Cattle Market Pulse

Cattleman's Livestock Market Report

Bowling Green, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 3, 2026

180 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $388.21/cwt ≈ $2,448/hd at 631 lb · 28 head
Bowling Green 6-weight steers sold at $388/cwt, mid-pack for the state and $13/cwt below the KY average ($401), with 180 head on offer. KY 6-weight steers are down $43/cwt from their late-June peak of $426. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 180 121 200
Feeder cattle 158 105 180
Slaughter cattle 17 16 14
Replacement cattle 5 — 6

Market comments — USDA reporter

The small number of feeder calves in last week's offering did not allow for accurate trends but today's quality was much better and demand was much stronger for all classes of feeder calves. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 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
370 370 1 550.00 $550.00 $2,035 +20.00
430 430 3 465.00 $465.00 $2,000 —
450 450 1 465.00 $465.00 $2,092 +10.00
535–540 538 6 422.50–427.50 $425.01 $2,287 —
611–644 628 10 385.00 $385.00 $2,418 —
632 value added 632 18 390.00 $390.00 $2,465 —
713 713 3 350.00 $350.00 $2,496 —
788 788 2 325.00 $325.00 $2,561 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
513–540 529 5 346.00–380.00 $366.00 $1,936 -24.00
645 645 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,193 —
723 723 3 275.00 $275.00 $1,988 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505–540 519 5 400.00–402.50 $401.53 $2,084 —
590 590 1 372.50 $372.50 $2,198 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
683 683 2 330.00 $330.00 $2,254 —
790 790 3 300.00 $300.00 $2,370 —
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,712 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
720 720 2 328.00 $328.00 $2,362 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 525.00 $525.00 $1,444 —
386 386 5 492.50 $492.50 $1,901 +82.50
410 410 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,722 +20.00
453 453 2 407.50 $407.50 $1,846 —
520 520 2 370.00 $370.00 $1,924 —
605–610 608 4 322.50–330.00 $326.23 $1,983 +6.23
850 850 1 270.00 $270.00 $2,295 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 2 340.00 $340.00 $1,836 +5.00
715 715 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,644 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 2 600.00 $600.00 $1,728 —
340 340 2 550.00 $550.00 $1,870 —
370 370 1 500.00 $500.00 $1,850 -5.00
400–435 418 4 450.00–465.00 $457.81 $1,914 +22.81
484 484 7 439.00 $439.00 $2,125 —
500–544 525 9 401.00–407.50 $403.60 $2,119 -3.64
600–619 614 8 365.00–367.50 $365.61 $2,245 —
720 720 1 316.00 $316.00 $2,275 +26.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 2 385.00 $385.00 $1,559 -13.17
460–477 473 4 365.00–400.00 $373.51 $1,767 —
513 513 2 373.00 $373.00 $1,913 +22.96
735 735 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,058 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 387.50 $387.50 $2,054 +5.00
565–570 569 5 362.50–370.00 $368.51 $2,097 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 2 383.00 $383.00 $1,724 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,826 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1365 1365 75-80% 1 160.00 $160.00 $2,184 -37.52
1225–1780 1503 75-80% 3 189.00–195.00 $192.18 $2,888 —
1495–1645 1570 75-80% 2 180.00–182.50 $181.19 $2,845 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000 1000 85-90% 1 151.00 $151.00 $1,510 —
885–1310 1098 85-90% 2 130.00–135.00 $132.02 $1,450 —
1075–1180 1128 85-90% 2 165.00 $165.00 $1,861 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1505 1505 1 199.00 $199.00 $2,995 —
1455–2125 1804 4 217.00–222.00 $219.76 $3,964 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1090 1090 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 223.00 $223.00 $2,431
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 200.00 $200.00 $2,600
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
815 815 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,175.00 $2,175.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1140 1140 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,350.00 $2,350.00

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
925 925 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00

↑ Back to top

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.