Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 31, 2023

476 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $224.94/cwt +8.05 vs last sale · ≈ $1,279/hd at 569 lb · 44 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $257.46/cwt +1.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,189/hd at 462 lb · 33 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $255.33/cwt +8.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,434/hd at 562 lb · 30 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 476 529 344
Feeder cattle 435 480 279
Slaughter cattle 41 35 65
Replacement cattle — 14 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers sold mostly steady. Slaughter cows sold steady to 4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold steady on a light test.

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
210 210 1 250.00 $250.00 $525 —
310–345 326 7 260.00–275.00 $266.22 $868 -15.05
350–390 372 6 252.50–267.50 $259.09 $964 -3.41
405–445 435 5 247.50–262.50 $253.77 $1,104 +2.20
450–492 462 33 250.00–261.00 $257.46 $1,189 +6.49
509–540 value added 522 17 261.00–266.00 $263.28 $1,374 +21.61
540–541 541 11 237.00–254.00 $251.46 $1,360 +20.41
555–560 value added 559 14 261.00 $261.00 $1,459 —
550–595 564 16 245.00–258.00 $250.37 $1,412 +3.14
600–640 623 9 232.00–244.00 $241.62 $1,505 +5.47
640 value added 640 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,600 +0.07
700–740 722 3 214.00–224.00 $220.25 $1,590 +14.25
770 770 1 219.00 $219.00 $1,686 —
800 800 2 194.00 $194.00 $1,552 +10.00
860–870 865 2 195.00–205.00 $200.03 $1,730 —
945 945 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,796 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 3 245.00 $245.00 $963 —
495 495 1 224.00 $224.00 $1,109 -12.52
530 530 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,177 +11.00
565 565 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,243 -1.00
620 620 2 218.00 $218.00 $1,352 +23.00
675 675 1 217.00 $217.00 $1,465 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 3 227.00 $227.00 $1,044 +17.00
590 590 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,328 —
645 645 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,232 —
680 680 1 194.00 $194.00 $1,319 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570 570 1 206.00 $206.00 $1,174 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–395 370 19 218.00–236.00 $229.52 $849 +8.53
419–428 value added 422 12 235.00–238.00 $236.99 $1,000 -2.11
400–445 428 10 219.00–231.00 $225.00 $963 -3.54
450–497 472 15 220.00–233.00 $228.34 $1,078 +2.36
501–540 515 9 211.00–224.00 $220.01 $1,133 +1.45
540 value added 540 1 229.00 $229.00 $1,237 -3.38
557–563 value added 561 24 229.00–230.00 $229.12 $1,285 +2.55
550–595 578 20 210.00–226.00 $219.92 $1,271 +10.77
622–625 623 6 192.00–202.00 $200.33 $1,248 +0.02
715–745 742 9 174.00–189.00 $187.39 $1,390 +17.39
780 780 1 154.00 $154.00 $1,201 -4.48
805 805 1 147.50 $147.50 $1,187 -22.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285–295 290 2 192.50–202.50 $197.59 $573 —
315 315 2 201.00 $201.00 $633 —
375–390 383 2 207.50–210.00 $208.73 $799 —
417 417 2 210.00 $210.00 $876 -2.37
475 475 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,026 +9.95
500–540 520 2 189.00–195.00 $192.12 $999 -10.61
570–590 578 3 190.00–208.00 $201.75 $1,166 —
610–645 628 2 180.00–188.00 $184.11 $1,156 +10.11
650–680 665 13 163.00–171.00 $166.45 $1,107 +11.07
700 700 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,155 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 179.00 $179.00 $1,047 —
600–640 615 4 161.00–166.00 $164.22 $1,010 +9.22
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
427 427 2 183.00 $183.00 $781 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 209.00 $209.00 $815 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 247.50 $247.50 $582 —
290 290 1 257.50 $257.50 $747 —
340 340 1 252.50 $252.50 $858 —
350 350 1 270.00 $270.00 $945 +23.88
400–445 424 8 240.00–252.50 $244.86 $1,038 +1.68
457–480 469 4 247.50–260.00 $253.60 $1,189 +7.27
507–535 517 6 214.00–226.00 $220.75 $1,141 +4.46
550–585 568 2 212.00–216.00 $213.94 $1,215 -13.73
605 605 1 207.00 $207.00 $1,252 -4.08
935–940 938 2 125.00 $125.00 $1,172 -45.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 200.00 $200.00 $490 —
335–345 340 2 230.00–237.50 $233.81 $795 —
370–395 383 2 230.00–240.00 $234.84 $899 —
435 435 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,022 —
485–495 490 2 223.00 $223.00 $1,093 +6.00
525 525 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,050 —
595 595 2 176.00–187.00 $181.50 $1,080 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 205.00 $205.00 $861 —
540 540 1 201.00 $201.00 $1,085 —
565–597 586 3 210.00–211.00 $210.68 $1,235 —
600 600 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,092 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1485 1307 80-85% 14 102.00–113.00 $105.94 $1,385 —
1200–1470 1330 80-85% 6 95.00–100.00 $97.82 $1,301 —
1340 1340 80-85% 1 87.00 $87.00 $1,166 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
795–1145 910 85-90% 4 75.00–85.00 $80.53 $733 —
805–1170 1023 85-90% 10 90.00–99.00 $93.94 $961 +0.12
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1475–1780 1628 75-80% 2 98.00–105.00 $101.83 $1,658 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285 1285 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,388 —
1840–1930 1885 2 126.00–138.00 $131.86 $2,486 +25.50

↑ Back to top

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.