Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 17, 2024

70 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 70 834 579
Feeder cattle 54 746 499
Slaughter cattle 16 38 80
Replacement cattle 50

No market trends due to lite receipts. Winter weather and extreme cold restricted cattle movement this week. Very good demand for slaughter cows noted.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505–525 513 4 242.00–249.00 $244.78 $1,256 +1.28
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,012
585 585 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,322

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 218.00 $218.00 $850 +15.24
440 440 1 218.00 $218.00 $959 +15.82
457–485 479 9 208.00 $208.00 $996 +3.47
545 545 2 214.00 $214.00 $1,166 +14.94
580–585 581 4 203.00–204.00 $203.75 $1,184 +2.97
603 603 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,206 -5.99
825 825 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,081 -28.00
1015–1020 1018 2 130.00–138.00 $133.99 $1,364
1110 1110 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,343
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,230

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Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357 357 2 203.00 $203.00 $725 +3.00
470 470 1 181.00 $181.00 $851 -29.00
530–545 538 2 167.50–192.00 $179.92 $968 -31.39
552 552 2 173.00 $173.00 $955 -34.55
660 660 1 148.00 $148.00 $977
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–440 435 2 240.00–250.00 $245.06 $1,066 -7.44
603 603 3 203.00 $203.00 $1,224 -0.23
790 790 1 161.00 $161.00 $1,272 -15.91
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340–345 343 2 222.50–223.00 $222.75 $764
375 375 1 230.00 $230.00 $862 +10.00
795 795 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,113 -10.00
890 890 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,157

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060 1060 80-85% 1 90.00 $90.00 $954
1085 1085 80-85% 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,161
1015–1375 1176 80-85% 4 109.00–120.00 $115.94 $1,363 +24.20
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1515 1396 75-80% 4 114.00–125.00 $119.43 $1,667 +21.93
1325–1565 1445 75-80% 2 101.00–107.00 $104.25 $1,506
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1280 1183 85-90% 2 92.00–94.00 $93.08 $1,101 +7.28

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1700 1700 1 130.00 $130.00 $2,210 +12.20

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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.