Cattle Market Pulse

Empire Livestock Sale Market Report

Bath, New York · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 5, 2026

174 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Empire Livestock Sale report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 174 215 0
Feeder cattle 3 18 0
Slaughter cattle 63 75 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week's sale slaughter cows sold 5.00 to 8.00 higher. Holstein bull calves sold 30.00 to 40.00 lower. Beef cross bull calves sold 20.00 to 125.00 higher.

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
596 596 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,490 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
72 72 1 1,890.00 $1,890.00 $1,361 +490.00
77 77 1 2,210.00 $2,210.00 $1,702 +320.00
80–89 84 6 1,900.00–2,150.00 $2,000.32 $1,680 +497.16
83–85 84 2 1,440.00–1,700.00 $1,568.45 $1,317 +65.29
84–86 85 2 600.00–700.00 $649.41 $552 -1,355.18
92 92 1 500.00 $500.00 $460 -1,229.81
93–99 98 4 1,780.00–1,860.00 $1,804.15 $1,768 +1,004.15
99 99 1 780.00 $780.00 $772 -20.00
100–104 102 2 1,700.00–1,740.00 $1,720.39 $1,755 +400.39
102 102 1 1,790.00 $1,790.00 $1,826 +470.00
113 113 1 740.00 $740.00 $836 -810.00
116 116 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00 $1,740 -50.00

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Feeder Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
73 73 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00 $1,460 +520.00
75–78 76 3 900.00–1,310.00 $1,169.08 $889 -310.92
79 79 1 1,440.00 $1,440.00 $1,138 +340.00
84–89 86 7 1,200.00–1,540.00 $1,387.83 $1,194 -40.09
85–89 87 3 1,890.00–2,000.00 $1,942.49 $1,690 +147.49
85–88 87 2 940.00–1,100.00 $1,021.39 $889 -773.61
86–87 87 2 600.00 $600.00 $522 -1,195.00
91–93 92 5 1,810.00–1,940.00 $1,884.09 $1,733 +1,394.09
92 92 1 740.00 $740.00 $681 +250.00
90–99 95 12 1,200.00–1,460.00 $1,316.27 $1,250 -28.57
95–97 96 2 1,200.00–1,740.00 $1,472.81 $1,414 +421.21
95–99 97 6 900.00–1,150.00 $1,010.87 $981 -40.73
101 101 1 1,080.00 $1,080.00 $1,091 -84.56
100–109 103 15 1,100.00–1,320.00 $1,228.80 $1,266 +64.24
100–107 104 2 1,600.00–1,780.00 $1,686.96 $1,754 +522.40
110–118 113 5 1,110.00–1,180.00 $1,151.69 $1,301 +54.78
116 116 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00 $1,740 +640.00
122 122 1 1,010.00 $1,010.00 $1,232 ±0.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,081 -125.00
400 400 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,400 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1866 1689 75-80% 3 150.00–154.00 $151.77 $2,563 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870 870 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $783 —
1152 1152 85-90% 1 133.00 $133.00 $1,532 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1022 1022 80-85% 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,431 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1808 1808 1 202.00 $202.00 $3,652 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
878–930 904 85-90% 2 90.00 $90.00 $814 —
948 948 80-85% 1 161.00 $161.00 $1,526 —
1052–1512 1285 85-90% 15 116.00–127.00 $121.07 $1,556 —
1116–1596 1384 85-90% 6 110.00–115.00 $111.88 $1,548 +10.36
1178–1532 1387 85-90% 7 130.00–135.00 $130.78 $1,814 +29.26
1304–1806 1537 80-85% 13 136.00–146.00 $142.03 $2,183 -2.97
1566–1832 1691 75-80% 3 144.00–150.00 $147.30 $2,491 —
1878 1878 75-80% 1 136.00 $136.00 $2,554 —

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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.