Cattle Market Pulse

Russell Co. Stockyard Market Report

Russell Springs, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 21, 2024

1,124 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Russell Co. Stockyard report →

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $254.70/cwt +11.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,740/hd at 683 lb · 105 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $249.73/cwt +7.70 vs last sale · ≈ $1,810/hd at 725 lb · 102 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $295.48/cwt +25.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,665/hd at 563 lb · 82 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,124 425 593
Feeder cattle 1,010 388 575
Slaughter cattle 59 30 9
Replacement cattle 55 7 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday: Feeder steers under 600 lbs. sold sharply higher and those over 600 lbs. were steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers traded 8.00-10.00 higher with the exception of the six weight heifers which sold 8.00 -10.00 lower. Today's quality was very good and the overall demand was strong. The few calves that trended lower simply fell into weight ranges that saw the lower demand. Slaughter cows sold steady and slaughter bulls were 5.00-6.00 higher.

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
295 295 2 362.50 $362.50 $1,069 —
355 fancy 355 3 332.50–335.00 $333.33 $1,183 —
380–395 388 2 307.50–322.50 $315.15 $1,223 -3.85
415 fancy 415 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,411 +26.00
415–445 426 19 306.00–316.00 $313.95 $1,337 +26.01
450–455 453 13 295.00–308.00 $304.77 $1,381 +13.93
482 fancy 482 5 314.00 $314.00 $1,513 +7.98
519 value added 519 20 314.50 $314.50 $1,632 —
500–545 522 11 284.00–303.00 $290.15 $1,515 +5.07
551 value added 551 38 308.00 $308.00 $1,697 —
550–591 574 44 274.00–296.00 $284.66 $1,634 +15.09
600–621 value added 614 19 285.00–289.00 $286.23 $1,757 —
605–645 634 6 241.00–253.00 $247.14 $1,567 -9.58
680 value added 680 76 258.50 $258.50 $1,758 —
652–697 692 29 236.00–254.00 $244.74 $1,694 +1.98
705–727 714 19 230.00–240.00 $238.13 $1,700 -3.90
705–731 value added 727 83 251.00–252.50 $252.39 $1,835 —
751 751 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,802 —
810–832 825 3 211.00–214.50 $213.35 $1,760 —
860 value added 860 6 221.50 $221.50 $1,905 —
860–874 872 14 210.00–211.00 $210.14 $1,832 -9.90
905 905 10 211.00 $211.00 $1,910 —
959 959 6 198.00 $198.00 $1,899 -1.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 3 310.00 $310.00 $1,023 —
395 395 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,106 —
415 415 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,110 —
530 530 2 264.00–265.00 $264.50 $1,402 +3.41
560 560 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,456 +9.53
930 930 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,674 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
562–590 571 3 180.00–202.50 $187.75 $1,072 —
935 935 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,543 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755 755 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,253 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 340.00 $340.00 $680 —
271–290 275 5 318.00–320.00 $318.42 $876 —
300–340 323 9 285.00–300.00 $293.61 $948 +8.61
320–329 fancy 328 7 307.50–308.00 $307.93 $1,010 -2.07
355–390 374 15 290.00–303.00 $298.71 $1,117 +6.21
355–387 fancy 379 9 306.00–308.00 $307.56 $1,166 +1.22
414–447 433 30 270.00–299.00 $286.52 $1,241 +6.37
450 fancy 450 7 310.00 $310.00 $1,395 —
451–495 474 26 266.00–290.00 $279.62 $1,325 +15.42
500–535 527 23 260.00–282.00 $277.37 $1,462 +18.42
568–582 value added 569 34 244.25–249.00 $244.54 $1,391 —
557–586 580 15 235.00–243.00 $236.29 $1,370 +11.45
615–643 629 14 204.00–219.50 $209.62 $1,319 -16.59
650–690 678 18 199.00–215.00 $211.34 $1,433 -2.43
705–727 715 8 205.00–210.00 $206.77 $1,478 +1.77
779 779 5 204.00 $204.00 $1,589 +4.00
1016 1016 11 179.50 $179.50 $1,824 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 2 270.00–282.00 $276.00 $828 —
355 355 2 250.00 $250.00 $888 —
410–435 423 2 241.00–242.50 $241.77 $1,023 —
455–495 482 8 240.00–261.00 $247.59 $1,193 —
500–540 528 11 230.00–255.00 $248.98 $1,315 —
555–590 577 3 204.00–220.00 $211.46 $1,220 —
645 645 2 185.00–200.00 $192.50 $1,242 —
675–690 683 5 180.00–197.00 $189.37 $1,293 —
840 840 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,428 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 217.50 $217.50 $489 —
480 480 2 218.00 $218.00 $1,046 +18.00
