Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, September 19, 2024

858 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $237.96/cwt +41.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,715/hd at 721 lb · 75 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $226.13/cwt +35.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,752/hd at 775 lb · 71 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $241.95/cwt +23.28 vs last sale · ≈ $2,027/hd at 838 lb · 63 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 858 1,517 2,222
Feeder cattle 776 1,420 2,087
Slaughter cattle 74 93 123
Replacement cattle 8 4 12

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Thursday feeder steers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 6.00 higher. There was good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 1.00 to 2.00 lower. There was moderate 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
338 338 3 312.50 $312.50 $1,056 +31.61
378 378 3 291.00 $291.00 $1,100 +34.92
421 fancy 421 5 300.00 $300.00 $1,263 +10.00
435 435 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,218 +6.01
460–485 fancy 468 3 292.50–301.00 $298.07 $1,395 +16.42
482–495 488 10 272.50–287.50 $281.54 $1,374 +17.57
505–515 value added 510 4 285.00–287.50 $286.26 $1,460 +8.21
500–545 531 12 262.50–279.00 $272.43 $1,447 +16.19
551–580 563 17 250.00–267.50 $260.81 $1,468 -2.08
580 value added 580 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,624 -9.00
600–640 627 3 241.00–254.00 $247.64 $1,553 -4.69
655–690 672 6 230.00–248.00 $237.11 $1,593 -1.31
678–685 value added 683 19 251.00–258.00 $255.80 $1,747 +5.80
700–735 716 5 220.00–230.00 $224.12 $1,605 -11.31
735–745 value added 740 2 241.00–248.00 $244.48 $1,809 -0.82
783 value added 783 11 245.50 $245.50 $1,922 -6.25
790 790 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,738 -11.25
810 810 3 216.00–231.00 $221.00 $1,790 +2.33
839 value added 839 60 243.00 $243.00 $2,039 —
876 value added 876 63 238.25 $238.25 $2,087 —
905 905 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,900 +5.83
955–960 958 2 190.00–194.00 $191.99 $1,839 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 212.50 $212.50 $956 -31.33
525–545 533 4 237.00–245.00 $240.46 $1,282 +0.14
597 597 4 239.00 $239.00 $1,427 -3.92
615–628 624 7 225.00–227.50 $226.80 $1,415 -5.70
670–675 673 2 217.50–220.00 $218.75 $1,472 +9.07
710 710 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,491 —
840 840 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,764 +19.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505–515 510 3 250.00–255.00 $252.51 $1,288 —
560–565 563 2 242.50–247.50 $244.99 $1,379 —
640 640 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,472 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–295 280 2 212.50–220.00 $216.05 $605 -36.45
317–345 334 5 233.00–245.00 $238.72 $797 +22.33
375–395 385 3 220.00–227.00 $224.06 $863 +1.62
396 fancy 396 4 249.00 $249.00 $986 —
400–445 423 14 230.00–247.50 $235.69 $997 +17.82
430–445 fancy 438 2 250.00–255.00 $252.54 $1,106 +14.42
460–466 fancy 465 5 252.50–255.00 $254.51 $1,183 +24.51
459–485 466 17 230.00–247.50 $241.89 $1,127 +23.83
500–545 515 20 220.00–234.00 $225.60 $1,162 +3.28
551–590 570 26 218.00–232.00 $223.92 $1,276 +9.65
601–635 621 14 210.00–221.00 $213.57 $1,326 -4.87
659–696 669 12 204.00–218.00 $213.19 $1,426 +7.16
720 value added 720 69 239.90 $239.90 $1,727 —
705–736 730 6 203.00–221.00 $215.60 $1,574 +18.84
760–770 765 2 212.00–215.00 $213.49 $1,633 +22.88
775 value added 775 69 226.50 $226.50 $1,755 —
865 865 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,384 -30.60
965 965 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,834 —
1022 1022 2 190.00 $190.00 $1,942 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 222.00 $222.00 $766 +14.50
365 365 1 200.00 $200.00 $730 -14.16
400–440 420 2 221.00–225.00 $222.90 $936 +12.90
460–495 482 3 220.00–227.50 $223.07 $1,075 +23.07
510–542 531 3 212.50–215.00 $214.20 $1,137 +6.86
555–590 568 5 210.00–215.00 $211.39 $1,201 +7.15
605 605 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,134 -3.49
650–697 675 4 197.50–200.00 $198.71 $1,341 +17.71
735 735 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,433 +23.00
825 825 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,031 —
925 925 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,720 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1525 1341 4 134.00–138.00 $136.14 $1,826 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 fancy 255 1 325.00 $325.00 $829 —
335 335 1 287.50 $287.50 $963 +24.28
350–397 371 7 272.50–285.00 $279.57 $1,037 +17.07
386–392 fancy 388 5 300.00–315.00 $308.94 $1,199 —
400–415 408 2 240.00–242.50 $241.27 $984 -9.64
403–440 fancy 419 9 290.00–292.50 $290.80 $1,218 +28.30
455–485 462 5 275.00–283.00 $280.73 $1,297 +45.89
465 fancy 465 3 290.00 $290.00 $1,348 +17.89
515–549 540 20 250.00–267.50 $260.18 $1,405 +30.15
565–590 574 11 237.00–252.50 $241.52 $1,386 +15.45
620–631 623 11 215.00–229.00 $225.65 $1,406 +9.77
650–670 656 4 206.00–221.00 $212.71 $1,395 +4.85
712 712 2 186.00 $186.00 $1,324 -24.00
752–760 756 4 185.00–200.00 $192.46 $1,455 +1.46
820 820 2 191.00 $191.00 $1,566 +8.86
880 880 1 182.50 $182.50 $1,606 +2.50
1015 1015 1 202.50 $202.50 $2,055 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 255.00 $255.00 $880 +48.63
385 385 1 215.00 $215.00 $828 -30.00
400 400 1 235.00 $235.00 $940 +4.30
473 473 3 262.50 $262.50 $1,242 +48.75
505–520 515 3 244.00–245.00 $244.33 $1,258 +31.83
591–595 592 6 224.00–225.00 $224.33 $1,328 +10.57
602–630 611 3 200.00–210.00 $206.56 $1,262 +21.56
695 695 1 183.00 $183.00 $1,272 -9.83
725 725 1 182.50 $182.50 $1,323 —
785 785 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,060 -45.00
850 850 1 163.00 $163.00 $1,386 +5.50

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1410 1249 80-85% 11 113.00–121.00 $115.91 $1,448 —
1275–1420 1324 80-85% 5 103.00–110.00 $106.72 $1,413 -23.65
1230–1430 1332 80-85% 6 122.00–125.00 $123.53 $1,645 -6.84
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460 1460 75-80% 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,883 -2.00
1455–1695 1548 75-80% 7 110.00–117.00 $113.40 $1,755 —
1520–1760 1621 75-80% 10 101.00–109.00 $105.38 $1,708 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1015 970 85-90% 5 103.00–112.00 $107.11 $1,039 -15.65
1045 1045 85-90% 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,202 —
975–1150 1053 85-90% 4 101.00–102.00 $101.25 $1,066 -6.85

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1685–1780 1737 3 164.00–165.00 $164.32 $2,854 —
1650–2040 1773 6 150.00–155.00 $151.93 $2,694 —
1715–2315 2067 3 145.00–149.00 $147.51 $3,049 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1010 1010 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00
930–1145 1030 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,000.00–1,700.00 $1,379.77

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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
1725 1725 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,425.00 $2,425.00 —

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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.