Cattle Market Pulse

Mid-Kentucky Livestock Market Report

Upton, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 12, 2023

1,252 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Mid-Kentucky Livestock Market report →

light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $193.88/cwt +7.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,418/hd at 732 lb · 80 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $208.26/cwt +3.26 vs last sale · ≈ $896/hd at 430 lb · 63 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $191.45/cwt -3.13 vs last sale · ≈ $986/hd at 515 lb · 62 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,252 1,285 816
Feeder cattle 1,112 1,065 714
Slaughter cattle 100 135 82
Replacement cattle 40 85 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 5.00 to 8.00 higher. Instances of 10 higher. Feeder heifers sold 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Strong demand for all types of feeders. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

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
390 390 7 254.00 $254.00 $991 +19.00
400 400 5 250.00 $250.00 $1,000 —
450 450 11 254.00 $254.00 $1,143 +26.00
490 value added 490 23 250.00 $250.00 $1,225 —
550–572 563 33 225.00–233.50 $229.32 $1,291 +22.42
613 613 14 220.00 $220.00 $1,349 +5.00
704–737 719 58 205.00–209.50 $207.83 $1,494 -4.37
763–781 778 39 205.00–212.00 $210.52 $1,638 +13.76
860 value added 860 27 205.00 $205.00 $1,763 +11.75
910 910 8 190.00 $190.00 $1,729 —
953 953 14 188.00 $188.00 $1,792 +2.75
1045 1045 4 181.00 $181.00 $1,891 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
558 558 2 125.00 $125.00 $698 -91.00
682 682 15 205.00 $205.00 $1,398 —
814 814 14 197.00 $197.00 $1,604 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
293 293 6 201.00 $201.00 $589 —
366–370 367 27 193.00–210.00 $204.29 $750 -5.71
406 value added 406 10 214.00 $214.00 $869 —
418–443 435 53 205.00–208.50 $207.18 $901 +2.18
459 459 14 204.00 $204.00 $936 -1.00
512–517 515 62 191.00–192.00 $191.45 $986 -3.13
564 564 30 190.00 $190.00 $1,072 -0.50
619–648 630 47 185.00–186.00 $185.62 $1,169 -5.61
667 667 9 197.00 $197.00 $1,314 +6.89
706 value added 706 14 200.00 $200.00 $1,412 —
730–742 737 66 190.00–193.50 $192.58 $1,419 +5.83
783 783 13 191.50 $191.50 $1,499 +5.81
800–827 820 32 173.00–183.75 $182.92 $1,500 —
871 871 6 180.00 $180.00 $1,568 —
923 923 2 134.00 $134.00 $1,237 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535–547 538 18 180.00–190.00 $182.82 $984 +2.82
560–581 571 14 155.00–177.00 $168.73 $963 -19.57
621 621 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,087 +10.00
657–686 672 6 170.00–180.00 $175.11 $1,177 -18.63
731 731 17 177.00 $177.00 $1,294 -1.00
782–783 783 16 173.00–180.00 $178.25 $1,396 -1.75
995 995 1 142.00 $142.00 $1,413 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1222–1362 1304 12 130.00 $130.00 $1,695 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363–370 369 23 240.00–245.00 $240.43 $887 +5.43
416 416 16 237.00 $237.00 $986 +7.00
472 472 11 225.00 $225.00 $1,062 +5.00
507–508 507 45 220.00–225.00 $223.33 $1,132 +18.33
566 566 13 210.00 $210.00 $1,189 +19.50
639–642 641 42 182.00–182.50 $182.31 $1,169 +2.31
724 724 30 165.50 $165.50 $1,198 +1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 4 215.00 $215.00 $645 —
543 543 13 174.00 $174.00 $945 —
630 630 8 155.00 $155.00 $976 -10.47
821 821 4 144.50 $144.50 $1,186 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1550 1221 80-85% 32 65.00–88.00 $79.22 $967 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1508–1509 1508 75-80% 27 84.50–84.75 $84.59 $1,276 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–944 923 85-90% 5 45.00–57.00 $50.90 $470 -27.60
990–1000 994 85-90% 3 66.00–72.50 $70.00 $696 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1755 1586 4 112.00–112.50 $112.14 $1,779 —
1656–2005 1780 5 118.00–128.50 $122.24 $2,176 +3.68
2004 2004 1 132.50 $132.50 $2,655 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
920 920 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,150.00 $1,150.00
975–1250 1101 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 10 1,030.00–1,400.00 $1,233.74
1125 1125 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,230.00 $1,230.00
1265–1320 1302 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,050.00–1,200.00 $1,098.59

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 990.00 $990.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,210.00 $1,210.00

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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
1210–1250 1230 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,460.00–1,590.00 $1,526.06 —
1350 1350 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,510.00 $1,510.00 —

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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.