Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 21, 2023

560 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $219.80/cwt +15.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,932/hd at 879 lb · 124 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $201.00/cwt ≈ $1,477/hd at 735 lb · 76 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $219.00/cwt +15.92 vs last sale · ≈ $1,688/hd at 771 lb · 72 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 560 1,662 1,685
Feeder cattle 516 1,567 1,591
Slaughter cattle 42 93 94
Replacement cattle 2 2 0

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 700 lbs steady on a limited comparison, over 700 lbs 8.00-10.00 higher, Good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows 2.00-4.00 higher, No test on slaughter bulls, Good demand for slaughter cows.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–395 388 3 230.00–247.50 $235.63 $914 -13.37
465–490 482 3 230.00 $230.00 $1,109 -8.37
505–535 524 9 225.00–242.50 $235.64 $1,235 -3.79
555 555 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,249 -9.74
575 value added 575 4 247.00 $247.00 $1,420
651 value added 651 9 249.00 $249.00 $1,621
665 665 1 208.00 $208.00 $1,383 -8.93
771 value added 771 72 219.00 $219.00 $1,688
879 value added 879 124 219.80 $219.80 $1,932 +14.97
919 value added 919 56 220.20 $220.20 $2,024 +14.29
962 value added 962 61 217.80 $217.80 $2,095 +18.40
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 1 177.50 $177.50 $950 -22.50
685 685 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,302 -0.57
845 845 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,436

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 220.00 $220.00 $814 +4.93
415–430 423 2 202.50–217.00 $209.88 $888 -4.97
457–475 466 4 202.00–216.00 $209.14 $975 +7.20
505–535 520 2 191.00–208.00 $199.75 $1,039 -1.63
564 564 7 208.00 $208.00 $1,173 +14.99
565–573 value added 572 9 218.00–220.00 $218.22 $1,248 +0.72
605–637 624 4 192.00–206.00 $197.62 $1,233 +8.25
650–670 663 3 175.00–200.00 $183.74 $1,218 -2.77
735 value added 735 76 201.00 $201.00 $1,477
865 865 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,211 -28.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 160.00 $160.00 $512 -20.00
370–380 375 2 180.00–197.50 $188.63 $707 +6.73
400 400 1 190.00 $190.00 $760
480–495 488 2 185.00–196.00 $190.58 $930
685 685 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,096 -0.14
805 805 1 110.00 $110.00 $886 +2.39

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Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 328 3 180.00–205.00 $189.49 $622
365 365 1 205.00 $205.00 $748
540 540 1 185.00 $185.00 $999 -22.57
590 590 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,097 -11.89
717 717 2 135.00 $135.00 $968 -5.99
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 222.50 $222.50 $634 -17.43
400 400 1 227.50 $227.50 $910 -30.50
465 465 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,046 -8.03

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1315 1233 80-85% 2 84.00–86.00 $84.93 $1,047
1280 1280 80-85% 1 76.00 $76.00 $973
1165–1490 1335 80-85% 13 91.00–104.00 $97.76 $1,305 +22.94
1670 1670 80-85% 1 50.00 $50.00 $835
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945 945 85-90% 1 61.00 $61.00 $576
1000 1000 85-90% 2 74.00–75.00 $74.50 $745 +14.50
925–1155 1060 85-90% 5 90.00–105.00 $95.81 $1,016
1105 1105 85-90% 1 86.00 $86.00 $950 +11.56
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510–2045 1733 75-80% 5 91.00–103.00 $96.55 $1,673

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
895–1175 1035 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 95.00–109.00 $101.05 $1,046

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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.