Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 8, 2025

206 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $289.73/cwt +1.73 vs last sale · ≈ $2,263/hd at 781 lb · 64 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $318.47/cwt +1.84 vs last sale · ≈ $1,659/hd at 521 lb · 15 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $302.31/cwt -17.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,769/hd at 585 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 206 589 759
Feeder cattle 175 499 621
Slaughter cattle 24 64 136
Replacement cattle 7 26 2

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday market not fully established due to lite test however good demand for weaned calves suitable for grass and good demand for yearling steers. Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 higher with good demand. Slaughter bulls sold steady in a lite test. Heavy rain over the weekend created widespread flooding and muddy field conditions restricting cattle movement.

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
436 436 3 370.00 $370.00 $1,613 —
430–445 value added 438 4 385.00 $385.00 $1,686 -44.91
455 value added 455 6 387.50–392.50 $388.33 $1,767 +19.74
500 value added 500 2 375.00 $375.00 $1,875 -7.47
560 560 3 345.00 $345.00 $1,932 +36.00
582–590 value added 585 4 332.50–337.50 $333.75 $1,952 -35.30
600–610 value added 605 2 315.00–322.50 $318.72 $1,928 -20.70
642 642 6 305.00 $305.00 $1,958 —
700 700 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,872 —
750–781 value added 781 64 275.00–289.95 $289.73 $2,263 +1.73
1110 1110 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,832 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 324.00 $324.00 $1,442 —
465 465 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,651 +46.18
530 530 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,510 ±0.00
577 577 2 305.00 $305.00 $1,760 +22.50
800 800 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,920 +5.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,620 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 fancy 365 2 342.50–370.00 $356.25 $1,300 —
405–425 413 3 315.00–327.50 $322.55 $1,332 —
457 fancy 457 5 367.50 $367.50 $1,679 —
503–546 value added 521 15 310.00–327.50 $318.47 $1,659 -2.64
560–597 579 4 292.50–302.50 $295.53 $1,711 +14.53
585–589 value added 588 9 305.00–306.00 $305.33 $1,795 -16.53
640 640 1 297.50 $297.50 $1,904 +21.83
760 760 2 252.50 $252.50 $1,919 +9.50
915 915 1 204.00 $204.00 $1,867 —
995 995 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,900 -25.00
1040 1040 1 202.50 $202.50 $2,106 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 2 322.50 $322.50 $1,248 —
535 535 2 302.50 $302.50 $1,618 —
670 670 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,541 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 2 310.00 $310.00 $1,209 +25.00
662 662 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,655 —
700 700 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,662 +25.01

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 fancy 525 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,785 —
570–595 580 3 300.00–325.00 $314.33 $1,823 +4.91
600 600 3 300.00 $300.00 $1,800 +7.38
705–715 708 3 265.00–270.00 $266.68 $1,888 —
770–785 778 2 240.00–255.00 $247.57 $1,926 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 297.50 $297.50 $967 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–1480 1393 75-80% 3 136.00–141.00 $138.33 $1,927 —
1335–1725 1543 75-80% 9 145.00–159.00 $149.57 $2,308 +8.51
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1020 940 85-90% 2 102.00–111.00 $106.12 $998 +26.12
1220–1295 1258 85-90% 2 135.00–136.00 $135.51 $1,705 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265 1265 80-85% 1 134.00 $134.00 $1,695 -0.59
1310 1310 80-85% 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,716 —
1250–1390 1320 80-85% 2 144.00–145.00 $144.53 $1,908 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1315–1580 1490 3 170.00–173.00 $171.24 $2,551 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1015–1215 1090 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 138.00–142.00 $140.20 $1,528
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
910 910 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 177.50 $177.50 $1,615

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1010 1010 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00

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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.