Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 24, 2023

173 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $223.25/cwt -7.95 vs last sale · ≈ $842/hd at 377 lb · 11 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $261.89/cwt +4.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,427/hd at 545 lb · 11 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $268.00/cwt +24.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,536/hd at 573 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 173 2,077 1,276
Feeder cattle 136 1,964 1,190
Slaughter cattle 36 111 86
Replacement cattle 1 2 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison to last week because of a light offering due to higher than normal temperatures.

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
290 290 1 249.00 $249.00 $722 —
495 495 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,213 +6.56
535–547 value added 545 11 261.00–266.00 $261.89 $1,427 +4.13
555 555 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,388 —
575 value added 575 9 270.00 $270.00 $1,552 +18.91
612 value added 612 2 251.00 $251.00 $1,536 -3.14
612 612 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,469 +23.02
665–680 673 2 229.00–234.00 $231.53 $1,558 +8.86
707–725 713 3 210.00 $210.00 $1,497 -9.08
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 210.00 $210.00 $830 -5.00
555 555 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,060 -9.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 220.00 $220.00 $517 -15.93
260–270 265 2 212.50–220.00 $216.18 $573 —
320–345 333 2 205.00–220.00 $212.78 $709 -9.72
350–395 377 11 207.50–229.00 $223.25 $842 -4.34
400–446 434 6 210.00–221.00 $216.83 $941 -11.88
460–495 484 7 210.00–228.00 $219.24 $1,061 -10.63
505–530 513 3 210.00–220.00 $216.56 $1,111 -4.83
650 650 2 217.00 $217.00 $1,410 -1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 162.50 $162.50 $634 -32.46
405–415 412 5 173.00–200.00 $192.59 $793 -7.47
475 475 2 200.00 $200.00 $950 +10.00
510–520 515 3 170.00–200.00 $186.76 $962 -10.72
565–580 573 2 190.00–204.00 $197.09 $1,129 +7.39
600–645 627 5 167.50–200.00 $189.80 $1,190 +14.80
680 680 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,088 -17.86

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–225 223 2 240.00–250.00 $244.94 $546 —
325–345 335 2 220.00–243.00 $231.16 $774 +13.66
377–395 382 5 226.00–247.50 $238.37 $911 +8.37
420–425 422 3 234.00–239.00 $237.32 $1,001 +11.07
450–498 486 4 230.00–232.50 $230.58 $1,121 +1.98
505 505 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,174 +5.17
550–580 570 4 210.00–215.00 $212.48 $1,211 -2.52
612–630 618 3 214.00–220.00 $217.96 $1,347 +15.48
710 710 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,456 +5.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–490 473 2 170.00–192.50 $180.83 $855 -29.17
565–585 575 2 163.00–200.00 $181.18 $1,042 -15.15
665 665 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,264 +29.00
710 710 1 181.00 $181.00 $1,285 —
775 775 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,472 +11.97
895 895 1 162.00 $162.00 $1,450 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1455 1193 80-85% 3 112.00–116.00 $114.09 $1,361 —
1200–1445 1295 80-85% 5 80.00–92.00 $85.61 $1,109 -16.16
1080–1530 1358 80-85% 10 95.00–108.00 $102.63 $1,394 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–920 860 85-90% 2 85.00–86.00 $85.47 $735 —
865 865 85-90% 1 110.00 $110.00 $952 —
920 920 85-90% 1 101.00 $101.00 $929 —
870–1175 995 85-90% 4 57.00–68.00 $62.75 $624 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1610 1443 75-80% 2 116.00–122.00 $118.65 $1,712 —
1545 1545 75-80% 1 103.00 $103.00 $1,591 -12.48

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1725 1725 1 131.00 $131.00 $2,260 —
1570–1845 1748 3 124.00–126.00 $124.60 $2,178 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00 —

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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.