Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, December 28, 2024

305 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 305 205 33
Feeder cattle — 151 —
Slaughter cattle 62 43 23
Replacement cattle 243 11 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

This report is for the annual Christmas cow sale consisting of replacement females and slaughter cows.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1065 1065 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00 —
1605 1605 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1455 1287 75-80% 7 110.00–119.00 $114.55 $1,474 —
1240–1565 1384 75-80% 11 121.50–132.00 $126.49 $1,751 —
1420–1520 1470 75-80% 2 100.00–100.50 $100.26 $1,474 +3.26
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1215 1144 80-85% 9 111.00–117.00 $114.49 $1,310 —
1155 1155 80-85% 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,236 —
1065–1315 1174 80-85% 7 120.00–123.50 $121.78 $1,430 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–935 893 85-90% 2 100.00–109.00 $104.71 $935 —
870–935 893 85-90% 3 80.00–99.00 $86.96 $777 —
880–1300 1049 85-90% 5 111.00–114.00 $112.27 $1,178 -2.03
1080 1080 85-90% 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,350 +32.27

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1580–1880 1717 3 138.50–143.00 $140.30 $2,409 —
1775 1775 1 147.00 $147.00 $2,609 -0.17

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
728–833 767 (<2 yrs)Open 8 1,800.00–2,300.00 $2,003.53
1025–1390 1228 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 16 1,525.00–2,275.00 $1,817.30
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
960 960 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1228 1228 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,750.00 $1,750.00
1078–1635 1232 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 6 2,700.00–2,850.00 $2,791.51
1200–1315 1258 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,550.00–2,600.00 $2,573.86
1278 1278 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 2,000.00 $2,000.00
1110–1620 1330 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 42 1,500.00–2,800.00 $2,260.53
1085–1685 1346 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 39 1,750.00–2,900.00 $2,522.27
1380 fancy 1380 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 3,000.00 $3,000.00
1355–1417 fancy 1396 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 3,100.00–3,250.00 $3,148.52
1304–1660 fancy 1407 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 3,000.00–3,600.00 $3,193.68
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
985 985 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00
930–1100 1025 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,425.00–1,900.00 $1,684.72
1065 1065 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,000.00 $2,000.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
780 780 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00
855 855 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00
925–945 935 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,750.00–2,000.00 $1,873.66

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
920–991 972 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 17 3,100.00–3,450.00 $3,294.77
1002–1437 1104 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 26 3,150.00–3,550.00 $3,420.34
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
830 830 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00

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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
1165–1300 1241 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 4 2,750.00–3,400.00 $3,022.10 —
1195–1350 1261 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 2,600.00–3,300.00 $2,855.99 +730.99
1190–1400 1282 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 5 2,650.00–3,300.00 $2,887.60 +762.60
1120–1400 1283 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 5 2,600.00–3,400.00 $3,116.06 +991.06
1415–1590 1477 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 2,600.00–3,500.00 $3,083.86 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925 925 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00 —
1005–1095 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 2,750.00–2,800.00 $2,776.07 —
1075 1075 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,600.00 $2,600.00 —

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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.