Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 31, 2021

801 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $143.16/cwt +14.21 vs last sale · ≈ $770/hd at 538 lb · 110 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $148.00/cwt +19.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,066/hd at 720 lb · 72 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $159.68/cwt +1.63 vs last sale · ≈ $832/hd at 521 lb · 32 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 801 913 1,020
Feeder cattle 679 755 929
Slaughter cattle 83 101 69
Replacement cattle 39 57 22

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday feeder steers and heifers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher with very good demand for weaned 400-600 lb calves and market noticeably higher for 700-800 lb steers. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 5.00 higher with good demand.

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
305–313 312 6 158.00–160.00 $158.33 $494 —
325 value added 325 1 169.00 $169.00 $549 —
350–390 367 5 160.00–170.00 $164.69 $604 +3.75
381–382 value added 381 5 165.50–167.00 $166.10 $633 —
412 412 2 160.00 $160.00 $659 +1.39
405–440 value added 423 28 163.00–180.00 $170.37 $721 +3.61
462–485 value added 472 21 164.00–174.00 $167.45 $790 +1.41
470–485 476 6 150.00–163.00 $158.25 $753 +7.40
500–531 value added 520 24 159.50–164.50 $161.04 $837 +0.87
510–540 523 8 152.00–157.00 $155.60 $814 +8.15
557 557 4 153.00 $153.00 $852 +4.54
560–587 value added 578 3 155.00–161.00 $156.94 $907 +1.48
611 611 3 136.00 $136.00 $831 +2.98
600–640 value added 614 15 140.00–153.00 $145.64 $894 -0.53
663 value added 663 8 142.00 $142.00 $941 +2.39
660–690 664 15 135.00–137.00 $135.28 $898 +2.71
720 value added 720 72 148.00 $148.00 $1,066 +19.83
770 value added 770 7 133.00 $133.00 $1,024 -1.25
800 800 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,000 +4.50
920 920 1 117.00 $117.00 $1,076 +5.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 143.00 $143.00 $608 —
540 540 1 142.50 $142.50 $770 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 135.00 $135.00 $317 —
290 290 1 137.50 $137.50 $399 +1.33
305 305 3 130.00 $130.00 $396 -3.47
360–390 value added 376 6 145.00–156.00 $148.66 $559 +6.96
370–385 378 4 132.50–141.00 $138.42 $523 +3.17
408–447 422 13 127.00–140.00 $134.42 $567 +2.45
400–447 value added 439 13 140.00–147.50 $141.11 $619 +2.68
455–480 460 6 132.00–135.00 $133.26 $613 +0.96
465 value added 465 1 140.00 $140.00 $651 +1.45
520 520 1 120.00 $120.00 $624 -1.73
500–545 value added 538 109 133.00–144.75 $143.37 $771 +13.82
566–590 value added 575 19 128.00–137.00 $132.48 $762 +2.52
615–640 value added 633 6 120.00–131.00 $125.10 $792 -1.47
635 635 1 117.00 $117.00 $743 +1.63
662 662 3 120.00 $120.00 $794 +4.51
691 691 3 122.00 $122.00 $843 +6.51
701 701 3 120.00 $120.00 $841 +10.39
753 753 3 122.00 $122.00 $919 +7.00
822 822 2 112.00 $112.00 $921 +16.48
980 980 1 91.00 $91.00 $892 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–420 410 3 118.00–129.00 $123.24 $505 +11.44
470–472 471 3 100.00–128.00 $109.31 $515 -15.92
522 522 5 115.00 $115.00 $600 —
550–580 565 2 107.50–118.00 $112.61 $636 -2.58
612–620 614 5 89.00–102.00 $91.63 $563 -9.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 100.00 $100.00 $445 -2.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–290 270 2 147.50–153.00 $150.45 $406 +2.95
325–335 330 2 150.00–157.50 $153.69 $507 -3.79
355–380 368 2 150.00–153.00 $151.55 $558 -11.45
400–440 418 5 140.00–150.00 $147.03 $615 +1.94
425 value added 425 2 158.00 $158.00 $672 +2.32
497 value added 497 2 164.00 $164.00 $815 +6.46
540–545 value added 543 2 156.00–157.00 $156.50 $850 +2.50
545 545 2 145.00 $145.00 $790 -0.67
565–582 576 3 135.00–148.00 $139.25 $802 -4.98
625 625 1 120.00 $120.00 $750 -10.00
665 665 1 128.00 $128.00 $851 +3.00
725 725 1 101.00 $101.00 $732 -8.21
785 785 1 107.00 $107.00 $840 -1.33
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 2 132.00 $132.00 $746 —
610 610 1 125.00 $125.00 $762 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 130.00 $130.00 $566 -12.50
580 580 2 127.00–131.00 $129.00 $748 +6.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 1 135.00 $135.00 $344 —
310 310 1 120.00 $120.00 $372 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1130 1130 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 950.00 $950.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1250 1029 85-90% 15 45.50–54.50 $50.52 $520 +6.30
990–1210 1069 85-90% 7 55.00–60.00 $57.35 $613 -0.65
1045–1245 1142 85-90% 7 61.50–68.00 $63.33 $723 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1575 1283 80-85% 6 57.00–64.00 $61.70 $792 —
1140–1535 1326 80-85% 18 65.50–75.00 $70.04 $929 +6.23
1325–1500 1413 80-85% 2 56.00–57.00 $56.47 $798 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1550 1285 75-80% 5 59.00–64.50 $61.72 $793 —
1400–1660 1508 75-80% 9 65.00–73.50 $69.18 $1,043 +5.75

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1730 1730 1 80.00 $80.00 $1,384 —
1280–2215 1743 3 84.50–90.00 $86.94 $1,515 —
1600–2005 1786 4 94.00–104.50 $100.70 $1,799 +7.22

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
940 940 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 64.00 $64.00 $602

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
715–1270 1118 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 825.00–1,100.00 $981.67
1020–1290 1155 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 940.00–1,100.00 $1,010.65
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
860–1310 1104 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 600.00–825.00 $723.86

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
715 715 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 660.00 $660.00
755 755 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 775.00 $775.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1115 1115 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 800.00 $800.00 —
1130 1130 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 930.00 $930.00 —
1055–1305 1149 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 800.00–1,075.00 $977.42 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1145 1145 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 89.00 $89.00 $409 —

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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.