Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, November 30, 2022

1,122 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $146.04/cwt -0.20 vs last sale · ≈ $761/hd at 521 lb · 43 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $145.13/cwt -0.42 vs last sale · ≈ $833/hd at 574 lb · 33 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $148.49/cwt +6.28 vs last sale · ≈ $553/hd at 373 lb · 31 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,122 836 1,307
Feeder cattle 892 719 1,134
Slaughter cattle 185 67 118
Replacement cattle 45 50 55

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trends due to stockyards closed last week for Holiday.

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
342 342 2 161.00 $161.00 $551 -16.50
365–390 value added 378 2 172.50–207.00 $190.32 $719 -9.68
375–388 385 5 166.00–182.50 $179.29 $690 +9.29
400–445 value added 424 26 177.50–208.00 $194.28 $824 +0.13
405–445 430 5 167.00–172.50 $169.02 $727 +8.70
462 462 4 164.00 $164.00 $758 -1.19
450–494 value added 473 20 166.00–187.00 $177.50 $840 -3.54
503 503 3 160.00 $160.00 $805 +2.03
500–545 value added 524 25 166.00–185.00 $174.65 $915 +4.08
555 555 1 160.00 $160.00 $888 -4.28
560–585 value added 572 5 162.00–168.00 $164.96 $944 -6.44
605–616 612 10 143.00–151.00 $148.90 $911 -2.39
602–638 value added 618 13 155.00–166.00 $161.01 $995 +1.55
660–692 value added 680 4 152.00–158.00 $155.05 $1,054 -6.96
722 value added 722 2 165.00 $165.00 $1,191 —
730 730 1 142.00 $142.00 $1,037 -4.51
757–765 760 3 126.00–141.00 $135.96 $1,033 —
825 825 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,320 +19.00
855 855 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,351 +13.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 164.00 $164.00 $623 —
517–530 520 5 130.00–151.00 $146.72 $763 +6.72
620–643 625 14 145.00–147.00 $145.44 $909 —
655 655 1 145.00 $145.00 $950 +2.67
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 140.00 $140.00 $427 —
370 370 1 160.00 $160.00 $592 —
455–470 460 3 145.00–151.00 $148.96 $685 +3.96
600 600 1 144.00 $144.00 $864 —
710 710 1 137.50 $137.50 $976 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
555 555 1 111.00 $111.00 $616 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
180 180 1 163.00 $163.00 $293 —
230 230 1 155.00 $155.00 $356 +13.10
235–245 value added 240 2 160.00–169.00 $164.41 $395 —
275 value added 275 1 155.00 $155.00 $426 —
255–295 279 4 141.00–148.00 $143.93 $402 +6.43
330–335 333 3 144.00–150.00 $146.34 $487 +2.16
337 value added 337 2 162.50 $162.50 $548 +2.50
351–398 value added 372 11 150.00–170.00 $155.52 $579 —
350–395 373 20 140.00–150.00 $144.62 $539 +2.41
410–418 value added 415 5 150.00–157.00 $152.77 $634 -1.11
400–445 425 15 138.00–148.00 $142.83 $607 +1.09
460–485 479 6 135.00–142.00 $138.14 $662 -4.64
452–497 value added 480 20 151.00–160.00 $153.14 $735 +1.25
505–533 value added 520 16 150.00–154.00 $152.13 $791 +3.04
500–547 522 27 136.00–149.00 $142.43 $743 -1.77
550–597 570 17 135.00–147.00 $141.13 $804 -1.36
555–588 value added 578 16 147.00–153.00 $149.39 $863 -0.46
600–640 608 5 130.00–140.00 $137.51 $836 +4.73
600–611 value added 609 6 140.00–141.00 $140.16 $854 -0.21
655–658 value added 657 4 141.00–144.00 $143.25 $941 -23.68
651–665 658 8 134.00–138.00 $135.01 $888 —
700 700 1 114.00 $114.00 $798 -10.00
760 760 1 115.00 $115.00 $874 —
840 840 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,000 +24.00
850–860 852 5 113.00–120.00 $114.41 $975 +7.94
920 920 2 112.00 $112.00 $1,030 —
1067 1067 2 118.00 $118.00 $1,259 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
232 232 2 132.00 $132.00 $306 —
270–295 283 2 131.00–137.00 $133.87 $379 —
300–340 326 11 120.00–135.00 $127.74 $416 +3.74
353–390 369 12 121.00–139.00 $132.53 $489 —
410–447 426 14 123.00–137.50 $128.92 $549 -9.08
450–490 466 20 120.00–134.00 $126.03 $587 -7.44
500–545 528 13 121.00–134.00 $129.32 $683 -6.04
555–595 575 8 118.00–134.00 $128.13 $737 -8.47
620 620 2 121.00 $121.00 $750 +1.00
650–680 661 4 113.00–122.00 $116.71 $771 -1.29
736–745 738 5 108.00–110.00 $109.60 $809 +4.60
780 780 1 110.00 $110.00 $858 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
366 366 3 131.00 $131.00 $479 —
400 400 1 135.00 $135.00 $540 —
475–477 476 3 138.00 $138.00 $657 —
505 505 1 136.00 $136.00 $687 —
551–594 580 15 129.00–140.00 $131.70 $764 —
