Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 3, 2021

1,580 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $135.97/cwt +2.34 vs last sale · ≈ $910/hd at 669 lb · 151 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.37/cwt +6.42 vs last sale · ≈ $859/hd at 674 lb · 132 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $124.50/cwt +1.07 vs last sale · ≈ $973/hd at 781 lb · 122 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,580 582 1,019
Feeder cattle 1,459 442 948
Slaughter cattle 92 99 53
Replacement cattle 29 41 18

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday middleweight steers and heifers sold mostly 5.00 higher with very good demand for weaned packages; yearlings sold steady to weak. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00 lower.

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
340 340 2 165.00 $165.00 $561 —
350–385 369 9 166.00–180.00 $171.10 $631 +6.47
375–399 value added 395 20 180.00–195.00 $183.82 $726 —
400–430 415 8 152.50–158.00 $155.61 $646 +5.61
415–441 value added 431 26 160.00–184.00 $174.65 $753 +17.80
450–497 value added 473 33 159.00–182.00 $169.92 $804 +8.00
477–495 487 5 148.00–156.00 $152.15 $741 +1.65
500–530 value added 515 39 153.00–165.00 $157.72 $812 +7.72
515–516 516 6 152.00–153.00 $152.50 $787 +4.50
550–593 value added 575 39 146.00–156.00 $147.27 $847 -8.26
580–582 581 8 144.00 $144.00 $837 -0.79
600–617 value added 610 13 137.00–152.50 $142.36 $868 +0.65
600–625 611 24 130.00–135.75 $135.09 $825 +2.77
656–687 value added 669 145 134.25–140.00 $136.16 $911 +0.23
672–685 674 6 131.00–131.50 $131.42 $886 +0.85
700–740 value added 723 24 125.00–128.50 $125.80 $910 -0.69
723–742 731 5 123.50–124.50 $124.09 $907 —
770–790 776 11 120.00–123.50 $122.63 $952 -0.80
778–784 value added 782 111 124.00–125.75 $124.69 $975 —
807–835 821 39 120.25–123.00 $121.54 $998 -1.85
864–881 872 17 116.00–118.00 $116.65 $1,017 -3.60
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 155.00 $155.00 $418 —
335 335 2 152.00 $152.00 $509 —
425 425 1 142.50 $142.50 $606 —
470 470 1 145.00 $145.00 $682 +7.00
630 630 1 127.00 $127.00 $800 +2.00
666–680 669 5 120.00–126.00 $121.22 $811 +9.22
767–768 768 8 115.00 $115.00 $883 —
802–825 812 4 112.00–116.00 $113.26 $920 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 140.00 $140.00 $693 —
579 579 7 135.50 $135.50 $785 -3.50
642–645 643 3 124.00–127.00 $125.00 $804 —
705 705 1 121.00 $121.00 $853 —
870 870 1 118.00 $118.00 $1,027 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 129.00 $129.00 $522 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 134.00 $134.00 $281 —
292 292 2 137.50 $137.50 $402 —
310 310 1 130.00 $130.00 $403 —
315–320 fancy 318 5 145.00–146.00 $145.60 $463 +5.11
360–392 378 14 132.00–140.00 $136.47 $516 +1.06
397 value added 397 2 147.50 $147.50 $586 —
410–445 424 9 128.00–136.00 $132.65 $562 —
405–445 value added 435 17 138.00–148.00 $142.26 $619 +9.57
450–485 465 25 127.00–135.00 $131.62 $612 +6.45
450–495 value added 472 64 136.00–150.00 $146.18 $690 +16.18
520 520 2 120.00–125.00 $122.50 $637 +7.76
500–545 value added 532 67 127.00–136.00 $132.42 $704 +4.21
553–570 557 4 119.00–126.00 $124.21 $692 +8.86
550–599 value added 573 101 126.00–137.00 $130.97 $750 +4.34
610–640 624 11 119.00–122.00 $120.46 $752 +4.02
600–642 value added 641 95 123.00–133.75 $132.70 $851 +6.37
637–649 644 13 119.00–125.00 $121.59 $783 +5.15
652–699 value added 674 121 121.00–129.90 $128.51 $866 +6.81
650–695 676 11 110.00–118.00 $114.84 $776 -0.72
700–745 732 18 111.00–123.00 $113.77 $833 -0.68
752–765 754 8 114.00–115.00 $114.87 $866 +11.64
790–799 797 10 103.00–105.00 $103.40 $824 -10.60
825 825 2 107.50 $107.50 $887 +4.63
865–870 867 5 103.00–104.00 $103.40 $896 —
920 920 1 100.00 $100.00 $920 -3.50
915–945 930 2 89.00–96.00 $92.44 $860 -11.06
1125 1125 2 95.00 $95.00 $1,069 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 125.00 $125.00 $294 —
300–330 313 4 120.00–125.00 $122.16 $382 —
350–390 373 3 122.50–127.50 $124.71 $465 —
430–440 435 2 116.00–125.00 $120.55 $524 —
460 460 1 122.50 $122.50 $564 —
572–597 593 15 115.00–125.00 $122.90 $729 +15.92
600–610 603 4 92.00–105.00 $95.29 $575 —
660 660 1 103.00 $103.00 $680 +3.00
767 767 2 78.00 $78.00 $598 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
590 590 2 124.00 $124.00 $732 —
710 710 3 115.00 $115.00 $816 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 115.00 $115.00 $529 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 4 155.00 $155.00 $446 -1.79
365 365 1 155.00 $155.00 $566 —
430–440 437 3 145.00–147.00 $146.34 $640 —
470–495 489 8 142.50–150.00 $145.82 $713 +3.77
510–545 533 8 141.00–150.00 $146.45 $781 +7.35
570 fancy 570 1 150.00 $150.00 $855 —
550–595 579 18 138.00–148.00 $141.74 $821 +8.73
600–640 613 5 125.00–130.00 $126.63 $776 +1.63
655–695 688 10 115.50–126.00 $119.34 $821 -1.66
705–730 720 5 112.00–116.00 $114.00 $821 +0.63
785 785 4 105.00 $105.00 $824 +3.00
825 825 1 106.00 $106.00 $874 -0.02
862 862 2 105.00 $105.00 $905 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–335 325 4 145.00–155.00 $150.49 $489 —
355–395 373 3 130.00–151.00 $140.89 $526 —
400 400 1 141.00 $141.00 $564 —
497 497 2 138.00 $138.00 $686 —
525 525 1 133.00 $133.00 $698 —
552–576 566 5 133.00–138.00 $136.05 $770 +8.55
610–625 618 2 107.00–116.00 $111.45 $689 —
700 700 1 102.00 $102.00 $714 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 140.00 $140.00 $560 —
480 480 1 143.00 $143.00 $686 —
520 520 1 139.00 $139.00 $723 —
705 705 2 109.00 $109.00 $768 +8.00