535 535 1 185.00 $185.00 $990 -40.42
550 550 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,045 -19.46
630 630 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,071 -35.00
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 215.00 $215.00 $742 —
600 600 1 207.00 $207.00 $1,242 —
695 695 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,216 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 360.00 $360.00 $900 —
300 fancy 300 1 352.50 $352.50 $1,058 —
325–335 332 3 310.00–317.00 $314.71 $1,045 -3.60
355–395 373 8 300.00–320.00 $312.31 $1,165 +7.31
395 fancy 395 2 335.00 $335.00 $1,323 —
410–445 427 8 292.00–312.00 $301.43 $1,287 +9.70
415–440 fancy 428 2 315.00–322.00 $318.40 $1,363 —
456 fancy 456 4 307.50 $307.50 $1,402 +12.00
460–495 484 4 280.00–292.50 $285.50 $1,382 +9.59
500–545 520 10 270.00–290.00 $278.64 $1,449 —
555–586 580 16 278.00–287.00 $280.54 $1,627 +22.08
620–640 629 10 238.00–250.00 $241.92 $1,522 -0.52
650 fancy 650 1 247.50 $247.50 $1,609 —
650–693 677 5 229.00–234.00 $230.64 $1,561 —
702–730 fancy 708 5 226.00–229.00 $226.62 $1,604 —
745 745 2 210.00–215.00 $212.50 $1,583 +16.50
752 752 2 213.00 $213.00 $1,602 +27.00
835 835 2 185.00 $185.00 $1,545 —
850 850 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,530 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 300.00 $300.00 $660 —
260–275 268 2 319.00–320.00 $319.49 $856 —
325–335 330 2 285.00–290.00 $287.54 $949 —
355 355 1 267.50 $267.50 $950 —
512 512 2 247.50 $247.50 $1,267 —
665 665 1 212.00 $212.00 $1,410 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500–540 520 2 212.50–222.00 $217.07 $1,129 —
625 625 2 190.00 $190.00 $1,188 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 230.00 $230.00 $518 —
830 830 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,220 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 1 170.00 $170.00 $910 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–840 835 85-90% 2 84.00–85.00 $84.50 $706 —
815–960 873 85-90% 3 60.00 $60.00 $524 —
830–1135 936 85-90% 6 91.00–98.00 $94.83 $888 -13.24
965–1145 1034 85-90% 5 100.00–110.00 $104.16 $1,077 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340 1340 75-80% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,340 —
1305–1620 1413 75-80% 13 110.00–119.00 $114.48 $1,618 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–1225 1121 80-85% 5 104.00–115.00 $109.81 $1,231 —
1235 1235 80-85% 1 83.00 $83.00 $1,025 -27.38
1285 1285 80-85% 1 91.00 $91.00 $1,169 -4.23

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575–1650 1613 2 114.00–116.00 $114.98 $1,855 —
1330–2100 1682 6 122.00–128.00 $125.81 $2,116 —
1655–1970 1822 3 131.00–134.00 $132.58 $2,416 —

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Stock Cows

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,250.00 $1,250.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1150 1150 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,775.00 $1,775.00
1146–1165 1151 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 1,210.00–1,525.00 $1,445.27
1115–1260 1213 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,275.00–1,425.00 $1,384.69
1280 1280 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
930–950 940 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,350.00–1,425.00 $1,387.90
950 thin fleshed 950 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00
1060 1060 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
860 860 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
790 790 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,250.00 $1,250.00
815–950 883 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,075.00–1,275.00 $1,167.35
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1110 1110 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00
1125 1125 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,675.00 $1,675.00

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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
1010–1050 thin fleshed 1026 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 5 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
1080–1290 1135 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 7 1,600.00–1,775.00 $1,682.14 —
1170–1225 1209 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 10 1,525.00–1,910.00 $1,752.77 —
1210 1210 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
367 367 2 220.00 $220.00 $807 —
485 485 1 200.00 $200.00 $970 —
550 550 1 175.00 $175.00 $962 —

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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.