Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 23, 2024

1,265 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $225.84/cwt +33.84 vs last sale · ≈ $2,127/hd at 942 lb · 125 head

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $265.67/cwt +15.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,545/hd at 582 lb · 118 head

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $294.91/cwt +2.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,842/hd at 625 lb · 82 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,265	1,001	729
Feeder cattle	1,129	939	610
Slaughter cattle	117	62	119
Replacement cattle	19	—	0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers sold mostly 5.00 to 10.00 higher with very good demand for weaned packages; some 400-500 lb weaned heifer packages sharply higher. Yearling 600-800 lbs thin fleshed packages 5.00 higher; feeders over 800 lb sold steady. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
325	325	1	319.00	$319.00	$1,037	—
335 value added	335	1	327.50	$327.50	$1,097	—
365 value added	365	1	342.50	$342.50	$1,250	—
425	425	1	308.00	$308.00	$1,309	+9.00
400–447 value added	429	25	311.00–345.00	$332.04	$1,424	+18.98
456–480 value added	468	20	309.00–333.00	$323.65	$1,515	+14.65
475–492	485	8	291.00–297.50	$293.30	$1,423	—
500–545 value added	535	27	294.00–313.00	$301.67	$1,614	-8.45
535	535	4	282.00	$282.00	$1,509	—
559–590 value added	574	44	292.00–312.50	$307.15	$1,763	-12.42
567–595	581	4	267.50–290.00	$278.48	$1,618	+3.60
600–632 thin fleshed	624	51	299.95–302.00	$300.34	$1,874	—
600–645 value added	625	28	274.00–298.00	$288.79	$1,805	-4.62
620–645	635	3	256.00–263.00	$259.71	$1,649	+0.71
663–678	671	6	262.00–265.00	$263.48	$1,768	—
662–690 value added	678	60	268.00–299.00	$286.61	$1,943	+1.00
690 thin fleshed	690	1	300.00	$300.00	$2,070	—
720 value added	720	3	269.00	$269.00	$1,937	+4.07
751–785 value added	763	42	251.00–269.00	$264.04	$2,015	+7.91
790	790	1	238.00	$238.00	$1,880	—
822–830	827	5	226.00–240.00	$234.43	$1,939	+7.08
860–890	865	41	219.00–231.00	$230.40	$1,993	+6.40
930–943 fancy	942	125	225.70–241.00	$225.84	$2,127	—
971–997	975	13	201.00–215.00	$203.20	$1,981	+13.20