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1200 954 85-90% 12 41.00–50.00 $45.92 $438 —
860–1180 1005 85-90% 12 51.00–56.50 $53.43 $537 —
1110–1305 1193 85-90% 4 59.50–62.50 $60.75 $725 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1300 1160 80-85% 10 56.00–62.50 $59.77 $693 +0.15
1040–1460 1231 80-85% 11 63.00–70.00 $66.21 $815 —
1305 1305 80-85% 1 46.00 $46.00 $600 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1670 1424 75-80% 10 63.00–67.00 $64.65 $921 +4.79
1380–1625 1538 75-80% 3 58.50–61.50 $60.07 $924 -7.19

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035 1035 1 68.50 $68.50 $709 —
1620 1620 1 93.00 $93.00 $1,507 —
1475–1940 1708 2 88.00–90.00 $89.14 $1,523 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
780 780 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 73.00 $73.00 $569
910–985 948 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 70.00–74.00 $71.92 $682
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
945–990 968 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 62.00–68.00 $65.07 $630

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800–1125 963 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 885.00–910.00 $899.61
1065–1250 1138 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 785.00–790.00 $786.83
1225 1225 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 960.00 $960.00
1165–1445 1305 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 925.00–1,010.00 $962.94
1210–1475 1317 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 825.00–950.00 $885.70
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
920 920 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 610.00 $610.00
975–1285 1130 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 650.00–740.00 $701.17
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 585.00 $585.00

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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
1375 1375 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00 —
1470 1470 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1320 1320 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 875.00 $875.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1045 1045 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 725.00 $725.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 2 80.00 $80.00 $316 —
581 581 5 87.00 $87.00 $505 —
665 665 2 80.00 $80.00 $532 —

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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.