Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 23, 2023

228 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $228.68/cwt +3.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,200/hd at 525 lb · 25 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $225.37/cwt -20.71 vs last sale · ≈ $860/hd at 382 lb · 10 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $229.47/cwt +0.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,068/hd at 465 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 228 710 638
Feeder cattle 166 612 541
Slaughter cattle 33 74 77
Replacement cattle 29 24 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder market not fully established; light supply due to weather. Yearlings no test. Very hot humid conditions reduced local demand for stocker calves and slowed cattle movement this week. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher with good demand. Slaughter bulls sold steady 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
365 365 1 252.50 $252.50 $922 —
525–540 533 2 239.00–251.00 $245.08 $1,306 +3.08
580 580 2 238.00–245.00 $241.50 $1,401 -7.18
600–645 629 4 225.00–230.00 $228.06 $1,434 —
665 665 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,496 —
1025 1025 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,702 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 1 200.00 $200.00 $750 —
455–480 468 2 217.50–229.00 $223.40 $1,046 +1.40
505 505 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,151 -6.49
580 580 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,174 -20.86
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
665 665 1 213.00 $213.00 $1,416 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
202 202 2 210.00 $210.00 $424 -15.38
270–295 283 2 202.50–222.50 $212.94 $603 -21.66
310 value added 310 1 230.00 $230.00 $713 -23.82
335 335 1 207.50 $207.50 $695 -7.50
375–385 380 2 212.50–214.00 $213.24 $810 -4.43
350–393 value added 382 8 222.50–232.50 $228.40 $872 -21.74
408–410 value added 409 4 230.00–237.50 $235.62 $964 +4.87
420–430 424 4 221.00–230.00 $223.98 $950 -3.25
457–490 value added 463 6 231.00–232.00 $231.82 $1,073 -1.43
462–475 469 4 215.00–230.00 $225.94 $1,060 +4.61
500–525 517 3 219.00–225.00 $221.27 $1,144 -0.35
510–545 value added 526 22 227.00–233.00 $229.69 $1,208 +0.89
555 value added 555 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,265 -0.24
600 value added 600 3 220.00 $220.00 $1,320 —
610–645 626 5 196.00–207.00 $202.87 $1,270 +0.97
650–655 653 2 210.00–211.00 $210.50 $1,375 -1.03
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–460 457 3 200.00–220.00 $213.28 $975 +20.55
540 540 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,107 +5.53
585 585 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,223 +22.69
620 620 1 177.00 $177.00 $1,097 -14.44
705 705 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,283 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
283 283 4 253.00 $253.00 $716 +13.00
310 310 3 250.00 $250.00 $775 -8.22
350–395 373 2 240.00–242.50 $241.33 $900 -9.58
415–427 424 4 240.00–250.00 $244.97 $1,039 -11.03
450–478 468 5 237.00–247.50 $244.02 $1,142 +3.02
500–535 522 3 226.00–231.00 $228.96 $1,195 +5.94
600–642 618 9 200.00–214.00 $207.03 $1,279 +5.32
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 197.50 $197.50 $484 -7.00
270 270 1 217.50 $217.50 $587 -5.52
320 320 3 202.50–227.50 $216.67 $693 +11.67
355–360 358 2 185.00–217.50 $201.36 $721 -28.64
400 400 1 217.50 $217.50 $870 -8.50
500–538 521 7 180.00–217.00 $200.16 $1,043 -17.29
565 565 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,158 -12.73
675 675 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,181 -13.00
702 702 2 161.00 $161.00 $1,130 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,081 —
545 545 1 180.00 $180.00 $981 -11.49

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950 950 85-90% 1 78.00 $78.00 $741 —
855–1100 984 85-90% 5 92.00–96.50 $94.68 $932 +8.78
940–1115 1015 85-90% 5 85.50–91.00 $88.52 $898 -18.02
805–1210 1027 85-90% 6 99.00–110.50 $104.91 $1,077 +10.71
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230 1230 75-80% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,181 —
1090–1495 1300 75-80% 6 104.00–109.50 $106.68 $1,387 —
1255–1710 1490 75-80% 4 110.00–118.00 $114.67 $1,709 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1315 1120 80-85% 3 97.50–101.00 $99.04 $1,109 —
975–1300 1155 80-85% 3 112.00–116.50 $115.06 $1,329 +22.43
1100–1315 1208 80-85% 2 104.00–106.00 $104.91 $1,267 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1600 1450 3 118.50–127.00 $124.17 $1,800 —
1500–1615 1558 2 132.00–133.00 $132.52 $2,065 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
805–1025 915 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,085.00–1,095.00 $1,089.40
940–1145 1042 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 1,085.00–1,235.00 $1,164.06
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
805–845 815 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 825.00–950.00 $857.40
910 910 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00
990 990 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,060.00 $1,060.00

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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
950 950 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,160.00 $1,160.00 —

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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.