Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 16, 2024

115 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $200.84/cwt -3.56 vs last sale · ≈ $926/hd at 461 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 115 2,243 800
Feeder cattle 82 2,160 762
Slaughter cattle 33 83 38

Market comments — USDA reporter

No market trends- light receipts due to winter weather. Good demand for slaughter cows noted.

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
402–430 411 3 249.00–260.00 $252.83 $1,039 -7.17
455–477 470 3 254.00–261.00 $258.74 $1,216 +0.79
507–525 518 5 241.00–267.00 $249.41 $1,292 —
623 623 3 222.00 $222.00 $1,383 -7.49
662 662 2 214.00 $214.00 $1,417 -12.55
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
620 620 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,184 -22.46

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 200.00 $200.00 $810 -3.06
458–485 461 10 191.00–202.00 $200.84 $926 -0.50
510–515 513 2 210.00–213.00 $211.51 $1,085 +12.45
550–585 569 8 205.00–213.00 $208.23 $1,185 +6.99
600–630 606 8 187.00–209.00 $195.83 $1,187 +8.00
662–675 666 3 184.00–194.00 $190.62 $1,270 +0.01
750 750 1 137.00 $137.00 $1,028 -51.00
935 935 1 162.00 $162.00 $1,515 -1.00
1120–1135 1128 2 109.00–154.00 $131.65 $1,485 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 170.00 $170.00 $552 -2.50
435 435 1 169.00 $169.00 $735 -18.00
735 735 1 117.00 $117.00 $860 -37.00
840 840 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,016 -30.27
930–935 933 2 118.00–130.00 $123.98 $1,157 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 2 237.00 $237.00 $853 —
450 450 2 242.00–259.00 $250.50 $1,127 —
542 542 2 235.00 $235.00 $1,274 -5.30
600–605 601 6 200.00–214.00 $206.50 $1,241 +4.49
760 760 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,292 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–435 418 2 200.00–235.00 $218.23 $912 -21.77
485 485 1 188.00 $188.00 $912 -52.00
555–595 581 4 188.00–214.00 $194.98 $1,133 -25.02
675 675 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,114 +3.54
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 165.00 $165.00 $446 —
370 370 1 143.00 $143.00 $529 -67.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
625 625 1 177.00 $177.00 $1,106 +2.00

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1255 1218 75-80% 4 95.00–103.00 $100.20 $1,220 —
1260–1480 1403 75-80% 4 108.00–117.00 $112.19 $1,574 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 85-90% 1 64.00 $64.00 $438 —
850–860 855 85-90% 2 87.00–89.00 $87.99 $752 —
805–1240 1077 85-90% 3 97.00–103.00 $100.04 $1,077 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050 1050 80-85% 1 91.00 $91.00 $956 —
1145–1215 1180 80-85% 2 110.00–114.00 $112.06 $1,322 —
1075–1345 1210 80-85% 2 103.00–104.00 $103.44 $1,252 +15.89

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1560–1645 1603 2 126.00–129.00 $127.54 $2,044 —
1655 1655 1 111.00 $111.00 $1,837 —

↑ 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.