Name: Bowling Green Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-04-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-21

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: No trend on feeder calves due to low comparable receipts. Slaughter cows and bulls steady on a light test.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $382.50/cwt on 5 head, up $30.66 from the prior sale (only 12 head in that comparison). That ranks 7 of 13 comparable sales and sits −3.02 against this barn's trailing median of $385.52.

Average price

$382.50

▲ 30.66 vs prior sale

5 head · 581 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,222

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$274

per head · Medium and Large 1-2 over Large 1-2

$37.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−37.72

vs KY average

−39.67 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	587	397.50	2,333	3thin
Large 1-2	572	360.00	2,059	2thin

One grade step is worth $37.50/cwt here — about $274 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $426.80, low $336.07, median $385.52 across 13 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale5 hd

382.50

—

KY average27 barns · 1,277 hd

420.22

−37.72

National average167 barns · 11,519 hd

422.17

−39.67

This barn, trailing median13 sales

385.52

−3.02

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Average	1,882	203.12	3,823	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,370	182.00	2,493	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,345	161.00	2,165	1thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,018	155.56	1,583	8thin

Every lot, as filed

28 lots · USDA AMS · United Producers Inc. - Bowling Green, KY

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	325	555.00/cwt	555.00–555.00	1,804	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	385	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	1,944	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	412	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,060	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	448	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,106	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	528	440.81/cwt	440.00–445.00	2,327	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	295	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	1,578	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	650–700	665	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,643	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	450–500	480	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,448	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	340	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,564	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	387	451.62/cwt	450.00–455.00	1,748	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	351	504.96/cwt	495.00–515.00	1,772	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	483	421.51/cwt	417.50–430.00	2,036	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	645	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,258	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	445	467.50/cwt	467.50–467.50	2,080	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	600–650	605	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,541	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	610	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,318	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	550–600	587	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,333	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	400–450	426	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,066	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	450–500	450	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,138	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	735	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,279	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	497	446.00/cwt	446.00–446.00	2,217	16
Heifers	Large 1-2	550–600	572	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,059	2
Bulls	—	—	1,882	203.12/cwt	199.00–205.00	3,823	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,380	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	2,608	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,022	159.72/cwt	155.00–165.00	1,632	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,005	143.08/cwt	141.00–145.00	1,438	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,345	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	2,165	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,360	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	2,380	1

How this sale compares

Kentucky weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Kentucky auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Kentucky feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

United Producers Inc. - Bowling Green, KY

Tue Apr 21, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Frankfort, KY (LS-LG)

Feeder CattleReceipts 65Last week 60Year ago 86

Slaughter CattleReceipts 17Last week 18Year ago 47

Compared to last week: No trend on feeder calves due to low comparable receipts. Slaughter cows and bulls steady on a light test.

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	325	555.00	555.00
1	350–400	385	505.00	505.00
2	400–450	412	500.00	500.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	400–450	448	470.00	470.00
6	500–550	528	440.00–445.00	440.81
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	250–300	295	535.00	535.00
4	350–400	351	495.00–515.00	504.96
2	400–450	445	467.50	467.50
16	450–500	497	446.00	446.00
1	600–650	645	350.00	350.00
2	700–750	735	310.00	310.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	300–350	340	460.00	460.00
3	350–400	387	450.00–455.00	451.62
3	450–500	483	417.50–430.00	421.51
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	426	485.00	485.00
1	450–500	450	475.00	475.00
3	550–600	587	397.50	397.50
Heifers — Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	550–600	572	360.00	360.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
2	450–500	480	510.00	510.00
1	600–650	605	420.00	420.00
1	650–700	665	397.50	397.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	600–650	610	380.00	380.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,882	199.00–205.00	203.12
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,380	189.00	189.00
1	—	1,360	175.00	175.00
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,022	155.00–165.00	159.72
2	—	1,005	141.00–145.00	143.08
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,345	161.00	161.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

More

Bowling Green Livestock Auction