Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

121 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 121 147 84
Feeder cattle 88 107 63
Slaughter cattle 23 30 13
Replacement cattle 10 10 8

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: No trend on feeder steers due to low receipts. Feeder heifers sold sharply higher. The demand for feeders was much better with buyers showing strong interest in today's offering. Slaughter cows and bulls traded 3.00-5.00 higher on a light test.

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
450 450 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,125 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 324 5 220.00–240.00 $232.03 $752 +4.03
370–383 378 9 225.00–242.00 $236.72 $895 +16.46
455–457 456 8 216.00–227.00 $222.89 $1,016 +16.62
530 530 4 203.00 $203.00 $1,076 +2.06
605 605 3 189.00 $189.00 $1,143 +9.00
710 710 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,207 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 215.00 $215.00 $796 —
415 415 1 215.00 $215.00 $892 —
538 538 2 190.00 $190.00 $1,022 —
653 653 2 166.00 $166.00 $1,084 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 200.00 $200.00 $840 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
610 610 1 150.00 $150.00 $915 -10.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 1 275.00 $275.00 $701 —
309 fancy 309 5 284.00 $284.00 $878 —
355 fancy 355 3 281.00 $281.00 $998 —
355–395 368 6 252.50–270.00 $263.48 $970 +18.48
439 439 4 231.00 $231.00 $1,014 -6.00
458 fancy 458 4 262.00 $262.00 $1,200 —
475 475 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,140 +16.62
505 505 3 229.00 $229.00 $1,156 —
569 569 4 219.00 $219.00 $1,246 +18.95
613 613 3 204.00 $204.00 $1,251 —
720 720 1 181.00 $181.00 $1,303 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 200.00 $200.00 $890 +2.50
545 545 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,090 +15.00
710 710 2 161.00 $161.00 $1,143 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 242.50 $242.50 $946 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1510 1378 75-80% 4 80.00–85.00 $82.12 $1,132 +4.85
1355–1660 1508 75-80% 3 94.50–99.00 $97.02 $1,463 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000 1000 80-85% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,000 —
1100–1160 1130 80-85% 2 70.00–76.00 $72.92 $824 —
1095–1275 1167 80-85% 3 81.00–89.00 $83.90 $979 +3.90
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1060 1043 85-90% 2 62.00–67.00 $64.54 $673 -25.46
1070 1070 85-90% 1 85.00 $85.00 $910 +11.89
1060–1115 1082 85-90% 3 72.00–74.00 $73.35 $794 +0.24

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285 1285 1 104.00 $104.00 $1,336 —
2065 2065 1 110.00 $110.00 $2,272 —
2125 2125 1 130.00 $130.00 $2,762 —

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Stock Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800 800 (<2 yrs)Open 1 825.00 $825.00
855 855 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 800.00 $800.00

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Bred Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
945–1005 975 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,250.00–1,325.00 $1,288.65
1035 1035 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1280 1280 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,475.00 $1,475.00

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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
1085 1085 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,560.00 $1,560.00 —
1365 1365 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,950.00 $1,950.00 —

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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.