Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, July 31, 2024

514 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $251.20/cwt -6.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,741/hd at 693 lb · 78 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $269.67/cwt +3.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,414/hd at 524 lb · 25 head

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $285.33/cwt -14.30 vs last sale · ≈ $1,181/hd at 414 lb · 23 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	514	677	454
Feeder cattle	405	579	358
Slaughter cattle	51	66	87
Replacement cattle	58	32	9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday feeder steers and heifers sold steady with good demand for weaned calf packages and yearlings; attractive quality 400-500 lb weaned heifers noticeably higher with very good demand. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
300–327 value added	320	4	342.50–347.50	$343.67	$1,100	—
355–370 value added	363	2	320.00–342.50	$331.02	$1,202	—
410 value added	410	1	300.00	$300.00	$1,230	-13.63
435	435	1	297.00	$297.00	$1,292	+7.00
477–490 value added	481	7	286.00–288.00	$287.42	$1,382	-15.29
500–525 value added	506	13	281.00–287.50	$283.47	$1,434	-4.01
576–595 value added	584	5	280.00–291.00	$286.51	$1,673	+0.01
615	615	1	260.00	$260.00	$1,599	—
617–637 value added	627	4	265.00–275.00	$270.08	$1,693	-12.92
660–688 value added	681	7	278.00–290.00	$280.52	$1,910	—
725 value added	725	3	255.00	$255.00	$1,849	-3.00
751–780 value added	758	4	251.00–259.00	$256.94	$1,948	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
235	235	2	272.50	$272.50	$640	—
445	445	1	250.00	$250.00	$1,112	-10.00
510–532	525	3	234.00–250.00	$244.82	$1,285	-0.23
580	580	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,392	±0.00
640	640	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,536	—
660	660	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,518	—
915	915	1	187.00	$187.00	$1,711	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
435	435	1	270.00	$270.00	$1,174	—
470	470	1	265.00	$265.00	$1,246	—
570	570	1	260.00	$260.00	$1,482	—
630–639	638	6	232.00–241.00	$233.48	$1,490	-2.52

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
535	535	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,177	—
585	585	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,287	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
295	295	1	285.00	$285.00	$841	-5.00
300–340	328	4	240.00–307.00	$282.64	$927	—
325–340 fancy	332	4	307.00–310.00	$307.73	$1,022	—
375	375	1	300.00	$300.00	$1,125	+3.99
355–392 fancy	382	5	310.00–320.00	$315.49	$1,205	—
412–440 value added	422	17	272.50–312.50	$301.10	$1,271	+13.92
450–487 value added	477	12	270.00–280.00	$273.84	$1,306	-0.82
465–495	480	6	258.00–270.00	$262.13	$1,258	+7.91
500–545 value added	524	24	259.00–279.00	$270.07	$1,415	+0.29
530	530	1	260.00	$260.00	$1,378	+2.46
554–586 value added	575	18	259.00–274.50	$269.83	$1,552	+6.41
565–581	577	4	250.00–260.00	$257.55	$1,486	—
610–647 value added	635	11	251.50–260.00	$254.22	$1,614	+1.76
647	647	2	230.00	$230.00	$1,488	—
655–684	677	8	235.00–242.00	$236.69	$1,602	+0.69
661–697 value added	695	70	252.85–253.00	$252.86	$1,757	-5.14
722	722	2	205.00	$205.00	$1,480	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
355–385	370	2	210.00–221.00	$215.72	$798	—
415–420	418	4	200.00–222.50	$211.32	$883	-8.68
450	450	1	200.00	$200.00	$900	—
565	565	1	222.00	$222.00	$1,254	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
200–225	213	2	252.00–255.00	$253.41	$540	—
260	260	1	237.00	$237.00	$616	—
410	410	1	250.00	$250.00	$1,025	—
455–475	465	2	248.00–255.00	$251.42	$1,169	+13.71
620	620	1	223.00	$223.00	$1,383	+13.00

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
500–532	522	4	230.00–251.00	$245.46	$1,281	—
605	605	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,331	—
855	855	1	190.00	$190.00	$1,624	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1255	1255	1	160.00	$160.00	$2,008	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
257 value added	257	2	300.00	$300.00	$771	—
310	310	1	282.50	$282.50	$876	-29.50
400–435 value added	408	14	270.00–317.00	$296.34	$1,209	-3.40
405–442	423	9	260.00–275.00	$268.21	$1,135	-31.28
450–490	470	2	265.00–270.00	$267.39	$1,257	-20.95
476 value added	476	3	279.00	$279.00	$1,328	-18.00
500–525 value added	515	7	270.00–275.00	$273.32	$1,408	-3.65
505–542	532	7	258.00–269.00	$264.96	$1,410	-3.43
565–585	573	4	256.00–267.00	$261.77	$1,500	-1.76

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
265	265	1	243.00	$243.00	$644	—
385–390	388	2	240.00–252.50	$246.21	$955	-20.67
440	440	1	231.00	$231.00	$1,016	-19.00
455–470	463	2	240.00–250.00	$244.92	$1,134	-14.57
525	525	1	230.00	$230.00	$1,208	-18.00
572–575	573	3	250.00–252.00	$250.67	$1,436	+7.31
600	600	2	235.00	$235.00	$1,410	—
650–675	663	2	215.00	$215.00	$1,425	-5.51

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
275	275	1	205.00	$205.00	$564	—
300–305	303	2	225.00	$225.00	$682	-40.00
365–390	378	2	207.00–230.00	$218.88	$827	—
510	510	1	210.00	$210.00	$1,071	-10.00
628	628	3	207.00	$207.00	$1,300	-14.00
670	670	1	210.00	$210.00	$1,407	—
725	725	1	200.00	$200.00	$1,450	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
650	650	1	229.00	$229.00	$1,488	+5.00
717–725	720	3	203.00–210.00	$205.35	$1,479	—
785	785	1	190.00	$190.00	$1,492	-21.00
825	825	1	195.00	$195.00	$1,609	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1885	1885	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	N/A	1	2,875.00	$2,875.00	—

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1095–1280	1160	80-85%	6	128.50–136.50	$134.01	$1,555	—
1070–1315	1190	80-85%	3	123.00–127.00	$125.37	$1,492	-6.86
1115–1555	1305	80-85%	11	138.50–160.00	$147.69	$1,927	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1110–1510	1316	75-80%	5	138.00–148.00	$141.04	$1,856	—
1165–1535	1321	75-80%	10	128.00–135.50	$131.01	$1,731	—
1140–1475	1348	75-80%	4	123.00–128.00	$125.61	$1,693	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
945–1020	976	85-90%	6	121.50–128.50	$124.27	$1,213	—
830–1185	1011	85-90%	5	109.00–111.00	$110.22	$1,114	—
915–1210	1014	85-90%	5	87.00–101.00	$94.88	$962	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1155	1155	1	133.00	$133.00	$1,536	—
1135–2295	1556	4	149.00–166.00	$158.03	$2,459	—
1750–1875	1813	3	169.00–188.00	$177.16	$3,212	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1175–1290	1235	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	1,400.00–1,950.00	$1,599.87
1240–1420	1348	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	1,635.00–1,750.00	$1,705.97

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1075	1075	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,150.00	$1,150.00
1100	1100	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	1,350.00	$1,350.00

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1250	1250	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	1,475.00	$1,475.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1215–1605	1439	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	10	2,150.00–2,825.00	$2,555.07	—
1565 fancy	1565	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	3,025.00	$3,025.00	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1240	1240	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,725.00	$1,725.00	—

Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
960	960	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,225.00	$1,225.00	—

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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.