Cattle Market Pulse

Empire Livestock Sale Market Report

Bath, New York · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Thursdays

Sale of Thursday, August 27, 2026

164 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (134)

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 164 234 196
Feeder cattle 10 9 9
Slaughter cattle 50 117 48

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week's sale slaughter cows sold 6.00 to 17.00 lower. Holstein bull calves sold 30.00 to 40.00 lower. Beef cross bull calves sold 90.00 to 120.00 lower.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,410 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
61 61 1 750.00 $750.00 $458 -750.00
78 78 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00 $936 -258.01
81–85 83 3 700.00–1,000.00 $868.80 $721 -671.50
84–89 86 4 1,200.00–1,300.00 $1,259.59 $1,083 -117.58
88 88 1 900.00 $900.00 $792 -477.17
90–97 93 5 1,200.00–1,350.00 $1,267.10 $1,178 +67.10
91–94 93 2 800.00–900.00 $850.81 $791 -349.19
92–99 96 2 1,100.00–1,140.00 $1,120.73 $1,076 -230.82
100–109 105 2 1,140.00–1,230.00 $1,183.06 $1,242 -83.82
110 110 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00 $1,210 -166.88
117 117 1 1,020.00 $1,020.00 $1,193 -178.77

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Feeder Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
62 62 1 300.00 $300.00 $186 -500.00
65–69 67 2 800.00–810.00 $805.15 $539 +5.15
70 70 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 $700 +200.00
76 76 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00 $1,216 +800.00
77–79 78 3 800.00–1,040.00 $947.12 $739 -652.88
80–88 84 2 850.00–990.00 $923.33 $776 -134.30
84 84 1 1,460.00 $1,460.00 $1,226 +402.37
87 87 1 440.00 $440.00 $383 -60.00
87 87 1 800.00 $800.00 $696 +300.00
90–92 91 3 1,200.00–1,250.00 $1,223.16 $1,113 -86.84
91–99 95 9 900.00–1,010.00 $939.77 $893 +239.77
92–99 95 5 1,280.00–1,400.00 $1,334.51 $1,268 +634.51
96–99 98 3 700.00–840.00 $794.29 $778 -184.68
102 102 1 1,070.00 $1,070.00 $1,091 +139.34
100–108 103 8 840.00–950.00 $897.26 $924 -33.40
104–107 106 2 1,140.00–1,260.00 $1,199.15 $1,271 -166.07
110–112 111 4 830.00–850.00 $837.49 $930 -23.22
111 111 1 900.00 $900.00 $999 +39.29
113–117 115 2 1,100.00 $1,100.00 $1,265 +239.29
125 125 1 1,040.00 $1,040.00 $1,300 -150.06
125 125 1 750.00 $750.00 $938 -440.06
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
378 378 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,134 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
916–1226 1083 80-85% 3 125.00–130.00 $128.59 $1,393 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340 1340 75-80% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,742 —
1544 1544 75-80% 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,930 -29.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2280 2280 1 180.00 $180.00 $4,104 —

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1740–2220 1954 3 180.00–200.00 $189.06 $3,694 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1044–1444 1165 85-90% 7 90.00–104.00 $99.25 $1,156 -15.00
854–1604 1190 85-90% 4 110.00–116.00 $111.88 $1,331 -14.51
1208–1576 1377 85-90% 6 119.00–120.00 $119.85 $1,650 —
1184–1654 1409 80-85% 4 130.00–135.00 $131.97 $1,859 -16.69
1452 1452 80-85% 1 140.00 $140.00 $2,033 -8.06
1302–1578 1471 85-90% 5 130.00–135.00 $131.06 $1,928 -17.00
1556–1580 1568 75-80% 2 140.00–145.00 $142.48 $2,234 -5.81
1652 1652 75-80% 1 130.00 $130.00 $2,148 —
1604–2062 1791 75-80% 3 150.00–152.00 $150.64 $2,698 —

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Price trend

high 166.57 low 138.00 Jan 2026 Aug 2026

1250–1299 lb Boner cows — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Aug 20, 2026)

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