Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Monday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 15, 2025

624 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $342.62/cwt +4.27 vs last sale · ≈ $2,648/hd at 773 lb · 109 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $304.13/cwt +39.39 vs last sale · ≈ $2,614/hd at 859 lb · 67 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $324.75/cwt +6.75 vs last sale · ≈ $3,007/hd at 926 lb · 59 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 624 2,747 1,283
Feeder cattle 578 2,631 1,081
Slaughter cattle 44 112 193
Replacement cattle 2 4 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday the feeder market was mostly steady with a good quality offering. Good quality feeder steers and heifers 600 lbs and under were mostly steady with a limited supply and good demand for weaned and value added packages and groups. Yearlings appeared steady as well but with limited comparisons. Buyers were active and willing to pay premiums for quality, while discounting plainer and off colored calves severely. Slaughter cows were steady to 2.00 higher with a good supply and no trends on slaughter bulls due to 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
346 fancy 346 4 497.50 $497.50 $1,721 -12.61
415 fancy 415 1 458.00 $458.00 $1,901 -9.61
422 422 2 396.00 $396.00 $1,671 -43.89
520 value added 520 4 397.50–400.00 $398.75 $2,074 -12.89
510–542 538 8 373.00–392.00 $389.75 $2,097 +9.94
550–587 573 5 377.50–384.00 $380.87 $2,182 +4.57
605–610 608 2 364.00 $364.00 $2,213 +4.06
608 value added 608 8 382.00 $382.00 $2,323 -25.65
650–695 685 5 335.00–350.00 $338.86 $2,321 +12.44
715 715 1 321.00 $321.00 $2,295 -13.33
768 768 4 310.00 $310.00 $2,381 -13.30
750–788 value added 773 105 340.50–346.00 $343.86 $2,658 -4.45
845 845 1 305.00 $305.00 $2,577 -7.19
926 value added 926 59 324.75 $324.75 $3,007 —
997 997 8 304.00 $304.00 $3,031 +40.00
1025–1040 1033 2 286.00–305.00 $295.57 $3,053 +25.57
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452 452 2 341.00 $341.00 $1,541 -63.50
515 515 1 301.00 $301.00 $1,550 -53.53
550 550 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,650 -46.74
605–610 608 3 300.00–320.00 $312.53 $1,900 -14.47
660–665 663 2 295.00–313.00 $303.97 $2,015 -6.07
905 905 1 284.00 $284.00 $2,570 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1880–2190 2035 2 170.00–190.00 $179.24 $3,648 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,512 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
745 745 1 257.50 $257.50 $1,918 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,273 -13.91
378 fancy 378 3 400.00 $400.00 $1,512 -16.01
407–440 fancy 418 6 395.00–417.50 $409.61 $1,712 +8.37
410–440 435 6 375.00–380.00 $376.69 $1,639 +3.13
475 475 2 377.00 $377.00 $1,791 +14.13
533 533 4 360.00 $360.00 $1,919 -9.06
558–599 583 31 355.00–360.00 $357.60 $2,085 +12.85
600 600 2 320.00–347.00 $333.50 $2,001 -4.89
624–646 value added 642 54 341.00–342.75 $342.40 $2,198 -24.45
668 value added 668 27 343.00 $343.00 $2,291 +1.93
675–685 679 7 320.00–331.00 $325.50 $2,210 +7.18
720 720 17 320.00 $320.00 $2,304 +28.71
760–781 763 46 311.50–321.00 $312.98 $2,388 +21.69
859–862 value added 859 66 303.00–304.50 $304.36 $2,614 —
890 890 1 289.00 $289.00 $2,572 +24.26
981 981 5 273.00 $273.00 $2,678 +47.00
1031 1031 3 287.00 $287.00 $2,959 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,155 -32.95
510–540 525 2 320.00–327.50 $323.86 $1,700 -6.10
550–560 553 4 321.00–322.50 $322.12 $1,781 —
600–645 623 4 287.50–295.00 $289.99 $1,807 -27.73
675–690 682 3 230.00–297.50 $274.21 $1,870 +0.31
705 705 1 281.00 $281.00 $1,981 —
1055 1055 1 232.50 $232.50 $2,453 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,169 -31.69
490 490 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,470 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810 810 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,620 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1660 1660 1 177.00 $177.00 $2,938 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 410.00 $410.00 $1,578 -15.09
420 420 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,680 -2.51
435 fancy 435 6 446.00 $446.00 $1,940 —
560 560 1 353.00 $353.00 $1,977 +0.91
665–670 668 2 285.00–295.00 $289.98 $1,937 -27.76
720 720 1 263.00 $263.00 $1,894 -24.63
777 777 2 267.50 $267.50 $2,078 -20.81
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–495 480 2 330.00–357.50 $344.18 $1,652 -17.19
515–520 518 3 300.00–312.50 $307.49 $1,593 -17.56
615–645 630 2 275.00–287.00 $281.14 $1,771 -38.86
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 335.00 $335.00 $1,240 +4.42
465 465 1 272.50 $272.50 $1,267 -42.50
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630 630 1 274.00 $274.00 $1,726 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1250 1124 80-85% 10 157.00–168.00 $163.55 $1,838 —
1175–1345 1260 80-85% 2 147.00–152.00 $149.67 $1,886 —
1250–1365 1300 80-85% 3 171.00–176.00 $173.30 $2,253 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415–1555 1485 75-80% 2 167.00–171.00 $168.91 $2,508 +6.69
1325–1655 1507 75-80% 12 175.00–188.00 $181.28 $2,732 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
760–975 868 85-90% 2 121.00–127.00 $124.37 $1,080 +10.03
1065 1065 85-90% 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,480 —
1065–1395 1214 85-90% 5 153.00–165.00 $158.57 $1,925 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1700–1940 1820 2 205.00–210.00 $207.66 $3,779 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1020–1055 1038 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 175.00–187.50 $181.36 $1,883

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
990 990 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,650 —

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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.