Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 3, 2024

1,369 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $293.11/cwt ≈ $1,845/hd at 629 lb · 193 head

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $263.05/cwt ≈ $2,069/hd at 787 lb · 143 head

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $247.51/cwt ≈ $2,290/hd at 925 lb · 123 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,369	202	1,430
Feeder cattle	1,333	150	1,349
Slaughter cattle	36	51	81
Replacement cattle	—	1	—

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers traded noticeably higher in a limited comparison to last week's lite test ahead of the Holiday. Very good demand for 600-800 lb yearling steers and heifers and weaned calf packages. Market very active on a good through attractive quality offering. Slaughter cows sold 3.00 higher in a limited comparison. Slaughter bulls steady in a lite test.

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
320–336 fancy	330	6	345.00–355.00	$347.85	$1,148	—
370 fancy	370	1	339.00	$339.00	$1,254	—
400–417	412	7	282.50–292.50	$289.73	$1,194	—
410–449 value added	443	27	310.00–329.00	$327.05	$1,449	+7.05
450–490 value added	471	11	295.00–327.00	$308.29	$1,452	+25.79
508	508	3	270.00	$270.00	$1,372	—
515–545 value added	522	34	290.00–317.50	$314.52	$1,642	+32.02
565	565	3	279.00	$279.00	$1,576	—
582 value added	582	2	280.00	$280.00	$1,630	—
605–640	622	14	250.00–259.00	$257.15	$1,599	—
600–645 value added	630	179	265.00–298.00	$295.92	$1,864	—
656–665 value added	660	31	276.00–279.00	$277.30	$1,830	—
670–675	673	13	250.00–254.00	$251.61	$1,693	—
700	700	1	242.50	$242.50	$1,698	—
717–746 value added	742	40	251.00–263.00	$259.28	$1,924	—
777–785	781	4	241.00–245.00	$242.99	$1,898	—
784 fancy	784	62	268.75	$268.75	$2,107	—
788–792 value added	789	77	250.00–262.00	$259.50	$2,047	—
813–820	815	18	241.00–244.00	$243.16	$1,982	+23.16
825	825	4	230.00	$230.00	$1,898	+10.00
864–878	870	9	234.00–237.00	$235.65	$2,050	—
880 value added	880	61	249.25	$249.25	$2,193	—
886	886	3	239.00	$239.00	$2,118	—
903–913	911	14	224.00–230.00	$225.27	$2,052	—
916–939 fancy	927	109	247.75–253.00	$250.37	$2,321	—
1025	1025	1	183.00	$183.00	$1,876	—
1080	1080	1	191.00	$191.00	$2,063	—
1130–1135	1133	2	175.00–194.00	$184.48	$2,090	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
422	422	2	287.00	$287.00	$1,211	—
565	565	17	265.00	$265.00	$1,497	+15.00
627	627	2	252.00	$252.00	$1,580	—
648 value added	648	13	255.00	$255.00	$1,652	—
814–847	826	11	225.00–226.00	$225.37	$1,862	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
260	260	1	290.00	$290.00	$754	—
500	500	2	255.00	$255.00	$1,275	—
600	600	1	231.00	$231.00	$1,386	—
695	695	1	239.00	$239.00	$1,661	+9.00
720–745	733	2	230.00–231.00	$230.49	$1,689	—
805	805	2	222.00	$222.00	$1,787	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
365	365	1	217.50	$217.50	$794	—
460	460	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,058	—
560	560	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,288	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1340	1340	1	156.00	$156.00	$2,090	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
205 fancy	205	2	300.00	$300.00	$615	—
260	260	1	280.00	$280.00	$728	—
300 fancy	300	1	285.00	$285.00	$855	—
356–375	363	9	270.00–275.00	$272.41	$989	—
367–395 value added	375	7	281.00–305.00	$288.25	$1,081	—
415–435 value added	420	8	265.00–287.50	$284.07	$1,193	+11.57
415–445	435	3	250.00–252.50	$250.80	$1,091	—
452–462	457	4	247.00–248.00	$247.51	$1,131	—
460–485 value added	477	21	264.00–275.00	$268.38	$1,280	—
522–545	526	17	246.00–247.50	$246.27	$1,295	—
