Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 21, 2020

621 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Bluegrass Stockyard report →

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $117.66/cwt -1.60 vs last sale · ≈ $610/hd at 518 lb · 38 head

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $122.16/cwt -3.43 vs last sale · ≈ $580/hd at 475 lb · 33 head

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $139.32/cwt -4.29 vs last sale · ≈ $677/hd at 486 lb · 30 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	621	1,098	1,266
Feeder cattle	492	943	952
Slaughter cattle	64	81	149
Replacement cattle	65	74	165

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday middleweight feeder steers and heifers sold 2.00 to 5.00 lower with most decline on 500-600 lbs. Moderate demand for few weaned calves on offer; light demand for fleshy off-colored and bawling calves. Yearlings lightly tested. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 2.00 higher with moderate demand.

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
322	322	2	157.50	$157.50	$507	+2.18
370–390	383	6	155.00–160.00	$158.36	$607	+10.36
407–435 value added	422	18	154.00–165.00	$156.82	$662	+1.62
435–441	439	6	134.00–140.00	$138.49	$608	-8.29
456–497	486	30	134.00–147.00	$139.32	$677	-2.50
500–526	516	8	131.00–135.00	$133.26	$688	-5.26
557–583	576	14	134.00–136.00	$135.29	$779	-0.68
600 value added	600	1	131.00	$131.00	$786	—
600–625	608	8	125.00–129.00	$126.49	$769	-1.72
653–683	667	13	120.00–127.00	$123.70	$825	-6.30
739 value added	739	5	130.00	$130.00	$961	-0.84
770	770	1	123.00	$123.00	$947	-4.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
340	340	1	142.50	$142.50	$484	+10.00
418	418	3	131.00	$131.00	$548	+1.00
540–545	542	3	123.00–129.00	$125.01	$678	-7.24
550–582	572	4	124.50–129.00	$126.47	$723	+1.50
600–645	621	5	114.00–119.00	$117.07	$727	-4.23

