Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 23, 2020

197 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Blue Grass Stockyards report →

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $128.14/cwt -1.80 vs last sale · ≈ $543/hd at 424 lb · 14 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $128.62/cwt +6.32 vs last sale · ≈ $678/hd at 527 lb · 13 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $153.22/cwt -5.05 vs last sale · ≈ $737/hd at 481 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 197 761 0
Feeder cattle 157 649 0
Slaughter cattle 24 96 0
Replacement cattle 16 16 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week:No trend due too light receipts.

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
310 310 1 150.00 $150.00 $465 -20.00
420 420 1 140.00 $140.00 $588 -16.38
470–488 481 12 145.00–161.00 $153.22 $737 -0.03
517 value added 517 2 157.00 $157.00 $812 +1.01
555 value added 555 1 151.00 $151.00 $838 +1.00
571–587 581 8 138.00–147.00 $143.68 $835 +7.78
605–645 623 6 122.00–138.00 $130.88 $815 +6.08
793 793 3 119.00 $119.00 $944 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 125.00 $125.00 $556 —
460 460 1 127.00 $127.00 $584 -4.66
625 625 1 117.00 $117.00 $731 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 2 130.00 $130.00 $503 -2.50
400–405 fancy 404 4 136.00–137.00 $136.75 $552 —
400–445 432 10 119.00–133.00 $124.69 $539 -5.25
465–480 473 2 122.00–126.00 $124.03 $587 -3.33
524–533 value added 527 8 131.00–132.00 $131.62 $694 +5.57
510–545 528 5 119.00–126.00 $123.82 $654 +3.34
551–590 565 7 119.00–126.00 $123.53 $698 +4.66
600–640 621 10 110.00–122.00 $116.85 $726 +1.18
650–657 655 3 115.00–116.00 $115.67 $758 +1.09
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–340 333 2 117.50–122.50 $119.94 $399 +1.09
430–435 433 2 110.00–114.00 $112.01 $485 +1.73
480 480 1 111.00 $111.00 $533 -4.00
500–505 503 2 100.00–108.00 $103.98 $523 -5.61

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 150.00 $150.00 $548 -7.93
410–445 433 7 148.00–160.00 $152.74 $661 +6.18
457 457 4 153.00 $153.00 $699 +13.90
545 545 3 140.00 $140.00 $763 +8.81
555–565 560 2 122.00–131.00 $126.54 $709 +3.16
650–670 654 5 119.00–129.00 $126.35 $826 +7.40
705 705 4 101.00–105.00 $103.00 $726 -6.98
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 2 125.00 $125.00 $281 —
255 255 1 135.00 $135.00 $344 —
335 335 1 137.50 $137.50 $461 —
375 375 1 134.00 $134.00 $502 -3.50
475 475 1 120.00 $120.00 $570 -12.43
555 555 2 113.00–116.00 $114.50 $635 —
625 625 1 110.00 $110.00 $688 +6.71

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1135 1113 80-85% 3 49.00–53.00 $51.70 $575 —
1155–1225 1190 80-85% 2 55.00–57.00 $56.03 $667 —
1230 1230 80-85% 1 40.00 $40.00 $492 -10.38
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905 905 85-90% 1 43.00 $43.00 $389 +18.48
1010 1010 85-90% 1 52.00 $52.00 $525 +3.17
730–1400 1065 85-90% 2 24.00–27.00 $25.03 $267 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470–1575 1523 75-80% 2 55.00–57.00 $55.97 $852 +2.00
1565–1730 1648 75-80% 2 47.00–54.00 $50.68 $835 -5.75

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1290 1223 2 65.00–66.00 $65.47 $801 —
1540–2055 1740 3 79.00–89.00 $82.94 $1,443 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
848–1085 927 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 600.00–650.00 $627.45
1025 1025 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 800.00 $800.00
1070 1070 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 875.00 $875.00
1105–1160 1133 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 640.00–725.00 $683.53

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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.