517–531 value added	527	14	255.00–261.00	$256.56	$1,352	—
554–590 value added	574	16	252.50–262.00	$258.06	$1,481	+10.56
577–587	582	4	242.00–247.00	$244.52	$1,423	+2.02
600–627	618	3	231.00–235.00	$233.71	$1,444	+8.71
633	633	76	272.00	$272.00	$1,722	+47.00
634 value added	634	5	255.00	$255.00	$1,617	—
660–693	676	11	230.00–236.00	$234.40	$1,585	—
653–696 value added	685	98	240.00–248.00	$246.22	$1,687	—
705–743	714	13	242.00–244.00	$243.52	$1,739	—
710–742 value added	731	24	226.00–238.00	$229.88	$1,680	—
750 value added	750	2	230.00	$230.00	$1,725	—
840	840	2	205.00	$205.00	$1,722	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
310	310	1	250.00	$250.00	$775	—
352–355	353	3	240.00–250.00	$246.65	$871	—
410	410	1	244.00	$244.00	$1,000	+6.00
530	530	8	230.00	$230.00	$1,219	+0.43
577–585	582	6	227.00–232.00	$228.65	$1,331	+4.65
600–635	626	4	215.00–218.00	$217.28	$1,360	+2.94
681	681	4	206.00	$206.00	$1,403	—
717–745	726	3	190.00–220.00	$209.74	$1,523	+48.11
807	807	2	182.00	$182.00	$1,469	—
930	930	1	159.00	$159.00	$1,479	+8.34
965	965	1	167.50	$167.50	$1,616	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
437	437	2	233.00	$233.00	$1,018	—
500	500	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,150	—
706	706	5	246.00	$246.00	$1,737	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1100–1240	1170	2	136.00	$136.00	$1,591	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
370	370	1	212.50	$212.50	$786	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
305	305	1	307.50	$307.50	$938	—
385 value added	385	1	337.50	$337.50	$1,299	+17.50
390	390	1	303.00	$303.00	$1,182	—
420–435 value added	428	2	307.50–322.50	$314.87	$1,348	—
465–482 value added	479	10	297.00–317.50	$310.94	$1,489	+29.94
500–543	532	4	256.00	$256.00	$1,362	+6.49
535 value added	535	5	275.00	$275.00	$1,471	+21.00
550–588 value added	576	19	261.00–274.00	$269.26	$1,551	+14.26
560–587	578	3	250.00–252.50	$250.81	$1,450	+3.34
600	600	2	230.00	$230.00	$1,380	+10.00
658–690	666	4	229.00	$229.00	$1,525	—
688 value added	688	6	245.00	$245.00	$1,686	—
737–740 value added	738	3	235.00–236.00	$235.33	$1,737	—
755 value added	755	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,736	—
825	825	1	184.00	$184.00	$1,518	+17.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
310	310	1	257.50	$257.50	$798	-25.50
355	355	1	287.50	$287.50	$1,021	—
445	445	1	244.00	$244.00	$1,086	—
510	510	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,173	—
561–576	569	7	242.50–247.00	$244.52	$1,391	—
635	635	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,397	—
710–748	733	5	201.00–204.00	$202.84	$1,487	—
750–772	761	4	196.00–204.00	$200.06	$1,522	—
840	840	3	170.00	$170.00	$1,428	—
940	940	1	151.00	$151.00	$1,419	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
345	345	1	250.00	$250.00	$862	—
423	423	3	230.00	$230.00	$973	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
342	342	2	275.00	$275.00	$940	—

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1160–1425	1280	75-80%	3	123.00–124.00	$123.33	$1,579	—
1270–1825	1433	75-80%	11	126.00–138.00	$130.97	$1,877	+14.97

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1010–1335	1136	80-85%	5	120.00–127.00	$122.70	$1,394	—
1100–1375	1225	80-85%	4	126.00–135.00	$129.37	$1,585	+5.55

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1005–1170	1115	85-90%	5	114.00–121.00	$117.70	$1,312	+4.03
1150	1150	85-90%	1	84.00	$84.00	$966	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1515–1955	1785	3	157.00–165.00	$160.72	$2,869	+8.75
1730–2025	1843	3	149.00–154.00	$150.56	$2,775	—

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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.