Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 9, 2023

224 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $238.40/cwt -9.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,407/hd at 590 lb · 21 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $242.94/cwt +11.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,278/hd at 526 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $225.97/cwt ≈ $1,216/hd at 538 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 224 281 254
Feeder cattle 184 216 214
Slaughter cattle 29 43 32
Replacement cattle 11 22 8

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers and bull calves sold 4.00-6.00 lower. Feeder heifers traded 7.00-9.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady and no test on slaughter bulls.

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
423 423 2 251.00 $251.00 $1,062 +18.91
460–465 463 4 231.00–246.00 $236.74 $1,096 -20.26
520–535 526 16 231.50–250.00 $242.94 $1,278 +11.35
578–595 590 21 228.50–242.75 $238.40 $1,407 -9.60
623–645 628 11 220.00–238.00 $233.35 $1,465 +4.59
703 703 2 206.00 $206.00 $1,448 —
780 780 1 211.00 $211.00 $1,646 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 215.00 $215.00 $849 —
550–585 568 2 180.00–192.50 $186.06 $1,057 —
695 695 1 162.50 $162.50 $1,129 —

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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 1 220.00 $220.00 $638 -7.59
340 340 1 210.00 $210.00 $714 —
380 380 1 221.00 $221.00 $840 -4.16
405–420 410 3 220.00–224.00 $221.37 $908 -15.13
455–460 458 6 222.50–226.00 $224.26 $1,027 -10.24
516 516 5 216.00 $216.00 $1,115 -8.08
558 558 13 215.50 $215.50 $1,202 -2.50
635 635 6 211.00 $211.00 $1,340 -2.63
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 177.50 $177.50 $532 —
386 386 4 200.00 $200.00 $772 +15.00
481 481 5 198.00 $198.00 $952 +48.00
528–530 528 7 182.50–194.00 $192.35 $1,016 +42.35
554–592 571 10 170.00–181.00 $174.42 $996 —
655 655 1 176.00 $176.00 $1,153 —
700 700 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,225 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–275 270 2 247.50–252.50 $250.05 $675 —
305 305 1 250.00 $250.00 $762 -6.00
418–448 433 4 229.00–238.00 $233.34 $1,010 -3.94
463–475 469 4 229.00–236.00 $232.54 $1,091 -4.23
503–547 538 15 220.00–228.00 $225.97 $1,216 —
588 588 4 206.00–218.00 $212.00 $1,247 —
645 645 1 206.00 $206.00 $1,329 -12.17
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 187.50 $187.50 $722 +27.50
408 408 2 201.00 $201.00 $820 +51.00
460–470 465 4 182.00–197.50 $189.67 $882 —
545 545 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,036 —
600 600 3 176.00 $176.00 $1,056 +15.00
655–660 659 4 174.00–190.00 $177.98 $1,173 —
880 880 1 168.00 $168.00 $1,478 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–1015 915 85-90% 2 75.00–77.00 $75.89 $694 —
785–1130 928 85-90% 6 45.00–63.00 $54.63 $507 —
1030 1030 85-90% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,092 +36.65
1065–1240 1128 85-90% 3 84.00 $84.00 $948 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210 1210 80-85% 1 112.00 $112.00 $1,355 +39.15
1215–1350 1290 80-85% 5 82.00–88.00 $86.08 $1,110 —
1425 1425 80-85% 1 73.00 $73.00 $1,040 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1800 1518 75-80% 4 92.00–98.00 $94.89 $1,440 —
1685 1685 75-80% 1 89.50 $89.50 $1,508 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1850–1905 1878 2 115.00–119.00 $117.03 $2,198 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1225 1225 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00
1225 1225 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
760–785 773 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,025.00–1,075.00 $1,050.40

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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
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,260.00 $1,260.00 —
1270 1270 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,975.00 $1,975.00 —
1350 1350 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00 —

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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.