Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 8, 2023

412 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $184.50/cwt +6.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,059/hd at 574 lb · 24 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $222.38/cwt +4.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,145/hd at 515 lb · 22 head

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $189.91/cwt +10.76 vs last sale · ≈ $913/hd at 481 lb · 19 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	412	506	615
Feeder cattle	291	419	517
Slaughter cattle	88	60	77
Replacement cattle	33	27	21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday feeder steer and heifer calves sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher with very good demand for weaned thin-fleshed offerings. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 3.00 to 5.00 higher with very 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
407–445 value added	420	13	204.00–249.00	$223.70	$940	+3.70
450–475	455	5	197.00–206.00	$198.88	$905	+4.44
465–490 value added	474	7	209.00–234.00	$223.45	$1,059	+7.50
500–545 value added	515	22	205.00–234.00	$222.38	$1,145	+4.56
550–560 value added	555	4	200.00–217.50	$206.61	$1,147	-8.85
602–625 value added	618	9	187.00–201.00	$192.72	$1,191	-8.51
656–675 value added	659	7	187.00–192.00	$191.27	$1,260	+10.02
655–675	665	2	178.00–180.00	$179.02	$1,190	+18.02
723 value added	723	9	191.50	$191.50	$1,385	+6.51
760 value added	760	1	182.00	$182.00	$1,383	-1.58
805–820	813	2	177.00–184.00	$180.53	$1,468	+30.53

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
590	590	2	183.00	$183.00	$1,080	—
682 value added	682	2	184.00	$184.00	$1,255	—
895	895	1	150.00	$150.00	$1,342	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
320	320	1	180.00	$180.00	$576	—
560–585	573	2	182.00–187.00	$184.45	$1,057	—
692	692	2	173.00	$173.00	$1,197	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
275	275	1	120.00	$120.00	$330	—
360	360	1	127.50	$127.50	$459	—

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
300–345 value added	328	7	191.00–210.00	$199.54	$654	+17.88
325–330	328	2	182.50–189.00	$185.77	$609	+12.50
350–390	373	6	180.00–191.00	$185.39	$692	+10.09
370–387 value added	377	6	200.00–220.00	$210.66	$794	+28.23
410–430	420	2	182.50–187.00	$184.80	$776	+12.30
400–445 value added	425	10	187.50–206.00	$199.46	$848	+14.69
473–495 value added	481	19	185.00–193.00	$189.91	$913	+9.38
500 value added	500	1	185.00	$185.00	$925	+3.12
525–535	528	4	166.00–180.00	$171.47	$905	+3.47
550–580	565	2	169.00–173.00	$171.05	$966	+0.45
550–595 value added	575	22	181.00–188.00	$185.72	$1,068	+5.74
605–625 value added	614	8	164.00–189.00	$175.54	$1,078	-2.44
663–670	665	4	155.00–160.00	$158.74	$1,056	—
686 value added	686	3	175.00	$175.00	$1,200	+6.31
735	735	1	168.00	$168.00	$1,235	—
800	800	1	120.00	$120.00	$960	-9.00
875	875	1	123.00	$123.00	$1,076	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
175	175	1	155.00	$155.00	$271	—
225	225	1	140.00	$140.00	$315	—
255	255	1	175.00	$175.00	$446	+29.00
315–340	325	3	145.00–172.00	$160.88	$523	+2.88
350	350	1	172.00	$172.00	$602	+15.54
410–420	417	5	166.00–170.00	$169.19	$706	+25.99
465–480	473	4	151.00–165.00	$159.16	$753	-1.34
560–575	568	2	140.00–151.00	$145.57	$827	—
600	600	1	146.00	$146.00	$876	—
945	945	1	113.00	$113.00	$1,068	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
425	425	1	166.00	$166.00	$706	+4.00
495	495	2	162.00	$162.00	$802	—
543	543	3	172.00	$172.00	$934	—
600 value added	600	2	166.00	$166.00	$996	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
205	205	1	135.00	$135.00	$277	—

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
280	280	1	185.00	$185.00	$518	-15.00
365	365	1	190.00	$190.00	$694	—
350–395 value added	371	5	210.00–225.00	$219.51	$814	+0.11
410	410	1	192.00	$192.00	$787	+2.00
412–435 value added	424	8	207.00–225.00	$217.21	$921	+6.02
451–475 value added	460	6	217.00–222.50	$218.94	$1,007	+10.15
470–490	480	2	187.00–207.00	$197.21	$947	+23.26
505–530	515	4	187.00–203.00	$193.76	$998	—
520 value added	520	1	208.00	$208.00	$1,082	+23.47
560 value added	560	1	205.00	$205.00	$1,148	+32.00
590	590	1	175.00	$175.00	$1,032	+11.00
602–630	611	3	158.00–170.00	$165.88	$1,014	+9.39
680	680	1	157.00	$157.00	$1,068	+12.00
730	730	1	145.00	$145.00	$1,058	-2.69
985	985	1	103.00	$103.00	$1,015	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
305	305	1	180.00	$180.00	$549	-7.50
375	375	1	185.00	$185.00	$694	—
425	425	2	182.00	$182.00	$774	—
530	530	1	174.00	$174.00	$922	+33.00
560–575	568	2	169.00–170.00	$169.51	$963	+9.02
655–660	658	2	150.00	$150.00	$987	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
380	380	1	188.00	$188.00	$714	—
965	965	1	118.00	$118.00	$1,139	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1105	1105	Young (2-4 yrs)	N/A	1	1,175.00	$1,175.00	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
480	480	1	120.00	$120.00	$576	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
725–925	845	85-90%	3	70.00–71.00	$70.64	$597	—
915–985	939	85-90%	4	52.00–66.00	$60.55	$569	—
840–1215	1020	85-90%	13	84.00–102.00	$89.31	$911	+14.32
995–1125	1043	85-90%	4	75.00–78.00	$76.70	$800	+1.71

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1160–1310	1235	80-85%	2	82.00–89.50	$85.98	$1,062	-14.56
1095–1680	1271	80-85%	21	96.00–116.00	$106.39	$1,352	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1160–1330	1245	75-80%	2	88.00–89.00	$88.47	$1,101	—
1175–1595	1376	75-80%	16	94.50–113.00	$101.95	$1,403	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1030	1030	1	94.00	$94.00	$968	—
1225–1610	1441	5	108.00–118.00	$112.00	$1,614	+4.85
1620–2155	1795	15	120.00–150.50	$134.45	$2,413	—

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
880	880	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	111.00	$111.00	$977

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1010–1310	1135	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	1,175.00–1,400.00	$1,246.70
1160–1415	1273	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	5	1,135.00–1,425.00	$1,256.25

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
825	825	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	835.00	$835.00
680–1015	848	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	650.00–785.00	$730.84

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
805	805	Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	775.00	$775.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1060–1310	1191	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	4	1,300.00–1,500.00	$1,435.07	+210.07

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
880–1385	1085	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	3	950.00–1,235.00	$1,154.91	—

↑ Back to top

Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
525	525	1	98.00	$98.00	$514	—

↑ Back to top

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.