Sale reports / Kentucky / Mount Sterling Livestock Auction / 2025-05-07

Mount Sterling Livestock Auction

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · Wed, May 7
● Final76 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 2202
Feeder Cattle receipts
217 head
▼ 172 vs last sale 389▼ 183 vs year ago 400 · −45.8%
Slaughter Cattle receipts
46 head
▲ 10 vs last sale 36▼ 2 vs year ago 48 · −4.2%
Replacement Cattle receipts
26 head
▼ 35 vs last sale 61▲ 7 vs year ago 19 · +36.8%
View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Wednesday good quality weaned steer and heifer calf packages traded 5.00 to to 10.00 higher with very good demand in a lite test; others steady. Softer undertone on bull calves. Yearlings lite test. Slaughter cows sold steady with good demand in a lite test. Slaughter bulls sold 3.00 higher with very good demand.

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot
500–600 lb heifers averaged $323.95/cwt on 36 head. That ranks 2 of 31 comparable sales and sits −70.89 against this barn's trailing median of $394.83.
Average price
$323.95
36 head · 546 lb average
Value per head Derived
$1,768
Price × average weight ÷ 100
Grade differential Derived
$297
per head · Medium and Large 1-2 over Medium and Large 2-3
$65.90/cwt at this weight
vs the market
−8.30
vs KY average
−8.87 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade
Frame / muscleAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Medium and Large 1-2544328.401,78733
Large 1-2560300.001,6801thin
Medium and Large 2-3568262.501,4902thin
One grade step is worth $65.90/cwt here — about $297 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only
This sale36 hd
323.95
—
KY average24 barns · 1,250 hd
332.25
−8.30
National average172 barns · 12,542 hd
332.82
−8.87
This barn, trailing median31 sales
394.83
−70.89
A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

31 sales
445400355309median 394.8303/0404/2206/2409/0910/28
Heifers 500–600 lb: high $431.17, low $323.36, median $394.83 across 31 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt
Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.
ClassGradeDressingAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Bulls—Average1,745191.313,33813
CowsBoner 80-85%Average1,244156.641,94913
CowsBreaker 75-80%Average1,419153.352,17610
CowsLean 85-90%Low1,011130.601,3209thin
HeifersChoiceAverage1,150192.502,2141thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age
Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.
ClassStageAgeAvg wt$/headHead
Bred Cows2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1,085$2,0472thin
Bred Cows1st Stage (1-3 mo)Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1,095$1,7251thin
Bred Heifers2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Young (2-4 yrs)833$2,1013thin
Cow-Calf Pairs2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1,475$3,6882thin
Cow-Calf PairsOpenYoung/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1,436$2,9543thin
Cow-Calf PairsOpenAged (>8 yrs)1,370$2,4001thin

