Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, September 16, 2024

222 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 $245.07/cwt +10.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,397/hd at 570 lb · 13 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $234.00/cwt -8.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,205/hd at 515 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 222 490 194
Feeder cattle 164 367 157
Slaughter cattle 43 65 21
Replacement cattle 15 58 16

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: No test on feeder steers due to the low number of comparisons. Feeder heifers sold 6.00-8.00 higher. The feeder buyers showed a little stronger demand today for an average quality offering. Slaughter cows traded 5.00-6.00 lower 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
395 395 1 288.00 $288.00 $1,138 —
544 544 5 265.00 $265.00 $1,442 +11.00
590 590 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,446 -13.08
670–695 687 3 229.00–230.00 $229.67 $1,578 -0.33
840 840 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,781 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 3 250.00 $250.00 $1,362 +21.89
570 570 1 232.00 $232.00 $1,322 -3.63
723 723 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,518 +2.89
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 1 203.00 $203.00 $1,248 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–273 272 3 285.00–300.00 $289.96 $789 +19.96
365–398 378 5 266.00–267.00 $266.58 $1,008 +21.89
430 430 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,010 —
468 468 1 237.00 $237.00 $1,109 -8.00
515 515 12 234.00 $234.00 $1,205 -8.43
563 563 9 230.25 $230.25 $1,296 +10.25
610 610 4 221.00 $221.00 $1,348 +4.57
697 697 3 212.50 $212.50 $1,481 +3.50
760 760 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,444 +16.81
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 235.00 $235.00 $623 —
370 370 1 254.00 $254.00 $940 —
465–493 479 4 221.00–226.00 $223.43 $1,070 -3.27
518 518 3 221.00 $221.00 $1,145 +9.94
640–644 643 6 215.00 $215.00 $1,382 —
765 765 4 185.00 $185.00 $1,415 —
1030 1030 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,741 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 314.00 $314.00 $769 —
258 258 2 316.00 $316.00 $815 -8.59
335 335 1 304.00 $304.00 $1,018 —
369–385 373 9 273.00–288.00 $276.44 $1,031 —
404 404 6 278.00 $278.00 $1,123 +17.65
462 462 3 275.00 $275.00 $1,270 +25.00
503 503 8 266.00 $266.00 $1,338 +16.00
556–595 570 13 224.00–257.50 $245.07 $1,397 +10.07
600–648 638 9 218.00–224.00 $222.70 $1,421 +2.00
694 694 4 219.00 $219.00 $1,520 —
788 788 2 198.00 $198.00 $1,560 —
820 820 1 189.00 $189.00 $1,550 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 239.00 $239.00 $729 —
415–425 422 3 238.00–250.00 $246.06 $1,038 +5.06
462–475 465 4 249.00–250.00 $249.74 $1,161 +19.74
513 513 2 238.00 $238.00 $1,221 +14.00
735–740 737 3 180.00–188.00 $185.32 $1,366 +5.32
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 230.00 $230.00 $932 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430–1550 1480 75-80% 3 115.00–120.00 $118.25 $1,750 -28.03
1240–1870 1515 75-80% 18 123.00–132.00 $128.31 $1,944 —
1445–1905 1675 75-80% 2 134.00–136.00 $134.86 $2,259 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
840–935 900 85-90% 3 81.00–101.00 $89.72 $807 —
890–1170 1006 85-90% 4 106.00–120.00 $113.08 $1,138 -19.31
1060 1060 85-90% 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,484 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1255 1112 80-85% 3 107.00–122.00 $116.07 $1,291 —
1035–1235 1135 80-85% 2 128.00–132.00 $130.18 $1,478 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1605–1775 1690 3 150.00–153.00 $151.05 $2,553 -17.95
1720 1720 1 143.00 $143.00 $2,460 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1255 1255 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
1735 1735 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,150.00 $2,150.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 thin fleshed 1020 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,110.00 $1,110.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825 825 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
885 885 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
905–950 921 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 2,200.00–2,525.00 $2,378.46 —
1010 1010 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,375.00 $2,375.00 -925.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
980 980 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 2,475.00 $2,475.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
880 880 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00 —

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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.