Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 31, 2024

743 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $237.96/cwt +20.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,356/hd at 570 lb · 134 head

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $230.28/cwt +15.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,699/hd at 738 lb · 51 head

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $210.21/cwt +11.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,434/hd at 682 lb · 48 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	743	467	469
Feeder cattle	632	380	351
Slaughter cattle	88	64	97
Replacement cattle	23	23	21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday weaned steer packages sold 3.00 to 5.00 higher with good demand. Feeder heifers sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher with some weaned 400-600 lb packages sharply higher with very good demand. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 1.00 to 2.00 lower 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
361 value added	361	3	290.00	$290.00	$1,047	±0.00
365–385	375	2	270.00–307.00	$288.99	$1,084	—
400–427 value added	418	10	280.00–305.00	$294.34	$1,230	+20.49
455	455	2	257.50–260.00	$258.75	$1,177	-1.25
456–485 value added	465	5	262.50–281.00	$275.92	$1,283	-9.57
500–547 value added	523	11	260.00–274.00	$267.97	$1,401	-9.93
555–568 value added	565	10	266.00–268.00	$267.61	$1,512	+5.96
600–627 value added	613	12	240.00–251.00	$247.14	$1,515	+4.14
600–635	616	5	221.00–239.00	$232.90	$1,435	+3.13
660–693	678	14	227.00–233.00	$230.27	$1,561	—
660–691 value added	683	4	234.00–240.00	$235.45	$1,608	+0.95
705–747 value added	738	51	222.00–234.00	$230.28	$1,699	+11.33
762–785	774	4	204.00–217.00	$210.40	$1,628	-2.60
800–842	824	18	195.00–209.00	$202.88	$1,672	+10.82
959	959	6	194.00	$194.00	$1,860	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
350	350	1	250.00	$250.00	$875	—
400	400	1	230.00	$230.00	$920	—
475	475	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,092	-10.00
518–541	530	6	232.00–240.00	$236.09	$1,251	+6.09
565–590	578	2	230.00–241.00	$235.62	$1,362	-1.38
640	640	2	218.00	$218.00	$1,395	-4.22
675	675	1	225.00	$225.00	$1,519	+5.02
712	712	2	193.00	$193.00	$1,374	—
790	790	2	195.00	$195.00	$1,540	+11.00
809–827	813	18	185.00–191.00	$188.12	$1,529	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
240	240	1	215.00	$215.00	$516	—
465–490	478	2	218.00–220.00	$219.03	$1,047	—
670	670	3	200.00	$200.00	$1,340	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
415	415	1	250.00	$250.00	$1,038	—
740	740	1	212.00	$212.00	$1,569	—
910	910	1	171.00	$171.00	$1,556	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
255	255	1	202.50	$202.50	$516	—
305–345	315	4	207.00–215.00	$212.81	$670	—
315–340 value added	325	4	220.00–241.00	$231.45	$752	+10.52
350–385	361	4	200.00–215.00	$208.55	$753	+8.55
372–395 value added	383	14	221.00–239.00	$230.22	$882	+13.43
405–445 value added	428	17	225.00–258.00	$243.46	$1,042	+17.13
455–480	468	2	208.00–220.00	$214.16	$1,002	+4.29
452–489 value added	471	18	224.00–248.00	$237.49	$1,119	+8.58
515	515	1	203.00	$203.00	$1,045	+2.92
500–548 value added	532	23	220.00–238.00	$227.89	$1,212	+3.13
550–595 value added	570	131	220.00–243.25	$238.71	$1,361	+16.33
555–595	570	3	200.00–210.00	$205.36	$1,171	+9.58
600–642	619	8	207.00–215.00	$209.93	$1,299	+11.78
601–632 value added	623	12	217.00–221.00	$218.13	$1,359	+2.13
600–633	624	5	199.00–204.50	$202.55	$1,264	+4.40
659–675 value added	669	15	219.50–225.00	$222.83	$1,491	+22.66
652–695	680	11	200.00–206.00	$201.40	$1,370	+20.40
692	692	22	206.00	$206.00	$1,426	+25.00
700–715	708	3	165.00–169.00	$167.17	$1,184	—
710 value added	710	14	215.00	$215.00	$1,526	+19.39
713–717	716	14	182.00–187.00	$183.07	$1,311	—
835	835	2	166.00	$166.00	$1,386	+15.00
845	845	10	150.00	$150.00	$1,268	—
857	857	2	154.00	$154.00	$1,320	—
935	935	1	155.00	$155.00	$1,449	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
455–495	475	2	200.00–204.00	$201.92	$959	+21.92
500–545	517	6	174.00–200.00	$188.82	$976	+18.82
665	665	2	183.00–187.50	$185.25	$1,232	+10.18
755	755	1	147.00	$147.00	$1,110	—
800–810	805	2	122.00–125.00	$123.49	$994	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
382	382	2	185.00	$185.00	$707	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1385	1385	1	127.00	$127.00	$1,759	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
377	377	2	266.00	$266.00	$1,003	—
440	440	1	270.00	$270.00	$1,188	—
465–496	490	8	240.00–267.50	$249.59	$1,223	+4.73
540	540	1	235.00	$235.00	$1,269	—
577–580	578	3	226.00–235.00	$229.01	$1,324	—
600–647	630	4	206.00–220.00	$211.90	$1,335	+16.04
695	695	3	214.00–221.00	$218.67	$1,520	—
725	725	2	201.00–211.00	$206.00	$1,494	—
976	976	3	131.00	$131.00	$1,279	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
300–315	308	2	240.00–260.00	$250.24	$771	+27.74
460–490	475	2	220.00–225.00	$222.58	$1,057	+0.96
555–580	568	2	200.00–215.00	$207.67	$1,180	-12.33
615	615	1	189.00	$189.00	$1,162	+19.49
670	670	1	186.00	$186.00	$1,246	—
705	705	1	172.00	$172.00	$1,213	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
552	552	2	230.00	$230.00	$1,270	—
655	655	1	200.00	$200.00	$1,310	—
745	745	1	193.00	$193.00	$1,438	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
290	290	1	182.00	$182.00	$528	—
505	505	1	210.00	$210.00	$1,060	+7.50

