Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 20, 2023

298 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $214.50/cwt ≈ $1,943/hd at 906 lb · 63 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $267.18/cwt +5.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,260/hd at 472 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 298 604 288
Feeder cattle 251 488 242
Slaughter cattle 29 84 37
Replacement cattle 18 32 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison this week due to a low number of receipts on feeder calves. There was a higher undertone noted with good buyer participation. 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
325 325 1 255.00 $255.00 $829 -6.84
375 fancy 375 2 280.00 $280.00 $1,050 -5.00
440 value added 440 1 272.50 $272.50 $1,199 —
464 value added 464 6 274.00 $274.00 $1,271 —
475–490 483 4 247.50–262.50 $256.96 $1,241 -4.48
505 505 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,162 -15.82
525 value added 525 1 251.00 $251.00 $1,318 -24.00
562 value added 562 4 248.00 $248.00 $1,394 -17.00
603–645 616 5 230.00–234.00 $231.43 $1,426 +17.49
616 value added 616 3 245.00 $245.00 $1,509 +11.05
710 value added 710 6 220.00 $220.00 $1,562 +6.00
700–735 718 2 190.00–197.00 $193.59 $1,390 -15.48
855 855 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,582 —
906 value added 906 63 214.50 $214.50 $1,943 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,160 —
660–670 665 2 162.50–168.00 $165.27 $1,099 —
700–710 705 2 157.00–170.00 $163.45 $1,152 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 237.50 $237.50 $665 —
580 580 1 221.00 $221.00 $1,282 -14.00
625 625 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,325 —
690 690 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,442 +10.00
Medium 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 1 120.00 $120.00 $606 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 230.00 $230.00 $506 +10.00
320 320 1 235.00 $235.00 $752 +25.00
360 fancy 360 4 252.50 $252.50 $909 —
370–375 373 2 220.00–235.00 $227.45 $848 +4.19
485 485 2 213.00 $213.00 $1,033 -0.54
517 value added 517 2 230.00 $230.00 $1,189 —
530 530 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,113 +7.97
617–630 622 8 207.00–211.00 $209.48 $1,303 +22.24
657 657 5 199.00 $199.00 $1,307 +1.00
740 740 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,169 -18.50
785 785 2 159.00 $159.00 $1,248 -19.00
805–806 806 5 130.00–147.00 $143.60 $1,157 —
1060 1060 12 144.00 $144.00 $1,526 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–390 385 2 190.00–200.00 $195.06 $751 +7.55
440 440 1 206.00 $206.00 $906 +8.54
470 470 1 191.00 $191.00 $898 +2.49
565–595 583 3 185.00–197.00 $191.31 $1,115 +10.46
630–635 633 2 178.00–187.50 $182.73 $1,157 +5.73
688 688 3 175.00 $175.00 $1,204 -2.50
995 995 1 117.50 $117.50 $1,169 -18.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 174.00 $174.00 $922 +7.00
655 655 1 159.00 $159.00 $1,041 -4.26
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700 700 1 128.00 $128.00 $896 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 255.00 $255.00 $701 -10.00
400–420 407 3 240.00–260.00 $250.16 $1,018 -14.56
410 fancy 410 2 277.50 $277.50 $1,138 —
490 490 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,250 +5.14
500–525 508 3 229.00–239.00 $235.56 $1,197 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 1 212.50 $212.50 $542 —
350 350 1 207.50 $207.50 $726 —
685 685 2 159.00 $159.00 $1,089 —
910 910 1 122.00 $122.00 $1,110 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 230.00 $230.00 $816 —
430 430 2 215.00 $215.00 $924 -25.00
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 140.00 $140.00 $812 —
Medium 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 135.00 $135.00 $513 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1170–1375 1235 80-85% 4 81.00–91.00 $88.14 $1,089 +1.88
1215–1285 1250 80-85% 2 72.00–80.00 $76.11 $951 -0.61
1245–1305 1282 80-85% 3 93.00–98.00 $95.29 $1,222 +18.57
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–915 903 85-90% 2 87.00–91.00 $89.03 $804 —
860–1020 940 85-90% 2 59.00–66.00 $62.80 $590 —
780–1285 1033 85-90% 2 48.00–49.00 $48.62 $502 —
890–1225 1058 85-90% 2 74.00–80.00 $76.52 $810 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1365 1365 75-80% 1 86.00 $86.00 $1,174 —
1305–1625 1448 75-80% 3 91.00–93.00 $92.03 $1,333 +6.01

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1765 1467 3 110.00–115.00 $113.31 $1,662 —
1255–1670 1508 6 94.00–105.00 $100.20 $1,511 -0.78

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 500.00 $500.00
1145 1145 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 950.00 $950.00
1195 1195 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 875.00 $875.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
760 760 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 400.00 $400.00

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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
1335 1335 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00 -300.00
1375 1375 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,225.00 $1,225.00 —
1415–1475 1445 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,800.00–1,900.00 $1,848.96 —
1725 1725 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,710.00 $1,710.00 —

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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.