Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 23, 2023

221 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $230.03/cwt ≈ $1,336/hd at 581 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $216.00/cwt ≈ $1,108/hd at 513 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $239.50/cwt -8.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,217/hd at 508 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 221 123 251
Feeder cattle 189 95 208
Slaughter cattle 26 24 27
Replacement cattle 6 4 16

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers sold 2.00-4.00 lower and bull calves were 8.00-10.00 lower. Feeder heifers traded sharply lower. Feeder buyers backed up on prices today in response to the lower futures market. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold mostly steady.

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
397 397 3 258.00 $258.00 $1,024 -5.00
470–495 478 3 245.00–266.00 $258.76 $1,237 —
525 525 1 268.00 $268.00 $1,407 —
575–595 585 2 247.50–250.00 $248.77 $1,455 +8.77
638–640 639 4 235.00–242.00 $240.00 $1,534 +0.85
670 670 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,541 -10.00
817 817 7 222.50 $222.50 $1,818 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,294 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 2 237.50 $237.50 $712 —
375 375 2 230.00 $230.00 $862 -17.00
400 400 3 229.00 $229.00 $916 —
451 451 7 226.50 $226.50 $1,022 -9.72
513 513 16 216.00 $216.00 $1,108 —
599 599 5 192.00 $192.00 $1,150 -32.59
627 627 12 185.50 $185.50 $1,163 -40.14
767 767 12 195.00 $195.00 $1,496 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–348 339 3 205.00–212.50 $210.14 $712 —
380 380 3 197.50 $197.50 $750 —
520 520 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,040 —
720 720 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,260 —
825 825 1 176.00 $176.00 $1,452 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 182.50 $182.50 $903 —
605 605 1 165.00 $165.00 $998 —
665 665 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,097 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308 308 2 232.00 $232.00 $715 —
353–380 362 3 251.00–255.00 $253.60 $918 +17.62
402 402 3 247.00 $247.00 $993 -24.96
455–473 469 4 255.00–261.00 $259.54 $1,217 -9.46
508 508 12 239.50 $239.50 $1,217 -8.00
560–597 581 16 227.50–233.50 $230.03 $1,336 —
646 646 5 221.50 $221.50 $1,431 -1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 3 200.00 $200.00 $650 —
550–570 560 2 170.00–182.50 $176.36 $988 —
633–640 635 5 180.00–188.00 $185.29 $1,177 —
698 698 3 188.00 $188.00 $1,312 —
750 750 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,275 —
978 978 2 149.00 $149.00 $1,457 —
1000 1000 1 137.50 $137.50 $1,375 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 2 222.50–230.00 $226.25 $1,007 —
550–564 562 8 200.00–209.00 $207.90 $1,168 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860 860 85-90% 1 49.00 $49.00 $421 —
910 910 85-90% 1 100.00 $100.00 $910 —
990–1120 1037 85-90% 3 83.00–85.50 $84.34 $875 —
935–1225 1130 85-90% 7 65.00–76.00 $72.03 $814 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105 1105 80-85% 1 75.00 $75.00 $829 -18.00
1080–1165 1120 80-85% 4 82.50–88.00 $86.29 $966 -6.71
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305 1305 75-80% 1 88.00 $88.00 $1,148 —
1330–1425 1378 75-80% 2 92.00–95.50 $93.69 $1,291 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1615–2125 1808 4 109.50–116.50 $113.42 $2,051 -8.80
2115 2115 1 121.00 $121.00 $2,559 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1385 1385 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1315 1315 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00
1320 1320 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,250.00 $1,250.00
1325 1325 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00

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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
1220 1220 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —

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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.