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1075–1520	1330	75-80%	11	103.00–109.50	$106.28	$1,414	—
1185–1660	1414	75-80%	9	110.00–119.00	$113.31	$1,602	—
1280–1785	1514	75-80%	7	91.00–103.00	$96.06	$1,454	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
930–1405	1191	80-85%	8	86.00–102.00	$97.36	$1,160	—
1110–1400	1215	80-85%	4	102.50–108.50	$105.39	$1,280	—
1200–1380	1300	80-85%	3	114.00–124.50	$120.76	$1,570	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
810–945	878	85-90%	2	68.00–80.00	$74.46	$654	—
955–985	970	85-90%	2	84.00–86.00	$84.98	$824	-10.02
850–1410	1074	85-90%	7	89.00–95.00	$92.11	$989	—
1095–1270	1183	85-90%	2	98.00–109.00	$103.91	$1,229	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1205–1735	1410	5	111.00–124.00	$118.66	$1,673	—
1445–1880	1663	2	102.00–108.00	$105.39	$1,753	—
1735–2050	1873	7	124.00–135.00	$128.76	$2,412	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1180–1280	1230	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	2	1,300.00–1,350.00	$1,323.98

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
875	875	Young (2-4 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	1,050.00	$1,050.00
885	885	Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	1,175.00	$1,175.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
790	790	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	950.00	$950.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
930–1275	1069	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	4	1,225.00–1,275.00	$1,264.12	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
935	935	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	1,300.00	$1,300.00	—
1355	1355	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,700.00	$1,700.00	—

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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.