Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 4, 2026

157 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $474.89/cwt -27.91 vs last sale · ≈ $2,541/hd at 535 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 157 302 164
Feeder cattle 121 276 138
Slaughter cattle 22 14 15
Replacement cattle 14 12 11

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers sold sharply lower. Feeder heifers traded 2.00-4.00 lower. Today's smaller offering and very few weaned calves contributed to the lower prices. No test on slaughter cows and bulls due to limited comparisons.

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
400 400 4 522.50 $522.50 $2,090 -19.59
452 452 6 515.00 $515.00 $2,328 -19.16
529–546 535 12 465.00–480.00 $474.89 $2,541 -27.91
603 603 2 425.00 $425.00 $2,563 -5.00
695 695 1 375.00 $375.00 $2,606 -20.36
805 805 1 325.00 $325.00 $2,616 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 475.00 $475.00 $2,114 -5.17
475–485 478 3 465.00–490.00 $481.55 $2,302 —
605 605 1 375.00 $375.00 $2,269 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
374 374 4 530.00 $530.00 $1,982 +17.50
400–415 408 4 470.00–482.50 $476.37 $1,944 +2.41
465 465 2 450.00 $450.00 $2,092 -25.61
503 503 3 430.00 $430.00 $2,163 +15.00
552–565 555 4 390.00–405.00 $401.18 $2,227 -5.72
610–615 614 9 335.00–350.00 $348.33 $2,139 -14.17
651–690 663 7 335.00–340.00 $337.81 $2,240 —
735 735 1 307.50 $307.50 $2,260 —
1233 1233 2 239.00 $239.00 $2,947 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 500.00 $500.00 $1,575 +7.56
350–355 353 3 455.00–460.00 $458.35 $1,618 —
410–445 433 3 445.00 $445.00 $1,927 +27.92
490 490 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,960 -28.00
503–545 520 4 390.00–400.00 $395.17 $2,055 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–499 497 8 425.00 $425.00 $2,112 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
278 278 2 632.50 $632.50 $1,758 —
330–340 335 2 577.50–592.50 $584.89 $1,959 —
475 475 1 475.00 $475.00 $2,256 -35.00
504 504 5 480.00 $480.00 $2,419 —
585 585 2 420.00 $420.00 $2,457 -15.00
600 600 3 410.00 $410.00 $2,460 ±0.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–445 435 2 442.50–462.50 $452.27 $1,967 -28.16
455–465 460 2 425.00–450.00 $437.36 $2,012 -2.64
515 515 1 430.00 $430.00 $2,214 +0.02
565 565 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,260 +25.00
617 617 3 350.00 $350.00 $2,160 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1245 1132 80-85% 3 152.50–163.00 $159.38 $1,804 —
1135–1150 1142 80-85% 3 170.00 $170.00 $1,941 —
1115–1255 1185 80-85% 2 141.00–151.00 $146.30 $1,734 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–925 908 85-90% 2 145.00 $145.00 $1,317 —
1000 1000 85-90% 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,390 —
1080 1080 85-90% 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,890 +54.54
1140 1140 85-90% 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,767 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1450 1362 75-80% 5 157.50–169.00 $164.73 $2,244 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1900 1900 1 210.00 $210.00 $3,990 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1085 1085 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,650.00 $3,650.00
1215–1490 1353 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,900.00–3,150.00 $3,037.71
1595–1790 1693 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,950.00–3,400.00 $3,187.96
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1005 1005 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00
1045 1045 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 3,400.00 $3,400.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
980 980 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1075 1075 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,500.00 $3,500.00

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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.