Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 28, 2025

249 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $334.97/cwt -1.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,769/hd at 528 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $375.37/cwt ≈ $1,957/hd at 521 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 249 368 319
Feeder cattle 152 244 251
Slaughter cattle 74 72 51
Replacement cattle 23 52 17

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday feeder steers under 600 lbs softer undertone in a lite test; over 600 lbs sold 5.00 higher with good demand. Feeder heifers unevenly steady in a lite test. Yearlings lite test. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher with very good demand. Slaughter bulls sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher; some high dressing bulls sharply 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 $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–340 fancy 335 2 450.00–470.00 $459.85 $1,540 —
345 345 1 435.00 $435.00 $1,501 —
350–395 364 4 392.50–415.00 $406.96 $1,481 —
395 fancy 395 1 422.00 $422.00 $1,667 -10.50
432 432 2 390.00 $390.00 $1,685 -23.47
452–455 453 3 385.00–387.50 $386.66 $1,752 —
500–530 518 8 350.00–372.00 $365.55 $1,894 —
528 fancy 528 4 395.00 $395.00 $2,086 —
555 555 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,942 -12.48
608 value added 608 5 356.00 $356.00 $2,164 +11.00
612 612 4 328.00 $328.00 $2,007 +3.40
705–730 722 3 295.00–310.00 $305.12 $2,203 +6.80
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 335.00 $335.00 $1,424 -22.28
582 582 2 325.00 $325.00 $1,892 -9.96
610 610 1 307.00 $307.00 $1,873 —
780 780 1 267.00 $267.00 $2,083 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
165 fancy 165 2 500.00 $500.00 $825 —
185 185 1 430.00 $430.00 $796 —
200–230 fancy 215 2 435.00–440.00 $437.33 $940 —
355–395 value added 372 3 380.00–417.00 $396.09 $1,473 —
395 395 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,382 -29.90
405–435 418 6 335.00–370.00 $346.59 $1,449 -16.91
475 475 2 341.00–355.00 $348.00 $1,653 +0.44
502–545 value added 527 15 330.00–342.00 $335.64 $1,769 -4.70
545 545 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,771 +9.85
550–560 value added 557 3 339.00–340.00 $339.67 $1,892 +8.96
600–632 621 3 285.00–305.00 $298.56 $1,854 —
730 730 2 252.50 $252.50 $1,843 -14.50
800–810 805 2 222.00–222.50 $222.25 $1,789 -29.35
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–385 375 3 305.00–345.00 $318.69 $1,195 —
470–480 477 3 324.00–327.50 $325.15 $1,551 -9.85
545 545 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,553 -13.03
735 735 1 227.00 $227.00 $1,668 -2.97
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,667 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385–390 389 4 390.00–422.00 $397.92 $1,548 -3.58
400 400 2 397.50 $397.50 $1,590 +17.02
465–485 479 4 360.00–377.50 $368.03 $1,763 -9.35
565 565 1 341.00 $341.00 $1,927 +14.36
630 630 2 325.00 $325.00 $2,048 -3.19
700–745 723 2 285.00–290.00 $287.42 $2,078 -4.25
830 830 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,950 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,083 +5.00
365–375 370 2 350.00–370.00 $360.14 $1,333 —
440 440 2 342.50 $342.50 $1,507 +17.50
490 490 2 335.00–345.00 $340.00 $1,666 -10.00
505 505 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,616 +6.54
570–590 583 3 317.00–335.00 $329.14 $1,919 +14.63
630 630 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,796 -25.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,848 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 1 315.00 $315.00 $1,575 +30.10

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1145 1063 80-85% 2 148.00 $148.00 $1,573 —
1090–1125 1108 80-85% 2 157.50–159.00 $158.26 $1,754 —
965–1455 1239 80-85% 21 161.50–182.50 $167.35 $2,073 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1450 1290 75-80% 4 157.00–159.50 $158.20 $2,041 —
1145–1585 1356 75-80% 15 161.00–175.00 $168.14 $2,280 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1180 1003 85-90% 6 138.00–146.00 $141.30 $1,417 —
890–1120 1045 85-90% 5 148.00–165.50 $156.96 $1,640 —
1195 1195 85-90% 1 124.50 $124.50 $1,488 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1080 1078 2 157.00–163.00 $160.01 $1,725 —
1180–1470 1330 3 179.00–190.00 $183.88 $2,446 —
1550–2280 1914 9 199.00–246.00 $226.33 $4,332 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
895 895 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,611

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1080–1185 1133 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,950.00–2,425.00 $2,198.51
925–1580 1187 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 10 1,800.00–2,550.00 $2,224.88
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1325–1655 1460 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,900.00–3,050.00 $2,947.95 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065 1065 85-90% 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,395 —
1420 1420 80-85% 1 128.50 $128.50 $1,825 —

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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.