Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

195 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $211.98/cwt ≈ $1,541/hd at 727 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 195 180 265
Feeder cattle 134 141 203
Slaughter cattle 49 39 62
Replacement cattle 12 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers and heifers 4.00-6.00 higher, Good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows 2.00-4.00 higher, Slaughter bulls steady, Good 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
385 385 2 237.50 $237.50 $914 +7.50
510 value added 510 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,326 —
535–540 538 3 236.00–240.00 $238.67 $1,284 +4.63
575–590 585 4 220.00–234.00 $228.79 $1,338 +1.77
640 640 3 219.00 $219.00 $1,402 —
696 value added 696 7 244.00 $244.00 $1,698 —
705–730 718 2 193.00–207.00 $199.88 $1,435 —
729 value added 729 8 215.00 $215.00 $1,567 —
775 775 3 203.00 $203.00 $1,573 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 162.50 $162.50 $601 —
810 810 1 151.00 $151.00 $1,223 —
895 895 1 173.00 $173.00 $1,548 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 2 225.00 $225.00 $731 —
335 fancy 335 1 255.00 $255.00 $854 —
375 fancy 375 1 232.50 $232.50 $872 —
365–395 381 4 191.00–213.00 $201.19 $767 +7.78
430–440 435 3 190.00–207.50 $200.12 $871 +5.12
450–461 459 5 190.00–203.00 $199.80 $917 +0.82
502–540 515 3 212.00–219.00 $216.55 $1,115 +23.85
565 565 1 211.00 $211.00 $1,192 +24.04
625 625 3 178.00 $178.00 $1,112 +3.52
650 650 1 183.00 $183.00 $1,190 —
702 702 2 150.00 $150.00 $1,053 —
800–805 802 3 130.00–131.00 $130.67 $1,048 —
870 870 3 131.00 $131.00 $1,140 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 160.00 $160.00 $616 —
415 415 1 184.00 $184.00 $764 —
520–530 525 2 174.00–190.00 $181.92 $955 —
660–670 663 4 150.00–160.00 $157.47 $1,044 +17.47
702–720 712 6 120.00–141.00 $134.10 $955 +21.56
820 820 3 100.00 $100.00 $820 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 fancy 250 1 260.00 $260.00 $650 —
330 330 1 232.50 $232.50 $767 —
410 410 1 220.00 $220.00 $902 -2.45
460–487 470 6 235.00–245.00 $239.41 $1,125 +7.76
550 550 1 221.00 $221.00 $1,216 +8.00
709 709 5 189.00 $189.00 $1,340 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 200.00 $200.00 $830 —
515–520 518 2 160.00–167.50 $163.73 $848 -7.27
560–590 575 2 200.00–208.00 $204.10 $1,174 +39.60
600–620 610 2 127.50–130.00 $128.77 $785 —
925 925 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,110 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 120.00 $120.00 $696 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1215 1198 80-85% 2 74.00–75.00 $74.49 $892 —
1145–1510 1263 80-85% 9 80.00–89.00 $84.98 $1,073 +0.31
1185–1445 1314 80-85% 9 91.00–100.00 $93.47 $1,228 +18.15
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1135 1058 85-90% 4 82.00–86.00 $83.93 $888 +10.42
995–1130 1064 85-90% 4 75.00–79.00 $77.25 $822 +3.74
1035–1115 1075 85-90% 2 68.00–69.00 $68.52 $737 -4.99
1040–1125 1083 85-90% 2 94.00–97.00 $95.56 $1,035 +22.05
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1485–1830 1629 75-80% 7 92.00–104.00 $95.64 $1,558 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525–1570 1548 2 120.00–121.00 $120.51 $1,865 —
1945 1945 1 123.00 $123.00 $2,392 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–1215 1005 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 93.00–104.00 $98.34 $988

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
875 875 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00
945 945 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,075.00 $1,075.00
810–1060 965 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 975.00–1,475.00 $1,202.33
1135 1135 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
715 715 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 975.00 $975.00

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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.