Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 7, 2025

410 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $254.60/cwt +30.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,851/hd at 727 lb · 100 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $249.80/cwt ≈ $1,906/hd at 763 lb · 78 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $247.00/cwt +39.00 vs last sale · ≈ $2,040/hd at 826 lb · 75 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 410 650 2,243
Feeder cattle 350 602 2,160
Slaughter cattle 37 44 83
Replacement cattle 23 4 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison with last week due to Holiday; however market active for yearling heifers with very good demand and good demand for slaughter cows today. Winter storm over the weekend brought 6-12" of snow, combined with freezing rain and ice created dangerous roads. Many stockyards closed throughout Kentucky this week due to weather.

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
500 500 3 315.00 $315.00 $1,575 -2.08
691 691 14 269.50 $269.50 $1,862 -2.02
720–726 725 12 241.00–247.00 $246.01 $1,784 -0.99
1070 1070 1 196.00 $196.00 $2,097 -3.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
692 692 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,661 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,375 -7.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270–295 283 2 250.00–260.00 $255.22 $722 -39.78
322 322 2 252.50 $252.50 $813 -47.50
350 350 2 265.00 $265.00 $928 —
403 403 4 286.00 $286.00 $1,153 -5.54
536–541 538 7 267.50 $267.50 $1,439 -0.64
578 578 5 262.50 $262.50 $1,517 -8.32
620 620 5 247.50 $247.50 $1,534 -17.43
727 value added 727 95 255.50 $255.50 $1,857 —
730 730 5 237.50 $237.50 $1,734 +13.34
763 value added 763 78 249.80 $249.80 $1,906 —
826 value added 826 75 247.00 $247.00 $2,040 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 237.50 $237.50 $689 —
629 629 12 234.00 $234.00 $1,472 +21.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417 417 2 320.00 $320.00 $1,334 +4.28
538 538 3 295.00 $295.00 $1,587 -10.00
820 820 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,660 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 262.50 $262.50 $748 —
335 335 1 280.00 $280.00 $938 —
355 355 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,030 —
405 405 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,174 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,316 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1405 1241 80-85% 8 123.00–130.00 $127.19 $1,578 —
1070–1550 1272 80-85% 5 130.00–142.00 $133.99 $1,704 +11.49
1355–1410 1383 80-85% 2 119.00–121.00 $119.98 $1,659 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
770–895 833 85-90% 2 70.00–80.00 $75.38 $628 —
905–1135 1042 85-90% 3 119.00–127.00 $123.29 $1,285 —
1030–1185 1106 85-90% 5 108.00–114.00 $111.05 $1,228 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1285 1218 75-80% 2 128.00 $128.00 $1,559 —
1350–2040 1628 75-80% 4 131.00–137.00 $134.25 $2,186 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1650 1650 1 161.00 $161.00 $2,656 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
965–1085 1025 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 145.00–155.00 $148.97 $1,527

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1070–1465 1254 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 1,800.00–2,275.00 $2,036.85
1050–1720 1371 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 1,800.00–2,325.00 $2,100.59
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
915–1110 1039 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,400.00–1,775.00 $1,659.31
1195–1440 1334 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 6 1,475.00–1,750.00 $1,601.34

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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.