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
360	360	1	240.00	$240.00	$864	-40.00
405	405	1	261.00	$261.00	$1,057	—
477–480	478	3	241.00–270.00	$260.29	$1,244	+0.29
600–627	618	3	242.00–248.00	$246.06	$1,521	+8.06
760	760	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,672	—
800	800	1	210.00	$210.00	$1,680	—
880	880	2	210.00	$210.00	$1,848	—
916	916	20	201.00	$201.00	$1,841	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
500	500	2	266.00	$266.00	$1,330	—
576	576	10	271.50	$271.50	$1,564	—
700	700	2	235.00	$235.00	$1,645	—
775	775	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,860	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1145	1145	1	172.00	$172.00	$1,969	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
352–395	374	7	276.00–286.00	$283.39	$1,060	+0.13
400–447 value added	434	9	267.50–301.00	$291.51	$1,265	+28.82
450–485 value added	463	13	275.00–299.00	$285.34	$1,321	+27.54
460–470	467	3	260.00	$260.00	$1,214	+15.22
507–528 value added	520	10	263.00–279.00	$272.66	$1,418	+17.44
515–537	530	4	256.00–261.00	$258.77	$1,371	+13.81
530	530	3	281.00	$281.00	$1,489	+36.04
550–564	557	16	279.00–281.00	$279.74	$1,558	+32.98
565–580	574	4	254.00–259.00	$255.75	$1,468	+8.99
562–589 value added	586	98	262.00–277.00	$263.78	$1,546	+10.78
606–607	607	11	266.00–267.00	$266.27	$1,616	+34.27
600–635 value added	623	7	240.00–264.00	$256.65	$1,599	+3.50
666	666	18	265.00	$265.00	$1,765	+40.00
669 value added	669	57	257.50	$257.50	$1,723	+9.92
702–705	704	5	221.00–224.00	$222.80	$1,569	+8.96
700–726 value added	709	58	232.00–240.00	$234.87	$1,665	+5.21
755	755	2	220.00	$220.00	$1,661	+15.01
760–775	763	5	199.00–209.00	$201.23	$1,535	-3.76
756–794 value added	791	44	228.75–236.00	$229.38	$1,814	+5.43
845	845	1	190.00	$190.00	$1,606	—
855	855	1	180.00	$180.00	$1,539	-11.78
857 value added	857	2	224.00	$224.00	$1,920	—
932 value added	932	7	199.00	$199.00	$1,855	—
961 value added	961	13	196.50	$196.50	$1,888	—
995	995	1	181.00	$181.00	$1,801	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
330	330	1	260.00	$260.00	$858	+27.50
355–365	363	6	225.00–245.00	$229.29	$832	-14.38
415–440	428	2	250.00–260.00	$255.15	$1,092	+24.15
475–482	480	3	237.50–245.00	$239.98	$1,152	+2.59
590	590	1	250.00	$250.00	$1,475	+14.96
600	600	2	231.00	$231.00	$1,386	+22.58
650–665	658	2	191.00–220.00	$205.67	$1,353	—
740–745	743	2	180.00–184.00	$182.01	$1,352	—
760	760	1	160.00	$160.00	$1,216	-10.00
875–885	880	2	145.00–153.00	$149.02	$1,311	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
720	720	1	201.00	$201.00	$1,447	—
796 value added	796	5	225.00	$225.00	$1,791	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1070–1335	1180	4	133.00–165.00	$146.49	$1,729	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
510	510	2	200.00	$200.00	$1,020	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
450–485	462	3	299.00–305.00	$301.10	$1,391	+22.81
490 value added	490	2	309.00	$309.00	$1,514	+20.98
515–522 value added	517	6	287.00–305.00	$297.04	$1,536	+13.44
500–535	523	3	265.00–271.00	$269.09	$1,407	+2.38
585	585	1	262.00	$262.00	$1,533	-7.00
620–625	623	2	241.00–248.00	$244.49	$1,523	+5.51
655 value added	655	2	261.00	$261.00	$1,710	—
670–690	680	2	240.00–246.00	$242.96	$1,652	+2.37
744	744	5	236.00	$236.00	$1,756	+10.00
862–890	866	7	159.00–180.00	$176.92	$1,532	-20.08
925–945	935	2	154.00–165.00	$159.56	$1,492	—
955	955	2	185.00	$185.00	$1,767	—
1082	1082	2	145.00	$145.00	$1,569	—
1165	1165	1	150.00	$150.00	$1,748	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
326	326	5	287.00	$287.00	$936	—
365–372	370	3	261.00–287.00	$278.44	$1,030	+15.55
425	425	2	240.00	$240.00	$1,020	—
495	495	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,188	+8.00
530	530	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,272	+0.97
575–595	585	2	232.00–238.00	$235.05	$1,375	—
735	735	1	212.00	$212.00	$1,558	+12.00
990	990	1	145.00	$145.00	$1,436	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
782	782	2	212.00	$212.00	$1,658	—

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1365–1380	1373	75-80%	2	110.00	$110.00	$1,510	—
1185–1950	1427	75-80%	20	113.00–124.00	$119.80	$1,710	-2.48
1285–2075	1490	75-80%	34	124.00–137.00	$129.04	$1,923	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
985–1420	1158	80-85%	9	114.00–125.00	$120.46	$1,395	—
850–1655	1271	80-85%	15	126.00–145.00	$135.12	$1,717	-1.27

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
615	615	85-90%	1	102.50	$102.50	$630	—
980	980	85-90%	1	88.00	$88.00	$862	-0.21
890–1185	1058	85-90%	5	108.00–113.00	$110.42	$1,168	—
820–1180	1067	85-90%	10	115.00–129.00	$120.28	$1,283	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1380–2055	1607	5	132.00–153.00	$148.09	$2,380	—
1610–2100	1852	5	158.00–179.00	$164.00	$3,037	—

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
850–1290	1070	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	2	116.00–129.00	$121.16	$1,296

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1000	1000	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	1,475.00	$1,475.00
1065	1065	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,450.00	$1,450.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
830	830	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	775.00	$775.00

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
635	635	1	142.50	$142.50	$905	—
700	700	1	137.50	$137.50	$962	—
801–810	803	4	127.00–145.00	$140.46	$1,128	—
925–940	933	2	117.00–145.00	$131.11	$1,223	—

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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.