Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 4, 2023

285 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) report →

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $246.95/cwt +17.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,296/hd at 525 lb · 11 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $201.09/cwt +12.09 vs last sale · ≈ $927/hd at 461 lb · 11 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $235.14/cwt +5.14 vs last sale · ≈ $980/hd at 417 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 285 205 870
Feeder cattle 221 154 731
Slaughter cattle 58 49 134
Replacement cattle 6 2 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers steady, Feeder heifers steady except 300-400 lbs they were 3.00-5.00 higher, Good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows 3.00-5.00 lower, Slaughter bulls steady, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.

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
470–495 482 4 226.00–234.00 $231.22 $1,114 —
483 fancy 483 3 245.00 $245.00 $1,183 —
515–530 522 3 220.00–230.00 $224.72 $1,173 —
540 value added 540 3 246.00 $246.00 $1,328 —
560–570 563 4 225.00–230.00 $226.27 $1,274 —
605–620 613 2 195.00–200.00 $197.47 $1,210 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 1 161.00 $161.00 $958 —
775 775 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,318 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 197.50 $197.50 $553 +15.00
315 315 1 205.00 $205.00 $646 —
400–445 428 7 200.00–224.00 $214.33 $917 +19.00
457–475 461 11 198.00–212.50 $201.09 $927 +12.09
505–545 523 10 192.00–210.00 $200.50 $1,049 +7.74
561–580 567 5 185.00–195.00 $191.15 $1,084 -0.59
600 600 3 190.00 $190.00 $1,140 +20.00
815–825 822 3 137.00–141.00 $138.32 $1,137 -36.10
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–270 268 2 150.00–170.00 $159.91 $429 —
335 335 1 172.00 $172.00 $576 —
400–429 420 9 165.00–196.00 $191.96 $806 —
490–497 496 7 170.00–188.00 $185.46 $920 —
515–517 516 3 180.00–185.00 $183.34 $946 —
570 570 2 160.00–172.00 $166.00 $946 —
610–638 631 6 159.00–170.00 $162.79 $1,027 —
660–670 666 4 123.00–155.00 $136.66 $910 -9.34
700–740 720 2 138.00–150.00 $143.83 $1,036 -14.17
765–795 780 2 140.00–150.00 $145.10 $1,132 —
805 805 1 121.00 $121.00 $974 —
855 855 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,026 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–390 380 2 102.50–160.00 $130.49 $496 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275–290 280 4 200.00–212.50 $206.14 $577 -0.28
335 335 1 210.00 $210.00 $704 -8.65
375 375 1 220.00 $220.00 $825 —
392 fancy 392 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,058 —
407 fancy 407 2 262.50 $262.50 $1,068 —
411–440 419 8 227.00–232.50 $228.30 $957 -1.70
450–466 460 7 223.00–232.50 $229.38 $1,055 -1.44
505–525 fancy 522 9 239.00–256.00 $252.38 $1,317 —
535–540 538 2 220.00–225.00 $222.51 $1,197 -6.90
595 595 3 190.00 $190.00 $1,130 -9.89
600–615 608 2 183.00–189.00 $185.96 $1,131 —
755–775 765 2 158.00–165.00 $161.55 $1,236 —
885 885 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,239 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 197.50 $197.50 $514 —
390 390 1 200.00 $200.00 $780 +10.00
400–410 405 2 175.00–201.00 $188.16 $762 -11.84
485 485 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,018 +14.45
540 540 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,134 —
581 581 4 181.00 $181.00 $1,052 +5.60
630 630 1 141.00 $141.00 $888 —
685 685 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,096 —
790 790 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,019 —
980 980 1 100.00 $100.00 $980 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 1 161.00 $161.00 $813 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210–1340 1259 80-85% 4 71.00–75.00 $73.05 $920 -20.84
1265–1335 1306 80-85% 4 91.00–96.00 $93.23 $1,218 +7.66
1255–1485 1361 80-85% 6 80.00–87.00 $84.10 $1,145 +9.10
1380 1380 80-85% 1 64.00 $64.00 $883 -11.00
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1140 972 85-90% 3 60.00–68.00 $64.36 $626 -11.29
1010 1010 85-90% 1 83.00 $83.00 $838 —
1035–1165 1085 85-90% 5 71.00–76.00 $73.80 $801 —
1125 1125 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,012 +7.09
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1580–1700 1640 75-80% 2 81.00–86.00 $83.41 $1,368 —
1530–1895 1713 75-80% 4 91.00–94.00 $92.55 $1,585 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1695–1910 1793 3 116.00–121.00 $119.35 $2,140 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1190 1190 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00
1190 1190 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 850.00 $850.00
1215 1215 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 850.00 $850.00
1375 1375 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00
1390 1390 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1255 1255 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,175.00 $1,175.00

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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.