Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, July 23, 2024

957 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 $239.39/cwt +0.39 vs last sale · ≈ $2,326/hd at 972 lb · 107 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $304.84/cwt +51.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,884/hd at 618 lb · 87 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $241.51/cwt ≈ $2,253/hd at 933 lb · 75 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 957 914 713
Feeder cattle 892 888 618
Slaughter cattle 65 26 95

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers sold steady with good demand; 400-500 lb weaned steers sold 5.00-10.00 higher with very good demand. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 lower with good demand. Slaughter bulls sold steady with good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 285.00 $285.00 $627
306 306 4 370.00 $370.00 $1,132
346 fancy 346 3 397.00 $397.00 $1,374
375 375 2 355.00 $355.00 $1,331
400–430 415 2 299.00–331.00 $314.42 $1,305 +0.65
425 value added 425 4 369.00 $369.00 $1,568 +16.50
500–517 value added 511 3 291.00–295.00 $292.30 $1,494 -9.74
576–585 value added 583 16 285.00–288.00 $287.26 $1,675 +0.01
606–618 value added 618 87 279.00–305.75 $304.84 $1,884
672–673 673 6 263.00–267.00 $264.33 $1,779
683 value added 683 3 271.00 $271.00 $1,851 -11.79
700–735 value added 721 10 258.00–270.00 $262.66 $1,894 -21.25
725 725 1 251.00 $251.00 $1,820
762 762 5 250.00 $250.00 $1,905
791 thin fleshed 791 4 258.00 $258.00 $2,041
833 thin fleshed 833 62 256.75 $256.75 $2,139 -5.00
836 836 4 249.00 $249.00 $2,082
897 thin fleshed 897 54 249.85 $249.85 $2,241
909 909 17 233.00 $233.00 $2,118
940 fancy 940 58 244.00 $244.00 $2,294
967 967 56 238.60 $238.60 $2,307 -0.40
977 fancy 977 51 240.25 $240.25 $2,347
1030 fancy 1030 57 229.85 $229.85 $2,367
1073 1073 6 194.00 $194.00 $2,082
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 272.00 $272.00 $1,142
470 470 3 242.00–277.00 $265.33 $1,247 +25.33
500–535 509 4 259.00–264.00 $262.69 $1,337 +1.39
570 570 1 237.00 $237.00 $1,351
640 640 1 254.00 $254.00 $1,626
660–672 666 4 235.00–240.00 $237.48 $1,582 -11.07
730 730 1 238.00 $238.00 $1,737
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 2 273.00 $273.00 $1,597 +27.00
625 625 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,469
685 685 2 230.00 $230.00 $1,576
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340 1340 1 160.00 $160.00 $2,144
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 242.50 $242.50 $934

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 299.00 $299.00 $972 +1.50
400–439 value added 430 8 289.00–300.00 $296.86 $1,276 +13.86
440 440 1 261.00 $261.00 $1,148
453–465 value added 460 7 277.00–278.00 $277.58 $1,277
455–485 470 2 251.00–262.00 $256.68 $1,206 -6.32
500–535 511 6 249.00–261.00 $253.70 $1,296 -1.30
520 value added 520 5 268.00 $268.00 $1,394 -2.98
552–585 value added 565 4 262.00–264.00 $262.76 $1,485 -22.95
605–636 value added 616 17 249.00–261.00 $252.19 $1,553 -7.55
653–693 682 15 231.00–246.00 $238.45 $1,626
735 735 1 221.00 $221.00 $1,624
770 770 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,663 -6.00
800–805 805 68 209.00–232.50 $231.81 $1,866
879 value added 879 67 225.70 $225.70 $1,984
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
442 442 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,105
490 490 1 232.00 $232.00 $1,137 -12.36
563 563 3 238.00 $238.00 $1,340 +8.00
615 615 1 221.00 $221.00 $1,359
675 675 3 214.00 $214.00 $1,444 -7.97
722 722 2 200.00 $200.00 $1,444 -3.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1145 1123 3 140.00–147.00 $142.31 $1,598

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,232
405–445 425 3 292.00–308.00 $299.18 $1,272
446 value added 446 3 343.00 $343.00 $1,530
480 480 1 274.00 $274.00 $1,315 -21.33
481–490 value added 487 8 284.00–290.00 $286.73 $1,396
513–531 value added 522 6 270.00–276.00 $273.05 $1,425 -14.99
527 527 2 261.00 $261.00 $1,375 +1.00
550–577 569 4 262.00–273.00 $264.76 $1,506
605–638 624 12 238.00–247.00 $242.55 $1,514 +2.55
725 725 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,537 -26.00
765–785 775 3 210.00–223.00 $217.72 $1,687 -25.28
861 861 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,851
905 905 1 201.00 $201.00 $1,819
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,008 -2.50
535 535 3 234.00 $234.00 $1,252
555–590 573 2 227.00–238.00 $232.33 $1,331
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 240.00 $240.00 $696
450 450 2 220.00 $220.00 $990
540 540 1 201.00 $201.00 $1,085
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,568

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290–1500 1387 75-80% 6 125.00–129.00 $127.83 $1,773 -7.44
1240–1910 1532 75-80% 10 137.00–146.00 $140.49 $2,152
1580 1580 75-80% 1 129.00 $129.00 $2,038
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1225 1192 80-85% 3 125.00–127.00 $126.36 $1,506
1255–1470 1370 80-85% 5 128.00–136.00 $132.51 $1,815
1210–1760 1464 80-85% 7 138.00–155.00 $147.05 $2,153
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–1045 968 85-90% 2 105.00–107.00 $106.08 $1,027 -13.92
940–995 968 85-90% 2 115.00–116.00 $115.51 $1,118 -4.49
1050–1215 1108 85-90% 6 123.00–132.00 $127.39 $1,411

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135 1135 1 154.00 $154.00 $1,748
1520–1970 1794 7 159.00–165.00 $163.36 $2,931
1760–2000 1893 4 176.00–188.00 $183.13 $3,467

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Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1009 fancy 1009 51 197.50 $197.50 $1,993

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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.