Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 18, 2025

725 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $401.03/cwt +11.53 vs last sale · ≈ $2,456/hd at 613 lb · 85 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $337.45/cwt -14.12 vs last sale · ≈ $2,661/hd at 788 lb · 66 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $320.85/cwt +2.10 vs last sale · ≈ $3,035/hd at 946 lb · 56 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 725 1,537 854
Feeder cattle 629 1,433 798
Slaughter cattle 96 100 56
Replacement cattle — 4 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 500 lbs 10.00-15.00 lower, over 500 lbs steady, Feeder heifers steady, Good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows and bulls steady, Good 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
247 fancy 247 2 455.00 $455.00 $1,124 -12.70
252–290 fancy 265 3 475.00–505.00 $494.04 $1,309 -3.41
300–323 fancy 317 4 465.00–475.00 $472.64 $1,498 -32.73
370–380 fancy 375 2 435.00–465.00 $450.20 $1,688 -72.68
405–415 412 3 380.00–385.00 $383.36 $1,579 -16.29
411–431 fancy 424 9 432.50–447.50 $442.66 $1,877 -39.48
475 475 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,710 -57.50
456–495 fancy 478 9 407.00–415.00 $409.72 $1,958 -35.04
505 505 1 365.00 $365.00 $1,843 -7.00
510–531 value added 520 11 385.00–440.00 $415.75 $2,162 +9.07
550–583 value added 567 6 381.00–415.00 $387.27 $2,196 -15.48
580 580 1 367.50 $367.50 $2,132 —
600 600 3 357.50 $357.50 $2,145 +26.32
603–614 value added 613 82 372.50–405.50 $402.62 $2,468 +11.24
660–662 661 3 340.00–351.00 $347.34 $2,296 -0.16
720–740 730 2 325.00–327.50 $326.23 $2,381 —
755–775 765 4 310.00–330.00 $321.18 $2,457 -5.15
790 value added 790 62 338.50 $338.50 $2,674 -18.00
946 value added 946 56 320.85 $320.85 $3,035 +2.10
976 value added 976 56 319.75 $319.75 $3,121 +6.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530–540 535 2 325.00 $325.00 $1,739 —
660–690 675 2 287.50–320.00 $303.39 $2,048 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,370 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 fancy 275 1 430.00 $430.00 $1,182 +2.46
300–325 fancy 308 3 402.50–430.00 $416.22 $1,282 -18.78
378 378 3 371.00 $371.00 $1,402 —
355–395 fancy 383 10 405.00–437.50 $427.05 $1,636 -3.69
420–443 fancy 437 9 393.00–420.00 $412.90 $1,804 -4.69
427–446 438 5 340.00–360.00 $347.79 $1,523 -12.21
470–482 fancy 474 11 385.00–390.00 $387.94 $1,839 -11.58
462–487 475 4 340.00–360.00 $350.26 $1,664 -21.02
502–530 value added 520 13 355.00–370.00 $366.37 $1,905 -2.63
520–540 530 11 320.00–340.00 $330.75 $1,753 +1.23
555–580 568 17 321.00–342.50 $326.60 $1,855 +2.36
610–615 value added 613 2 340.00 $340.00 $2,084 -3.91
600–645 625 3 312.50–325.00 $319.32 $1,996 +12.27
730 730 2 289.00 $289.00 $2,110 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
327–333 331 5 327.50–340.00 $332.45 $1,100 -17.55
380 380 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,292 +15.21
450–495 473 4 310.00–335.00 $316.55 $1,497 —
525–547 540 3 310.00–312.50 $310.81 $1,678 -4.19
567–582 577 6 297.00–315.00 $302.90 $1,748 +10.37
640 640 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,920 +15.00
665 665 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,729 -28.01
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275 1275 1 195.00 $195.00 $2,486 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
347 fancy 347 2 430.00 $430.00 $1,492 -50.53
350–365 fancy 360 3 432.50–460.00 $442.60 $1,593 —
410–425 fancy 415 4 419.00–450.00 $432.18 $1,794 -27.46
425 425 2 380.00–393.00 $386.50 $1,643 -34.57
470 fancy 470 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,115 +7.50
487–495 490 3 383.00–391.00 $388.30 $1,903 -14.20
505–525 fancy 510 5 420.00–440.00 $434.88 $2,218 +16.91
535 535 1 362.50 $362.50 $1,939 +6.55
550–555 fancy 553 2 407.50–412.50 $410.01 $2,267 —
585–597 593 3 367.50–375.00 $372.53 $2,209 -2.47
625–631 fancy 629 10 347.50–357.50 $354.52 $2,230 -2.13
630 630 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,079 +11.59
665 665 1 307.50 $307.50 $2,045 ±0.00
730 730 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,154 -5.00
770 770 2 302.50 $302.50 $2,329 +12.00
840 840 2 300.00 $300.00 $2,520 +20.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 2 320.00–360.00 $340.00 $1,615 -35.20
550–585 575 6 320.00–343.00 $331.76 $1,908 +6.13
670–695 678 7 285.00–300.00 $291.49 $1,976 +13.06
790 790 2 280.00 $280.00 $2,212 —
820 820 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,968 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
660 660 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,650 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1330 1243 80-85% 4 155.00–167.00 $162.14 $2,015 +69.64
1250 1250 80-85% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,425 -49.93
1240–1410 1326 80-85% 8 135.00–154.00 $143.70 $1,905 —
1290–1460 1360 80-85% 5 120.00–133.00 $125.93 $1,713 -20.38
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865–1025 927 85-90% 5 100.00–118.00 $110.06 $1,020 —
1000–1040 1020 85-90% 2 125.00–127.00 $125.98 $1,285 +11.62
990–1185 1105 85-90% 7 137.00–150.00 $144.61 $1,598 -12.87
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1520–1685 1581 75-80% 4 137.50–154.00 $146.01 $2,308 -2.56
1540–1990 1692 75-80% 7 156.00–184.00 $166.90 $2,824 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1685–1925 1805 2 186.00–191.00 $188.33 $3,399 —
1840 1840 1 178.00 $178.00 $3,275 —
1850–1925 1888 2 197.00–198.00 $197.49 $3,729 —

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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.