Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 21, 2023

311 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $236.00/cwt +3.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,881/hd at 797 lb · 69 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $233.95/cwt +5.26 vs last sale · ≈ $1,932/hd at 826 lb · 67 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $185.27/cwt -19.53 vs last sale · ≈ $1,165/hd at 629 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 311 1,423 1,229
Feeder cattle 262 1,221 1,124
Slaughter cattle 49 119 105
Replacement cattle — 83 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday weaned steer calves sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher in a light test. Feeder heifers sold steady in a light test. Yearling steers sold 2.00 higher with good demand. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 3.00 higher with good demand.

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
657 657 14 235.00 $235.00 $1,544 +11.39
797 value added 797 69 236.00 $236.00 $1,881 +3.57
826 value added 826 67 233.95 $233.95 $1,932 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 1 230.00 $230.00 $862 —
650 650 6 195.00 $195.00 $1,268 -17.25
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1925 1925 1 134.00 $134.00 $2,580 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 205.00 $205.00 $758 +8.75
380 value added 380 2 227.50 $227.50 $864 —
614–641 629 14 179.00–194.00 $185.27 $1,165 -18.20
750 750 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,350 -2.46
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–520 517 3 179.00–184.00 $182.35 $943 —
585 585 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,053 —
645 645 2 176.00 $176.00 $1,135 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475–485 480 2 181.00–182.00 $181.49 $871 +0.98
500 500 1 180.00 $180.00 $900 -3.14
640 640 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,088 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 245.00 $245.00 $931 +5.69
475 475 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,033 -17.50
510–523 521 8 215.00–216.00 $215.88 $1,125 -9.12
600–640 625 6 172.50–203.00 $188.97 $1,181 -9.33
652–697 671 12 175.00–187.00 $181.04 $1,215 +2.59
700–740 713 3 169.00–170.00 $169.65 $1,210 -34.32
810 810 1 193.00 $193.00 $1,563 —
915 915 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,190 -1.00
1160 1160 1 103.00 $103.00 $1,195 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 217.50 $217.50 $685 -3.65
434–440 435 7 190.00–192.50 $190.36 $828 -7.14
490 490 1 181.00 $181.00 $887 -23.12
511–535 517 4 190.00–211.00 $195.43 $1,010 +4.88
550–577 569 5 174.00–200.00 $185.58 $1,056 -4.20
607–630 615 3 145.00–170.00 $153.54 $944 -18.34
790 790 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,185 —
840 840 1 100.00 $100.00 $840 -13.16

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230 1230 75-80% 1 99.00 $99.00 $1,218 —
1000–1515 1268 75-80% 3 88.00–91.00 $89.87 $1,140 —
1210–1855 1540 75-80% 12 100.00–114.00 $105.81 $1,629 +10.21
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1090 1045 85-90% 3 94.00–101.00 $97.70 $1,021 +18.23
970–1330 1114 85-90% 7 80.00–88.00 $84.03 $936 -9.62
1080–1165 1130 85-90% 3 70.00–80.00 $76.47 $864 -17.18
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135 1135 80-85% 1 89.00 $89.00 $1,010 —
1250–1475 1383 80-85% 6 101.00–114.00 $105.74 $1,462 —
1440 1440 80-85% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,382 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395–1660 1528 2 120.00–123.00 $121.37 $1,855 —
1555–1980 1824 4 127.00–137.00 $131.51 $2,399 —

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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.