Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 21, 2022

288 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $175.00/cwt +11.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,250/hd at 714 lb · 75 head
heavy 2-weight M&L 1-2 steers $150.00/cwt ≈ $412/hd at 275 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 288 754 246
Feeder cattle 242 680 173
Slaughter cattle 37 62 53
Replacement cattle 9 12 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeders sold steady on a light test. 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
275 275 12 150.00 $150.00 $412 —
370–390 377 3 160.00–172.00 $164.14 $619 -15.86
450 450 2 160.00 $160.00 $720 -11.48
520–542 535 3 153.00–154.00 $153.68 $822 -22.58
565–570 568 2 150.00–154.00 $151.99 $863 -22.50
605–630 622 3 152.00 $152.00 $945 -13.81
714 value added 714 75 175.00 $175.00 $1,250 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352 352 2 129.00 $129.00 $454 —
455–495 475 2 131.00–140.00 $135.69 $645 —
520 520 1 135.00 $135.00 $702 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 125.00 $125.00 $388 -40.11
350–390 373 3 130.00–136.00 $133.11 $497 -26.37
405–440 423 7 130.00–136.00 $133.71 $566 -21.03
465–480 470 4 140.00–143.00 $141.25 $664 -12.25
500–535 522 9 125.00–135.00 $129.89 $678 -17.35
552–590 575 8 127.00–140.00 $132.39 $761 -11.24
625 625 2 125.00 $125.00 $781 -10.62
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565–567 566 3 111.00–123.00 $119.01 $674 -10.99
602 602 3 108.00 $108.00 $650 -10.98
687 687 2 105.00 $105.00 $721 -21.46
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 2 122.00 $122.00 $354 —
360 360 2 123.00 $123.00 $443 —
470–490 483 3 129.00–130.00 $129.32 $625 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
277 277 2 135.00 $135.00 $374 —
325 325 1 112.50 $112.50 $366 —
465 465 1 109.00 $109.00 $507 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 150.00 $150.00 $390 -12.50
310–330 323 3 140.00 $140.00 $452 -30.00
382 382 2 150.00 $150.00 $573 -30.89
405 405 1 150.00 $150.00 $608 -28.41
470–495 481 7 149.00–150.00 $149.86 $721 -15.28
520–523 522 5 131.00–140.00 $132.79 $693 -22.18
562–580 568 3 134.00–135.00 $134.66 $765 -4.69
645 645 2 132.00 $132.00 $851 -2.91
695 695 2 129.00 $129.00 $897 -4.99
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 2 135.00 $135.00 $628 -15.00
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 120.00 $120.00 $408 ±0.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1305 1153 80-85% 7 62.00–67.00 $64.21 $740 —
1170–1315 1223 80-85% 3 50.00–55.00 $53.21 $651 -3.05
1100–1355 1245 80-85% 7 68.00–74.00 $70.34 $876 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–940 908 85-90% 2 50.00–54.00 $52.07 $473 —
850–1095 958 85-90% 4 38.00–48.00 $41.78 $400 -4.33
1010 1010 85-90% 1 65.00 $65.00 $656 +11.53
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1405 1278 75-80% 2 61.00–65.00 $63.20 $808 —
1300–1665 1490 75-80% 5 68.00–77.00 $72.25 $1,077 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525 1525 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,296 -1.01
1715–1835 1775 2 104.00–112.00 $108.14 $1,919 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
855–930 893 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 350.00–390.00 $370.84
810–1165 1007 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 500.00–790.00 $667.24
1155–1245 1193 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 550.00–860.00 $707.70

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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.