Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 18, 2025

340 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 $264.90/cwt ≈ $1,928/hd at 728 lb · 72 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $246.19/cwt -11.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,509/hd at 613 lb · 16 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $257.74/cwt ≈ $1,632/hd at 633 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 340 174 1,039
Feeder cattle 273 126 942
Slaughter cattle 43 43 88
Replacement cattle 24 5 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday - Feeder calves lite test. Yearling heifer load steady with good demand. Yearling steers lite test. Slaughter cows sold 5.00 to 8.00 higher with good demand on a light supply. Slaughter bulls sold steady with good demand. Winter storms have hit Kentucky multiple weeks with snow, rain, and widespread flooding. Extremely muddy conditions. A major storm projected to bring several more inches of snow tonight. Cattle movement has slowed statewide. Several stockyards closed tomorrow.

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
307 307 2 287.50 $287.50 $883 —
445 445 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,290 -10.00
455–475 468 3 287.50–300.00 $295.95 $1,385 —
500–540 522 6 280.00–297.50 $289.81 $1,513 -5.19
550 550 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,526 —
565–570 568 2 282.50–287.50 $284.99 $1,619 —
628–630 value added 629 10 260.00–269.00 $263.59 $1,658 —
635–646 642 5 240.00–250.00 $246.04 $1,580 —
708–730 value added 722 11 250.00–260.00 $256.43 $1,851 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 270.00 $270.00 $540 —
250 250 1 245.00 $245.00 $612 —
355 355 1 260.00 $260.00 $923 —
460 460 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,196 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 235.00 $235.00 $916 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 270.00 $270.00 $608 —
292 292 2 275.00 $275.00 $803 —
310–340 331 4 280.00–290.00 $283.74 $939 —
377–395 384 4 277.50–280.00 $278.14 $1,068 —
405–435 428 7 260.00–272.50 $263.51 $1,128 -23.99
437 fancy 437 2 285.00 $285.00 $1,245 —
455–486 471 6 260.00–265.00 $260.80 $1,228 -26.70
502–515 506 3 262.50–267.50 $264.20 $1,337 -5.80
505–525 fancy 515 4 270.00–275.00 $272.45 $1,403 —
550–562 556 4 250.00–260.00 $254.95 $1,418 —
600–611 609 7 240.00–243.00 $242.58 $1,477 -15.42
616 value added 616 9 249.00 $249.00 $1,534 —
665 665 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,596 —
688 688 4 220.00 $220.00 $1,514 —
728 value added 728 72 264.90 $264.90 $1,928 —
888 888 4 208.00 $208.00 $1,847 —
910 910 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,638 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
367 367 2 260.00 $260.00 $954 —
400–440 420 2 250.00–257.50 $253.93 $1,067 —
450–490 470 2 235.00–260.00 $246.97 $1,161 —
517 517 4 222.50 $222.50 $1,150 —
615–620 618 2 205.00–230.00 $217.55 $1,344 —
665–690 682 3 200.00–210.00 $206.75 $1,410 —
810 810 1 172.50 $172.50 $1,397 —
900 900 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,440 —
995 995 1 157.50 $157.50 $1,567 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 200.00 $200.00 $840 —
535 535 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,150 —
665 665 1 192.50 $192.50 $1,280 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1560 1398 2 160.00–163.00 $161.33 $2,255 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 2 285.00 $285.00 $1,103 +3.66
415–425 420 2 270.00–285.00 $277.41 $1,165 —
450–490 474 5 270.00–300.00 $286.29 $1,357 -11.21
505–540 525 8 280.00–297.50 $287.12 $1,507 -2.96
560–575 565 3 277.50 $277.50 $1,568 —
567 fancy 567 7 292.50 $292.50 $1,658 —
630 630 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,512 -10.00
705 705 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,516 +15.00
805 805 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,449 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
252 252 2 250.00 $250.00 $630 —
330 330 1 250.00 $250.00 $825 —
373–385 376 4 260.00–280.00 $274.88 $1,034 —
405–445 425 2 257.50 $257.50 $1,094 —
590 590 1 257.50 $257.50 $1,519 —
715 715 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,323 —
845 845 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,521 —
870 870 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,392 —
965–975 970 2 160.00–170.00 $165.03 $1,601 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 225.00 $225.00 $506 —
590 590 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,372 —
605 605 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,210 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740 740 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,646 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1310 1185 80-85% 5 137.00–145.00 $143.45 $1,700 —
1155–1710 1353 80-85% 13 149.00–163.00 $154.47 $2,090 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870 870 85-90% 1 92.50 $92.50 $805 —
970–1095 1033 85-90% 2 139.00–142.00 $140.59 $1,452 —
1055–1095 1075 85-90% 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,182 —
1005–1145 1097 85-90% 3 129.00–135.00 $132.92 $1,458 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–1650 1397 75-80% 6 149.00–157.00 $153.81 $2,149 —
1355–1510 1433 75-80% 2 143.00–145.00 $143.95 $2,063 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290 1290 1 152.50 $152.50 $1,967 —
1140–2040 1670 5 170.00–182.00 $176.29 $2,944 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
925–1090 1008 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 152.00–173.00 $161.64 $1,629

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1220–1405 1313 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,100.00–2,625.00 $2,381.00
1245–1750 1491 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 18 1,925.00–2,650.00 $2,323.69

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1225 1225 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00 —

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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.