Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 28, 2024

770 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $244.10/cwt +15.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,321/hd at 951 lb · 106 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $247.65/cwt +3.19 vs last sale · ≈ $2,241/hd at 905 lb · 60 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $288.08/cwt +2.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,799/hd at 624 lb · 38 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 770 682 953
Feeder cattle 645 632 727
Slaughter cattle 121 50 217
Replacement cattle 4 — 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers sold steady to 5.00 higher with very good demand for weaned packages and yearlings. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher with very good demand. Slaughter bulls sold steady 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
335 value added 335 2 347.50 $347.50 $1,164 +16.08
380 value added 380 2 362.00 $362.00 $1,376 +17.64
425 425 2 304.00 $304.00 $1,292 —
415–445 value added 430 3 315.00–320.00 $317.63 $1,366 -20.20
458–495 value added 478 16 312.50–327.50 $321.52 $1,537 +4.87
490 490 1 294.00 $294.00 $1,441 -13.29
500–545 value added 524 21 299.00–330.00 $312.16 $1,636 —
510–542 526 4 281.00–290.00 $285.76 $1,503 —
550–585 value added 564 20 287.50–317.00 $309.35 $1,745 +2.09
601 thin fleshed 601 4 307.00 $307.00 $1,845 —
600–637 616 7 251.00–268.00 $263.10 $1,621 —
602–641 value added 630 27 270.00–305.00 $291.76 $1,838 +5.79
660 660 1 252.50 $252.50 $1,666 —
680–695 value added 683 5 276.00–285.00 $279.62 $1,910 -1.38
710–715 value added 714 4 253.00–267.00 $263.52 $1,882 +10.52
758 value added 758 4 256.00 $256.00 $1,940 —
816–819 817 22 238.00–243.00 $241.86 $1,976 —
900 900 1 221.00 $221.00 $1,989 +11.00
905 fancy 905 59 248.10 $248.10 $2,245 +3.10
951 fancy 951 106 244.10 $244.10 $2,321 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205 1205 1 142.00 $142.00 $1,711 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,186 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 2 291.00 $291.00 $989 +6.00
375 value added 375 3 300.00 $300.00 $1,125 —
410–445 value added 431 13 277.50–310.00 $295.75 $1,275 +11.88
420–445 436 4 270.00–272.00 $270.51 $1,179 +3.58
450–467 461 6 252.00–272.50 $262.67 $1,211 —
450–484 value added 475 22 281.00–304.00 $288.62 $1,371 +7.92
505–526 516 6 251.00–258.00 $253.45 $1,308 -1.09
500–547 value added 521 20 265.00–287.50 $272.46 $1,420 -6.14
555–585 value added 564 15 262.00–280.00 $275.85 $1,556 +14.54
555–576 571 18 250.00–259.00 $256.46 $1,464 —
600–632 value added 610 32 250.00–262.00 $257.23 $1,569 —
645 645 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,516 —
709 value added 709 6 241.00 $241.00 $1,709 +7.31
782 value added 782 13 233.00 $233.00 $1,822 —
785 785 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,641 +9.00
955 955 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,767 ±0.00
1130 1130 1 181.00 $181.00 $2,045 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 247.50 $247.50 $829 —
355–360 358 2 240.00–263.00 $251.58 $901 —
400 400 2 245.00 $245.00 $980 —
460–475 470 3 230.00–247.50 $235.71 $1,108 -14.26
500–540 513 11 226.00–250.00 $234.88 $1,205 -14.12
565 565 4 221.00–225.00 $224.00 $1,266 -13.07
600–645 632 6 190.00–226.00 $204.13 $1,290 +1.15
661 661 3 202.50 $202.50 $1,339 —
708 708 3 208.00 $208.00 $1,473 +24.55
835 835 1 178.00 $178.00 $1,486 —
862–885 870 3 158.00–166.00 $163.29 $1,421 —
930 930 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,469 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,250 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205 1205 1 146.00 $146.00 $1,759 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,164 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–295 278 2 291.00–300.00 $295.78 $822 —
335–345 342 3 290.00–317.50 $306.83 $1,049 —
350–385 368 7 300.00–337.50 $309.88 $1,140 +17.88
400–445 411 4 312.50–317.50 $313.85 $1,290 —
447 value added 447 4 340.00 $340.00 $1,520 —
470–491 value added 483 5 312.00–312.50 $312.19 $1,508 +12.87
527–533 531 5 260.00–270.00 $263.97 $1,402 -6.03
545 value added 545 2 277.00 $277.00 $1,510 —
550–555 value added 553 5 282.50–307.00 $297.25 $1,644 —
585 585 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,580 +5.97
621–640 value added 629 7 250.00–257.00 $253.05 $1,592 —
635 635 1 242.00 $242.00 $1,537 +1.25
650–675 661 8 236.00–246.00 $241.50 $1,596 +1.50
720 720 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,642 —
750 750 1 237.00 $237.00 $1,778 -7.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475–480 478 2 260.00–284.00 $271.94 $1,300 —
570 570 2 241.00 $241.00 $1,374 —
650–670 663 3 192.00–230.00 $211.65 $1,403 -13.35
757 757 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,590 ±0.00
950 950 1 134.00 $134.00 $1,273 —
1005 1005 1 141.00 $141.00 $1,417 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 225.00 $225.00 $754 —
405–435 420 2 200.00–217.50 $209.06 $878 —
475 475 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,045 —
580 580 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,044 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1425 1249 80-85% 31 135.00–157.00 $143.76 $1,796 —
1175–1540 1317 80-85% 3 127.00–134.00 $130.97 $1,725 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1255 1203 75-80% 2 132.00–134.00 $133.04 $1,600 —
1195–1965 1484 75-80% 31 135.00–158.00 $144.57 $2,145 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1150 971 85-90% 4 112.00–120.00 $116.03 $1,127 +9.35
870–1170 1013 85-90% 13 123.00–148.00 $132.09 $1,338 +0.19

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100 1100 1 136.00 $136.00 $1,496 —
1210–1555 1428 5 153.00–159.00 $155.26 $2,217 —
1220–2305 1711 8 160.00–174.00 $166.66 $2,852 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1255–1285 1270 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,950.00–2,050.00 $2,000.59
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
875 875 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
718 718 9 193.00 $193.00 $1,386 —

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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.