Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 18, 2024

191 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 $224.10/cwt +20.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,972/hd at 880 lb · 120 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 191 1,390 1,239
Feeder cattle 160 1,255 1,110
Slaughter cattle 30 107 126
Replacement cattle 1 28 3

Market comments — USDA reporter

No Comparison due to short supply today.

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
395 395 2 252.50 $252.50 $997 —
415 415 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,006 +5.16
605 605 1 208.00 $208.00 $1,258 -19.52
880 value added 880 120 224.10 $224.10 $1,972 +12.10
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
640 640 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,088 -41.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1665 1665 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,998 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 230.00 $230.00 $678 +17.50
343 343 3 235.00 $235.00 $806 +19.87
360–380 376 5 212.50–227.50 $224.63 $845 +19.07
425 425 1 195.00 $195.00 $829 -27.04
1090 1090 2 125.00–132.50 $128.75 $1,403 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 177.50 $177.50 $399 —
465 465 1 180.00 $180.00 $837 -20.00
585 585 1 179.00 $179.00 $1,047 -10.58

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 265.00 $265.00 $610 —
285 285 2 255.00 $255.00 $727 —
365–370 368 3 232.50–245.00 $240.87 $886 —
580 580 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,305 +3.75
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 215.00 $215.00 $645 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820 820 85-90% 1 67.00 $67.00 $549 —
910 910 85-90% 1 70.00 $70.00 $637 -5.26
930–1080 997 85-90% 3 81.00–89.00 $84.14 $839 —
1065 1065 85-90% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,065 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1380 1202 80-85% 3 80.00–85.00 $81.74 $983 -0.21
1280 1280 80-85% 1 73.00 $73.00 $934 -17.19
1380 1380 80-85% 2 93.00–102.00 $97.50 $1,346 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575–1680 1628 75-80% 2 114.00–121.00 $117.39 $1,911 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195 1195 1 117.00 $117.00 $1,398 —
1185–2290 1665 4 122.00–128.00 $125.71 $2,093 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
940 940 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 105.00 $105.00 $987

↑ Back to top

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.