Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 14, 2022

754 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $168.97/cwt +14.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,459/hd at 864 lb · 66 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $165.81/cwt +1.59 vs last sale · ≈ $1,035/hd at 624 lb · 60 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $165.23/cwt +11.76 vs last sale · ≈ $613/hd at 371 lb · 38 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 754 750 855
Feeder cattle 680 685 770
Slaughter cattle 62 59 58
Replacement cattle 12 6 27

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold steady to 3.00 higher with 300lb to 400lb sharply higher. Feeder heifers sold 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

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
340 340 1 190.00 $190.00 $646 —
355 355 1 180.00 $180.00 $639 ±0.00
365–382 fancy 380 9 215.00–220.00 $219.47 $834 —
415–430 fancy 423 2 202.50–212.50 $207.41 $877 -5.28
410–445 431 36 169.00–182.50 $180.83 $779 -11.34
450–485 464 6 167.00–180.00 $171.48 $796 -18.15
500–540 530 34 170.00–185.00 $176.26 $934 -4.79
552–582 562 17 167.00–179.00 $174.49 $981 -3.52
615–640 624 60 154.00–168.00 $165.81 $1,035 +4.16
655–695 671 9 150.00–165.00 $160.31 $1,076 +7.76
707–720 709 6 163.00–164.00 $163.83 $1,162 +12.48
752–797 782 16 151.00–165.00 $158.51 $1,240 +7.60
805–815 810 2 140.00–152.00 $145.96 $1,182 -8.75
863 value added 863 59 171.95 $171.95 $1,484 —
850–890 868 7 135.00–149.00 $143.90 $1,249 -10.10
915 915 4 144.00 $144.00 $1,318 -2.76
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 131.00 $131.00 $563 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 160.00 $160.00 $736 -8.77

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235–245 240 2 140.00–147.50 $143.83 $345 -11.17
250–290 270 2 152.50–162.50 $157.87 $426 +7.87
295 fancy 295 1 172.50 $172.50 $509 —
312 fancy 312 5 180.00 $180.00 $562 —
315–345 333 4 160.00–170.00 $165.11 $550 +11.13
363–380 fancy 364 16 173.00–175.00 $173.13 $630 +3.13
350–393 376 22 152.00–164.00 $159.48 $600 +14.28
405–416 fancy 415 16 166.00 $166.00 $689 +4.00
405–445 432 20 149.00–160.00 $154.74 $668 +15.84
452–495 472 34 142.00–157.00 $153.50 $725 +6.59
505–540 528 15 140.00–153.00 $147.24 $777 -0.25
535 value added 535 14 157.50 $157.50 $843 +3.50
550–595 573 25 135.00–151.00 $143.63 $823 -4.61
607–645 622 31 129.00–137.00 $135.62 $844 -3.79
655–695 664 23 141.00–147.00 $145.38 $965 +22.18
705–738 727 7 134.00–140.00 $137.46 $999 +8.70
780–790 785 2 125.00–137.00 $131.04 $1,029 +0.49
812–815 813 3 102.00–111.00 $105.01 $854 -5.38
890 890 1 110.00 $110.00 $979 -15.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 145.00 $145.00 $377 —
310–320 318 4 140.00–146.00 $144.54 $460 —
360 360 1 145.00 $145.00 $522 —
510 510 2 135.00 $135.00 $688 +1.51
580–585 583 2 130.00 $130.00 $758 —
615–625 620 2 117.00–121.00 $118.98 $738 —
661–681 671 6 124.00–129.00 $126.46 $849 —
715 715 1 110.00 $110.00 $786 —
755 755 1 110.00 $110.00 $830 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570–585 578 2 113.00–114.00 $113.49 $656 -12.51

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–280 265 2 162.50 $162.50 $431 -15.00
325–330 fancy 328 2 200.00–210.00 $204.96 $672 —
345 345 1 170.00 $170.00 $586 -17.55
350–365 357 3 177.50–185.00 $180.89 $646 +3.39
352–395 fancy 363 7 207.50–217.50 $214.19 $778 —
400 fancy 400 1 205.00 $205.00 $820 +10.00
400–435 417 10 171.00–182.50 $178.41 $744 +5.44
455–475 462 3 160.00–175.00 $165.14 $763 -12.88
505–530 516 4 150.00–158.00 $154.97 $800 -6.77
545 fancy 545 11 166.00 $166.00 $905 —
560–585 566 5 134.00–147.00 $139.35 $789 -7.01
600–640 623 6 132.00–145.00 $134.91 $840 -7.17
655–695 676 10 128.00–139.00 $133.99 $906 +3.99
790 790 1 120.00 $120.00 $948 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–482 478 4 150.00 $150.00 $717 +0.28
505 505 1 135.00 $135.00 $682 -5.05
595 595 1 128.00 $128.00 $762 —
600–635 618 2 123.00–126.00 $124.46 $769 -4.54
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 120.00 $120.00 $384 -20.00

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1090 979 85-90% 9 39.00–49.00 $46.11 $451 -17.89
890–1100 1023 85-90% 8 51.00–57.00 $53.47 $547 —
985–1165 1050 85-90% 5 58.00–62.00 $59.00 $620 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1385 1204 80-85% 9 53.00–60.00 $56.26 $677 —
1060–1430 1259 80-85% 12 61.00–67.00 $63.57 $800 -1.38
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1515 1515 75-80% 1 58.00 $58.00 $879 —
1485–1675 1558 75-80% 3 61.00–66.00 $63.11 $983 —
1530–1755 1657 75-80% 3 69.00–73.00 $71.03 $1,177 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1770 1518 3 82.00–88.00 $86.01 $1,306 —
1735–2070 1916 4 90.00–94.00 $91.94 $1,762 -5.06

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1160 1160 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 620.00 $620.00
1190 1190 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
1135–1255 1195 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 660.00–790.00 $728.26
1255 1255 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 940.00 $940.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825 825 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 680.00 $680.00

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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
1230 1230 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 720.00 $720.00 -90.00
1245 1245 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 860.00 $860.00 +50.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
880 880 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,090.00 $1,090.00 —

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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.