Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report, Bowling Green, KY

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 2, 2023

281 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $218.17/cwt +6.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,370/hd at 628 lb · 26 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $213.63/cwt +7.73 vs last sale · ≈ $1,329/hd at 622 lb · 19 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $236.77/cwt +2.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,125/hd at 475 lb · 11 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 281 337 307
Feeder cattle 216 272 223
Slaughter cattle 43 37 45
Replacement cattle 22 28 39

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers traded sharply lower on a very light test. Feeder heifers sold 5.00-7.00 higher and bull calves under 500 lbs. were sharply lower with those over 500 lbs. selling 3.00-5.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-5.00 lower and no test on slaughter bulls due to low receipts.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435–445 440 2 224.00–240.00 $232.09 $1,021 -37.91
466 466 4 257.00 $257.00 $1,198 —
500–530 508 4 226.50–246.00 $231.59 $1,176 -14.74
567 567 6 248.00 $248.00 $1,406 —
605–625 617 4 217.00–239.00 $228.76 $1,411 -5.24
745 745 1 211.00 $211.00 $1,572 —
1010 1010 1 193.00 $193.00 $1,949 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
427 427 3 220.00 $220.00 $939 —
455 455 1 211.00 $211.00 $960 —
520 520 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,144 —
600 600 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,200 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–273 270 4 220.00–230.00 $227.59 $614 —
354 fancy 354 7 244.00 $244.00 $864 —
365–388 380 3 221.00–234.00 $225.16 $856 -4.84
409 409 9 236.50 $236.50 $967 -1.26
458 458 6 234.50 $234.50 $1,074 +10.50
515–545 524 7 222.00–229.00 $224.08 $1,174 +0.40
564 564 5 218.00 $218.00 $1,230 +4.00
613–632 622 19 206.00–215.50 $213.63 $1,329 +7.73
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473 473 2 172.50 $172.50 $816 -31.52
535–545 538 4 184.00–203.00 $193.70 $1,042 —
590 590 1 181.00 $181.00 $1,068 —
699 699 4 194.00 $194.00 $1,356 ±0.00
880 880 1 171.00 $171.00 $1,505 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 185.00 $185.00 $684 +2.50
445 445 2 155.00 $155.00 $690 -33.00
490 490 2 150.00 $150.00 $735 -28.31
530 530 2 150.00 $150.00 $795 —
630 630 1 155.00 $155.00 $976 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 235.00 $235.00 $552 -25.00
300 300 4 256.00 $256.00 $768 —
323 fancy 323 2 279.00 $279.00 $901 —
370–375 372 6 240.00–250.00 $243.36 $905 —
415–418 418 7 236.00–245.00 $237.28 $992 -23.72
465–490 475 11 233.00–242.00 $236.77 $1,125 +2.27
550 550 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,251 +5.96
610–644 628 26 217.50–219.00 $218.17 $1,370 +6.17
702 702 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,404 -4.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 205.00 $205.00 $810 -2.50
469 469 4 180.00 $180.00 $844 -28.57
568–583 576 4 194.00–201.00 $197.45 $1,137 +2.45
677 677 3 185.00 $185.00 $1,252 -5.50
720 720 2 177.50 $177.50 $1,278 —
806 806 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,410 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 160.00 $160.00 $568 —
408 408 2 150.00 $150.00 $612 —
583 583 2 162.00 $162.00 $944 -15.99
625 625 3 161.00 $161.00 $1,006 -12.00
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
513 513 2 179.00 $179.00 $918 —

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1030 975 85-90% 6 48.00–63.00 $58.01 $566 —
895–1260 1044 85-90% 11 64.00–79.00 $69.35 $724 +7.75
1045–1100 1073 85-90% 2 80.50–89.00 $84.64 $908 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1280 1154 80-85% 7 80.00–90.00 $84.13 $971 —
1160–1280 1220 80-85% 2 70.00–76.00 $72.85 $889 —
1200–1285 1237 80-85% 3 96.00–117.00 $103.28 $1,278 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1510 1394 75-80% 4 96.00–103.00 $98.12 $1,368 —
1350–1445 1400 75-80% 8 80.00–92.50 $86.30 $1,208 —

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1300 1188 2 92.50–106.50 $100.16 $1,190 —
1730 1730 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,903 —

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Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
835 thin fleshed 835 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 860.00 $860.00
835 thin fleshed 835 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 985.00 $985.00
920 920 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 735.00 $735.00

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1315–1325 1320 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,125.00–1,175.00 $1,149.91
1345 1345 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00
1325–1440 1383 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,225.00 $1,225.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825 thin fleshed 825 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1250–1500 1327 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,375.00–1,700.00 $1,554.05 +18.18

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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.