Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 3, 2024

1,150 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 $234.56/cwt +21.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,746/hd at 744 lb · 156 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $194.56/cwt +36.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,410/hd at 725 lb · 75 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $215.75/cwt ≈ $1,235/hd at 573 lb · 71 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,150 298 709
Feeder cattle 1,069 251 614
Slaughter cattle 75 29 90
Replacement cattle 6 18 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trend due to being closed for the holidays. There was a good quality offering of feeders with several weaned preconditioned packages.

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
345 345 1 260.00 $260.00 $897 +5.00
350 fancy 350 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,050 +20.00
405 405 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,012 —
432 value added 432 7 290.00 $290.00 $1,253 +17.50
460–490 470 4 250.00–275.00 $267.26 $1,256 +10.30
470–490 value added 482 8 282.50–295.00 $287.49 $1,386 +13.49
500 500 1 252.00 $252.00 $1,260 +22.00
510–525 value added 517 7 272.50–282.50 $275.13 $1,422 +24.13
550–577 value added 567 36 271.00–282.50 $273.60 $1,551 +25.60
557–580 570 8 249.00–263.00 $255.81 $1,458 —
600–609 value added 607 10 248.00–255.00 $250.10 $1,518 +5.10
605–643 625 16 238.00–244.00 $240.32 $1,502 +8.89
650 value added 650 11 242.00 $242.00 $1,573 —
650–690 667 18 227.50–239.00 $232.41 $1,550 —
700–710 706 6 222.00–225.00 $223.50 $1,578 +29.91
746 value added 746 150 235.00 $235.00 $1,753 —
750–792 768 7 212.00–226.00 $217.67 $1,672 —
791 value added 791 31 218.25 $218.25 $1,726 —
800–815 811 8 203.00–210.00 $204.85 $1,661 —
859 value added 859 66 222.00 $222.00 $1,907 —
1030 1030 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,648 —
1080 1080 2 160.00 $160.00 $1,728 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,023 —
470 470 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,116 —
525 525 2 235.00 $235.00 $1,234 —
555–590 577 9 225.00–244.00 $237.50 $1,370 +16.50
625–640 636 13 217.00–227.00 $224.27 $1,426 +12.27
655–691 675 10 212.00–224.00 $219.57 $1,482 +10.57
780 780 1 201.00 $201.00 $1,568 —
830 830 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,577 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
526 526 3 212.00 $212.00 $1,115 —
630 630 2 208.00 $208.00 $1,310 —
680 680 1 193.00 $193.00 $1,312 +27.73
720–745 733 3 178.00–185.00 $181.03 $1,327 +17.58
750–795 765 3 170.00–182.00 $174.16 $1,332 —
810 810 1 172.50 $172.50 $1,397 —
875 875 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,444 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 225.00 $225.00 $855 -2.45
406–439 value added 426 12 245.00–257.50 $248.27 $1,058 —
440 440 1 222.50 $222.50 $979 —
450–481 value added 479 30 231.00–247.00 $232.47 $1,114 —
450–495 480 3 220.00–224.00 $222.75 $1,069 +9.75
501–545 523 21 216.00–230.00 $221.55 $1,159 +11.55
532 value added 532 9 234.00 $234.00 $1,245 +4.00
560–573 value added 572 48 220.00–221.00 $220.06 $1,259 —
555–597 574 23 201.00–214.00 $206.76 $1,187 —
603–605 value added 604 7 210.00–211.00 $210.57 $1,272 —
600–638 628 34 193.00–207.00 $201.38 $1,265 -8.10
650–672 661 23 180.00–190.00 $187.85 $1,242 -11.15
698 value added 698 33 197.25 $197.25 $1,377 —
710–733 724 32 182.00–191.00 $189.57 $1,372 +31.57
705–733 value added 725 43 197.25–201.00 $198.27 $1,437 —
770–778 777 12 170.00–179.50 $178.72 $1,389 +19.72
800–815 805 7 164.00–172.00 $169.14 $1,362 +25.54
871 871 5 184.50 $184.50 $1,607 —
1057 1057 2 152.00 $152.00 $1,607 +8.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–395 372 3 205.00–210.00 $207.42 $772 +12.36
460–477 475 7 202.00–212.50 $203.45 $966 +12.45
570 570 1 183.00 $183.00 $1,043 -8.31
610–645 627 6 180.00–188.00 $184.34 $1,156 +1.61
690 690 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,208 ±0.00
735 735 1 162.50 $162.50 $1,194 —
750 750 1 159.00 $159.00 $1,192 —
815–830 823 2 139.00–150.00 $144.55 $1,190 —
870 870 2 145.00 $145.00 $1,262 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 182.00 $182.00 $837 —
515 515 1 175.00 $175.00 $901 +1.00
575 575 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,092 —
625 625 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,000 —
720 720 1 149.00 $149.00 $1,073 —
860 860 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,032 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
675 675 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,141 —
735 735 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,176 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880 880 1 136.00 $136.00 $1,197 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 1 145.00 $145.00 $892 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 252.50 $252.50 $795 —
410–427 fancy 420 7 275.00–282.50 $277.79 $1,167 +0.29
405–445 422 3 255.00–265.00 $259.84 $1,097 +9.68
465 465 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,162 -5.00
500–535 520 4 230.00–244.00 $238.84 $1,242 +3.28
520 fancy 520 1 267.00 $267.00 $1,388 —
550 fancy 550 1 246.00 $246.00 $1,353 —
575–595 582 6 222.00–230.00 $225.99 $1,315 —
626 626 4 204.00 $204.00 $1,277 —
665–680 676 4 189.00–197.00 $194.03 $1,312 —
830 830 2 166.00 $166.00 $1,378 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,008 +25.00
480 480 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,044 —
555–585 570 2 214.00–216.00 $214.97 $1,225 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
660 660 1 150.00 $150.00 $990 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 179.00 $179.00 $1,047 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1025 993 85-90% 2 82.00–86.00 $84.07 $835 —
910–1140 1003 85-90% 7 60.00–66.00 $63.69 $639 +15.07
725–1170 1026 85-90% 14 70.00–81.00 $76.82 $788 +28.20
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1205 1185 80-85% 2 76.00–80.00 $77.97 $924 —
1085–1385 1236 80-85% 9 81.00–91.00 $84.83 $1,048 -3.31
1220–1445 1304 80-85% 7 93.00–103.00 $96.78 $1,262 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405–1575 1513 75-80% 3 83.00–90.00 $86.33 $1,306 —
1425–1880 1572 75-80% 10 92.00–102.00 $96.30 $1,514 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1645 1401 5 88.00–106.00 $97.66 $1,368 —
1375–2315 1789 11 109.00–118.00 $114.33 $2,045 —
1900 1900 1 124.00 $124.00 $2,356 —

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Bred Cows

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
845 845 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 450.00 $450.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
955 955 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,025.00 $1,025.00

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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.