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
630	630	1	105.00	$105.00	$662	-18.80
735	735	1	107.50	$107.50	$790	—
760	760	1	115.00	$115.00	$874	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
505	505	2	110.00–118.00	$114.00	$576	+4.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
240	240	2	135.00	$135.00	$324	+7.50
250–295	279	8	124.00–137.50	$129.49	$361	+4.39
310–325	318	2	120.00–131.00	$125.37	$399	+1.62
330 fancy	330	1	139.00	$139.00	$459	+4.00
357–380 fancy	364	15	132.50–141.00	$136.11	$495	—
365	365	1	119.00	$119.00	$434	-2.80
383 value added	383	3	140.00	$140.00	$536	—
405–445	423	12	120.00–131.00	$124.59	$527	-1.42
426 value added	426	3	133.00	$133.00	$567	+2.00
452–491	475	33	116.00–126.00	$122.16	$580	-2.14
510–528 value added	517	17	119.00–120.00	$119.83	$620	—
500–534	519	21	114.00–119.00	$115.90	$602	-3.36
550–595	569	13	113.00–116.00	$114.23	$650	-5.83
570–580 value added	578	4	117.00–120.00	$118.51	$685	—
608	608	4	124.00	$124.00	$754	+10.25
610–620	616	9	105.00–115.00	$111.45	$687	-2.30
660–685	673	2	108.00–109.00	$108.49	$730	-6.00
687	687	2	121.00	$121.00	$831	+6.51
700	700	2	102.00	$102.00	$714	-4.80
750–780	760	3	103.00–106.00	$104.03	$791	+7.03
865–880	873	2	91.00–93.00	$91.99	$803	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
285	285	1	112.50	$112.50	$321	—
340	340	1	105.00	$105.00	$357	—
365–385	375	2	110.00–112.50	$111.28	$417	-3.72
400–420	412	3	105.00–110.00	$107.29	$442	-6.60
457–485	469	7	103.00–114.00	$108.47	$509	-2.52
500–501	501	6	106.00–110.00	$109.33	$548	+0.45
550–595	569	7	98.00–109.00	$102.47	$583	-6.27
600–620	610	2	100.00–105.00	$102.46	$625	-2.18
650–685	670	6	93.00–101.00	$98.19	$658	-4.98
722	722	2	83.00	$83.00	$599	—
770	770	1	86.00	$86.00	$662	—
915	915	1	69.00	$69.00	$631	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
465–490	478	2	98.00–99.00	$98.49	$471	-0.71
595	595	1	96.00	$96.00	$571	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
565	565	1	108.00	$108.00	$610	+4.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
280	280	1	145.00	$145.00	$406	+2.50
305–335	324	4	140.00–150.00	$146.14	$473	-0.07
380–397	391	3	134.00–140.00	$135.94	$532	-7.70
415–445	425	3	126.00–130.00	$128.60	$547	-10.61
452–492	467	21	125.00–139.00	$133.53	$624	-3.27
505–545	527	8	125.00–131.00	$127.37	$671	-4.49
560–585	579	4	125.00–126.00	$125.24	$725	-2.23
605–625	619	10	111.00–120.00	$113.39	$702	-7.79
650–680	667	6	112.00–122.00	$116.95	$780	-2.34
715	715	1	108.00	$108.00	$772	+1.68
750	750	1	96.00	$96.00	$720	-8.48
851	851	3	85.00	$85.00	$723	-9.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
250	250	1	130.00	$130.00	$325	—
305–322	316	3	132.50–137.50	$134.11	$424	+6.56
355–360	358	2	127.50–137.00	$132.22	$473	+2.22
485	485	1	118.00	$118.00	$572	-5.93
502–542	523	6	115.00–122.00	$118.25	$618	-2.90
560–595	575	5	110.00–121.00	$115.08	$662	-3.34
675–685	680	2	104.00–106.00	$104.99	$714	-1.45
725	725	3	93.00	$93.00	$674	-6.00
760–782	775	3	95.00–102.00	$97.29	$754	-0.71

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
285	285	1	112.50	$112.50	$321	—
340	340	1	112.50	$112.50	$382	-7.50
375	375	1	105.00	$105.00	$394	-10.00
420–440	430	2	110.00–112.50	$111.28	$479	—
455	455	1	110.00	$110.00	$500	+6.00
530	530	1	106.00	$106.00	$562	-4.74
550–570	563	4	105.00–108.00	$106.24	$598	-0.07

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1100–1460	1215	80-85%	11	49.50–57.00	$53.66	$652	+7.41
1110–1755	1383	80-85%	14	57.00–64.00	$60.89	$842	—
1510	1510	80-85%	1	41.00	$41.00	$619	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
845–880	860	85-90%	3	39.00–44.00	$42.34	$364	—
975–1255	1110	85-90%	8	46.00–52.00	$47.29	$525	-4.71
1055–1180	1118	85-90%	2	57.00–58.00	$57.47	$643	+5.47

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1135	1135	75-80%	1	48.50	$48.50	$550	—
1350–1590	1443	75-80%	6	57.00–64.00	$61.03	$881	—
1305–1945	1558	75-80%	3	49.00–55.50	$53.38	$832	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1720–1840	1778	3	76.00–81.00	$79.11	$1,407	—
1790	1790	1	89.50	$89.50	$1,602	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
885–1390	1125	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	18	760.00–925.00	$842.28
1127	1127	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	1,070.00	$1,070.00
1100–1190	1145	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	2	800.00–1,025.00	$916.92
985–1435	1198	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	12	750.00–950.00	$809.89

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
950–1245	1098	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	2	600.00–740.00	$660.59
1035–1310	1173	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	4	610.00–735.00	$701.83

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1075	1075	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	900.00	$900.00	—
955–1250	1103	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	2	810.00–920.00	$872.36	—
1550	1550	Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	1	860.00	$860.00	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1520	1520	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,130.00	$1,130.00	—

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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.