630–632 631 3 121.00–126.00 $124.34 $785 -3.90
700 700 2 122.00 $122.00 $854 +2.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 114.00 $114.00 $462 +13.00
507–535 516 3 104.00–110.00 $106.07 $547 —
585 585 1 108.00 $108.00 $632 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
125 125 1 195.00 $195.00 $244 —
205–225 213 5 167.50–181.00 $177.66 $378 +16.16
297 297 4 160.00 $160.00 $475 +1.19
300–342 331 10 160.00–182.50 $168.62 $558 +8.01
355–395 375 7 160.00–187.50 $170.40 $639 +14.56
400–435 value added 413 14 162.50–179.00 $171.41 $708 —
405–440 420 5 144.00–162.50 $157.20 $660 +1.20
460–475 value added 465 3 170.00–171.00 $170.66 $794 —
450–495 467 7 149.00–170.00 $161.79 $756 +6.32
507–540 value added 526 8 161.00–172.00 $164.18 $864 +6.66
505–547 537 10 146.00–159.00 $149.57 $803 +3.12
550–575 564 13 143.00–158.00 $147.33 $831 +6.54
600–635 value added 619 10 140.00–144.00 $140.99 $873 —
600–637 623 13 128.00–139.00 $135.08 $842 -0.92
650–690 664 15 126.00–137.00 $129.89 $862 -2.07
700–735 728 6 121.00–130.00 $124.12 $904 -10.74
753–780 767 7 116.00–124.00 $120.35 $923 —
805–845 827 6 111.00–123.00 $117.73 $974 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–295 274 8 140.00–155.00 $146.49 $401 —
305–345 330 4 142.00–155.00 $149.77 $494 +11.77
355–375 363 3 132.50–153.00 $142.32 $517 +3.32
440 440 1 132.50 $132.50 $583 —
495–496 496 5 137.00 $137.00 $680 +3.10
500–545 520 13 127.00–137.00 $131.22 $682 -2.79
570–571 571 4 125.00–137.00 $134.00 $765 +1.08
610–630 620 2 120.00–125.00 $122.46 $759 +2.46
665 665 1 115.00 $115.00 $765 +1.52
742 742 2 113.00 $113.00 $838 -0.06
795 795 2 107.00 $107.00 $851 —
965 965 1 89.00 $89.00 $859 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 3 145.00 $145.00 $638 —
596 596 6 139.00 $139.00 $828 —
647 647 2 131.00 $131.00 $848 +9.00
670–695 682 3 122.00–131.00 $127.71 $871 —
775 775 1 108.00 $108.00 $837 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 132.50 $132.50 $391 —
345 345 1 126.00 $126.00 $435 —
415 415 1 127.00 $127.00 $527 —
450–487 475 3 109.00–120.00 $116.52 $553 -5.98
500–515 507 3 110.00–115.00 $112.48 $570 -9.27
645 645 1 103.00 $103.00 $664 —
660–670 665 2 110.00–112.50 $111.24 $740 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1500 1011 85-90% 24 40.00–54.00 $48.65 $492 —
740–1365 1058 85-90% 22 59.50–66.00 $63.07 $667 +4.79
840–1340 1116 85-90% 13 54.00–59.00 $56.95 $636 —
1010–1270 1174 85-90% 9 67.00–82.00 $71.94 $845 -0.06
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1310 1240 80-85% 4 59.00–64.00 $61.68 $765 -5.19
1075–1590 1248 80-85% 22 64.00–70.00 $67.66 $844 +0.79
1040–1715 1322 80-85% 22 72.50–92.00 $77.69 $1,027 -4.00
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245 1245 75-80% 1 63.00 $63.00 $784 —
1240–1565 1430 75-80% 12 63.50–72.00 $68.56 $980 -1.20
1295–1760 1474 75-80% 14 72.00–79.50 $74.33 $1,096 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–2495 1454 7 75.00–91.00 $83.62 $1,216 —
1280–2135 1597 8 91.00–106.50 $98.55 $1,574 —
1320–1990 1703 10 108.00–116.50 $110.57 $1,883 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1010–1030 1020 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 80.00–84.00 $82.02 $837

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
995–1270 1137 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 6 850.00–1,035.00 $908.83
920–1540 1179 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 800.00–1,000.00 $903.05
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
720–1360 1040 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 675.00–750.00 $724.04
1050 1050 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 625.00 $625.00
1150–1200 1175 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 750.00–775.00 $762.77
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
740–795 770 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 525.00–625.00 $582.58

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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
945–1380 1168 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,050.00–1,150.00 $1,089.37 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1195 1195 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 850.00 $850.00 —

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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.