Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 29, 2024

218 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $248.07/cwt -25.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,325/hd at 534 lb · 27 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 218 1,246 2,716
Feeder cattle 150 1,116 2,566
Slaughter cattle 61 124 148
Replacement cattle 7 6 2

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison due to limited supply. Record heat in our area hampered the movement of cattle 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
235 235 1 292.50 $292.50 $687 —
415–420 418 2 250.00–270.00 $260.06 $1,087 —
450 450 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,215 -11.70
523–545 533 8 255.00–262.00 $257.89 $1,375 -16.96
640 640 1 257.50 $257.50 $1,648 —
726 726 3 249.00 $249.00 $1,808 +6.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
625 625 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,312 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 222.50 $222.50 $946 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 4 242.50 $242.50 $1,188 +2.62
530 530 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,219 -13.65
560–588 579 5 227.50–232.50 $231.03 $1,338 -10.00
600–645 609 5 220.00–228.00 $226.31 $1,378 +4.49
685 685 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,302 -41.20
720 720 1 181.00 $181.00 $1,303 —
800–845 823 2 175.00–191.00 $183.22 $1,508 —
865 865 1 172.00 $172.00 $1,488 -22.00
963 963 8 191.00 $191.00 $1,839 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 220.00 $220.00 $682 -6.75
400–445 428 5 202.50–220.00 $213.70 $915 -16.30
480 480 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,056 +7.47
500 500 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,050 -11.87
555–575 565 2 182.50–202.50 $192.68 $1,089 -30.15
755 755 1 171.00 $171.00 $1,291 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–320 313 2 252.50–262.50 $257.38 $806 -30.12
360–373 371 6 240.00–260.00 $256.76 $953 -22.12
448 448 5 262.50 $262.50 $1,176 -7.58
510–547 534 27 230.00–254.00 $248.07 $1,325 -25.71
560–580 570 2 235.00–240.00 $237.54 $1,354 -26.24
611 611 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,375 -11.49
665 665 3 210.00 $210.00 $1,396 -18.39
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–482 476 6 210.00–215.00 $210.80 $1,003 —
510–545 528 2 202.50–217.50 $209.75 $1,107 -40.25
575–585 580 2 190.00–215.00 $202.39 $1,174 -14.75
600 600 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,215 -7.96
715 715 1 192.50 $192.50 $1,376 —
935 935 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,402 —
975 975 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,462 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1415 1240 80-85% 18 130.00–155.00 $141.36 $1,753 —
1225–1285 1255 80-85% 2 121.00–127.00 $124.07 $1,557 -22.42
1295–1690 1454 80-85% 6 109.00–115.00 $112.36 $1,634 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1585 1585 75-80% 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,965 -24.99
1550–1650 1600 75-80% 5 129.00–135.00 $131.59 $2,105 —
1680 1680 75-80% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,781 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1135 993 85-90% 2 124.00–127.50 $125.50 $1,246 —
1115 1115 85-90% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,182 —
1085–1150 1118 85-90% 2 134.00–138.00 $135.94 $1,520 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1020 1012 3 140.00–150.00 $146.66 $1,484 —
1825 1825 1 169.00 $169.00 $3,084 —
2230–2290 2260 2 155.00–157.00 $156.01 $3,526 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1230 1230 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
955 955 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1260 1260 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,400.00 $2,400.00 —
1115–1460 1277 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 2,125.00–2,600.00 $2,353.43 —

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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.