Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 27, 2026

302 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 $455.36/cwt +5.36 vs last sale · ≈ $2,564/hd at 563 lb · 28 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $395.36/cwt ≈ $2,641/hd at 668 lb · 26 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $502.80/cwt +20.30 vs last sale · ≈ $2,589/hd at 515 lb · 23 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 302 227 321
Feeder cattle 276 169 253
Slaughter cattle 14 38 33
Replacement cattle 12 20 35

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers under 500 lbs. sold sharply lower and those over 500 lbs. were sharply higher. Feeder heifers traded 6.00-8.00 lower. The demand for feeder cattle continues to be somewhat softer. Producers seem to be near capacity and some are involved in fieldwork which is taking priority. Slaughter cows and bulls sold mostly steady 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
403–441 426 13 539.00–547.50 $542.09 $2,309 -22.91
459–480 473 14 530.00–542.00 $534.16 $2,527 -13.34
504–527 515 23 500.00–505.00 $502.80 $2,589 +20.30
562–563 563 28 450.00–460.00 $455.36 $2,564 +5.36
610 610 1 430.00 $430.00 $2,623 +20.00
638 638 3 375.00 $375.00 $2,392 -35.00
657–690 668 26 395.00–396.00 $395.36 $2,641 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–448 445 7 475.00–512.50 $480.17 $2,137 —
525 525 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,362 +44.00
590 590 1 385.00 $385.00 $2,272 +12.48
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,120 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510 510 1 482.50 $482.50 $2,461 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
228 228 2 760.00 $760.00 $1,733 —
270 270 1 650.00 $650.00 $1,755 +60.00
338 338 5 530.00–540.00 $536.00 $1,812 —
388 388 3 512.50 $512.50 $1,988 —
400–405 404 5 470.00–490.00 $473.96 $1,915 -16.04
457–467 460 18 467.00–479.00 $475.61 $2,188 +13.11
508 508 2 415.00 $415.00 $2,108 -22.73
550–567 564 10 390.00–411.00 $406.90 $2,295 +4.37
628 628 3 362.50 $362.50 $2,276 -2.50
761 761 5 336.00 $336.00 $2,557 —
895 895 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,640 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 591.00 $591.00 $1,300 —
285 285 1 610.00 $610.00 $1,738 —
333–338 336 4 485.00–500.00 $492.44 $1,655 +72.44
405–425 415 4 400.00–435.00 $417.08 $1,731 -37.92
477 477 5 428.00 $428.00 $2,042 —
628 628 2 340.00 $340.00 $2,135 ±0.00
695 695 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,294 +40.00
835 835 3 275.00 $275.00 $2,296 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–443 430 5 450.00–462.50 $454.77 $1,956 —
508–515 509 5 399.00–405.00 $400.21 $2,037 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 790.00 $790.00 $1,778 —
395 395 3 560.00 $560.00 $2,212 -7.50
455 455 1 510.00 $510.00 $2,320 +5.00
567 567 5 435.00 $435.00 $2,466 +3.80
605 605 3 410.00 $410.00 $2,480 -3.22
655 655 1 408.00 $408.00 $2,672 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
413–423 417 7 475.00–487.50 $480.43 $2,003 —
485 485 1 440.00 $440.00 $2,134 -40.00
520–525 523 2 425.00–435.00 $429.98 $2,249 -1.39
550–580 570 3 375.00 $375.00 $2,138 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
604 604 5 340.00 $340.00 $2,054 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1135 1135 (<2 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
1125–1375 1258 75-80% 3 172.50–182.50 $178.61 $2,247 +28.61
1410–1420 1415 75-80% 2 150.00–154.00 $152.01 $2,151 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1140 1063 85-90% 2 120.00–121.00 $120.46 $1,280 -33.03
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1325 1260 80-85% 2 125.00–135.00 $130.26 $1,641 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1780 1780 1 202.00 $202.00 $3,596 —
1870–2390 2130 2 207.50–220.00 $212.99 $4,537 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,425.00 $2,425.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1420 1420 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,700.00 $2,700.00
1665–1775 1720 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,875.00–2,950.00 $2,913.70

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1295 1295 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,150.00 $3,150.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1055 1055 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00 -250.00

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1055 1055 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 4,400.00 $4,400.00 —

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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.