cwt +21.04 vs last sale · ≈ $964/hd at 430 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 276 100 309
Feeder cattle 180 68 221
Slaughter cattle 48 16 52
Replacement cattle 48 16 36

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers sold unevenly steady ranging 2.00 lower to 2.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold steady to 2.00 higher. Feeder bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher. With good demand on feeder classes. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. No comparison on slaughter bulls due to no receipts last week. Good demand for slaughter 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
250 250 1 239.00 $239.00 $598 —
360 fancy 360 1 251.00 $251.00 $904 —
415 fancy 415 1 240.00 $240.00 $996 —
465 fancy 465 1 233.00 $233.00 $1,083 —
605 605 3 209.00 $209.00 $1,264 —
788 788 2 199.50 $199.50 $1,572 —
895 895 1 178.00 $178.00 $1,593 —
980 980 2 172.00 $172.00 $1,686 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,040 —
805 805 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,320 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 222.50 $222.50 $645 —
335 fancy 335 2 230.00 $230.00 $770 —
355–370 363 2 207.50–217.50 $212.60 $772 —
400 400 1 200.00 $200.00 $800 -3.38
416–443 fancy 432 13 223.50–231.00 $226.30 $978 —
495 495 1 200.00 $200.00 $990 —
501–533 512 16 194.50–198.50 $196.57 $1,006 —
567–598 573 17 193.50–195.00 $194.07 $1,112 +5.54
705–713 710 3 160.00–172.00 $168.03 $1,193 +13.03
778 778 3 160.00 $160.00 $1,245 +16.00
845 845 2 150.00 $150.00 $1,268 —
959 959 5 153.00 $153.00 $1,467 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 187.50 $187.50 $797 —
518 518 2 178.00 $178.00 $922 —
580 580 1 162.00 $162.00 $940 —
625 625 3 150.00 $150.00 $938 -18.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–830 815 2 130.00–140.00 $135.09 $1,101 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
328 fancy 328 4 243.00 $243.00 $797 —
370–398 391 4 214.00–221.00 $219.34 $858 —
418–440 429 4 231.00 $231.00 $991 —
476 476 8 225.00 $225.00 $1,071 +9.08
519–533 524 12 211.00–219.00 $216.29 $1,133 —
563–593 586 9 200.00–206.00 $204.72 $1,200 -3.32
638 638 6 195.00 $195.00 $1,244 —
720 720 5 188.00 $188.00 $1,354 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
483 483 2 195.00 $195.00 $942 —
515–538 530 4 140.00–192.50 $163.40 $866 -11.60
595 595 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,101 —
693 693 2 140.00 $140.00 $970 -26.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1105 1105 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
1355 1355 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1140 1080 80-85% 2 66.00–68.00 $67.06 $724 —
1080–1405 1195 80-85% 6 82.00–89.00 $86.66 $1,036 —
1015–1400 1225 80-85% 12 93.00–105.50 $98.07 $1,201 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
715–985 850 85-90% 2 56.00–58.00 $56.84 $483 —
755–945 850 85-90% 2 61.00–62.50 $61.83 $526 —
825–1020 920 85-90% 3 70.00–78.00 $73.02 $672 +18.02
880–985 930 85-90% 4 81.00–86.00 $83.22 $774 +28.22
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1455–1615 1535 75-80% 2 85.00–87.50 $86.32 $1,325 —
1575 1575 75-80% 1 93.50 $93.50 $1,473 +3.50

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1540–1920 1760 6 115.50–125.00 $120.39 $2,119 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
865 865 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 820.00 $820.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
750–1525 1064 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 825.00–1,480.00 $1,032.86
965–1190 1078 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 940.00–1,075.00 $1,000.45
1095–1115 1105 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 900.00–975.00 $937.16
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
760 760 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 550.00 $550.00
695–985 863 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 580.00–750.00 $650.02
865 865 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 775.00 $775.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825 825 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00

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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
775–890 833 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,000.00–1,125.00 $1,066.82 +331.82
850–1245 996 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,025.00–1,850.00 $1,449.40 +339.40
965–1055 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,300.00–1,450.00 $1,368.83 -156.17
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 850.00 $850.00 -675.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
775 775 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 675.00 $675.00 —
670–900 785 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 675.00–700.00 $689.33 —

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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.