Every lot

76 lots · USDA AMS · Bluegrass Stockyard - Mt. Sterling, KY
Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.
ClassWeightGrade / descriptionAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Feeder Cattle · Steers14 lots · lightest first
Steers250–300Medium and Large 1-2Fancy296435.85/cwt427.50–440.001,2903
Steers300–350Medium and Large 1-2340415.00/cwt415.00–415.001,4111
Steers350–400Small and Medium 1-2350305.00/cwt305.00–305.001,0681
Steers350–400Medium and Large 1-2368425.00/cwt425.00–425.001,5643
Steers400–450Medium and Large 2-3425365.96/cwt360.00–372.501,5552
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1-2475392.45/cwt390.00–395.001,8642
Steers450–500Medium and Large 2-3480333.00/cwt333.00–333.001,5981
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1-2Value Added487430.00/cwt430.00–430.002,0942
Steers450–500Small and Medium 1-2490280.00/cwt280.00–280.001,3721
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1-2Value Added510420.57/cwt415.00–422.002,14510
Steers550–600Medium and Large 2-3570358.04/cwt350.00–360.002,0415
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1-2Value Added621355.33/cwt340.00–367.002,20711
Steers650–700Medium and Large 1-2680322.00/cwt322.00–322.002,1901
Steers700–750Medium and Large 1-2Value Added738311.52/cwt310.00–313.002,2992
Feeder Cattle · Heifers27 lots · lightest first
Heifers200–250Medium and Large 1-2215385.35/cwt380.00–390.008292
Heifers200–250Medium and Large 2-3215325.00/cwt325.00–325.006991
Heifers250–300Medium and Large 1-2260357.50/cwt357.50–357.509301
Heifers300–350Medium and Large 1-2Fancy337402.50/cwt402.50–402.501,3562
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 2-3375342.23/cwt332.50–352.501,2832
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 1-2377372.74/cwt365.00–390.001,4053
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 1-2Fancy386402.50/cwt402.50–402.501,5543
Heifers400–450Large 1-2405360.00/cwt360.00–360.001,4581
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 1-2412369.68/cwt350.00–375.001,5236
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 2-3432317.45/cwt287.50–345.001,3713
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 1-2Fancy435389.70/cwt380.00–397.001,6954
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1-2Fancy455389.50/cwt372.50–398.001,7723
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 2-3470302.33/cwt295.00–312.001,4214
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1-2479355.85/cwt340.00–365.001,7057
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1-2521305.25/cwt300.00–320.001,5906
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1-2Value Added536336.41/cwt325.00–345.001,80318
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 2-3545265.00/cwt265.00–265.001,4441
Heifers550–600Large 1-2560300.00/cwt300.00–300.001,6801
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1-2Value Added575338.35/cwt325.00–347.001,9466
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1-2578306.69/cwt295.00–315.001,7733
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 2-3590260.00/cwt260.00–260.001,5341
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1-2Value Added627331.16/cwt322.00–347.002,0768
Heifers650–700Medium and Large 2-3668258.82/cwt252.50–265.001,7292
Heifers650–700Medium and Large 1-2Value Added670317.75/cwt311.00–327.002,1295
Heifers700–750Medium and Large 1-2725272.35/cwt270.00–282.001,9755
Heifers700–750Medium and Large 2-3735220.00/cwt220.00–220.001,6171
Heifers800–850Medium and Large 1-2823240.80/cwt220.00–262.501,9822
Feeder Cattle · Bulls15 lots · lightest first
Bulls350–400Medium and Large 1-2390404.84/cwt397.50–412.001,5792
Bulls400–450Medium and Large 1-2408395.71/cwt382.50–400.001,6144
Bulls450–500Medium and Large 2-3455320.00/cwt320.00–320.001,4561
Bulls450–500Medium and Large 1-2473362.76/cwt352.50–380.001,7168
Bulls500–550Medium and Large 2-3510337.50/cwt337.50–337.501,7211
Bulls500–550Medium and Large 1-2521343.74/cwt330.00–350.001,79113
Bulls500–550Large 1-2530337.50/cwt337.50–337.501,7891
Bulls550–600Medium and Large 2-3553318.49/cwt317.00–320.001,7612
Bulls550–600Medium and Large 1-2565360.00/cwt360.00–360.002,0341
Bulls550–600Large 1-2585322.00/cwt322.00–322.001,8841
Bulls600–650Medium and Large 1-2628313.51/cwt310.00–317.001,9692
Bulls650–700Medium and Large 1-2665300.00/cwt300.00–300.001,9951
Bulls700–750Medium and Large 1-2720285.00/cwt270.00–290.002,0524
Bulls750–800Medium and Large 1-2750240.00/cwt240.00–240.001,8001
Bulls800–850Medium and Large 1-2825237.64/cwt230.00–245.001,9612
Slaughter Cattle · Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Heifers—Choice1,150192.50/cwt192.50–192.502,2141
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls3 lots · lightest first
Bulls——1,170135.04/cwt134.00–136.001,5802
Bulls——1,420171.00/cwt171.00–171.002,4281
Bulls——1,892204.59/cwt193.00–216.003,87110
Slaughter Cattle · Cows8 lots · lightest first
Cows—Lean 85-90%955110.83/cwt110.00–112.001,0582
Cows—Lean 85-90%1,025148.24/cwt141.50–154.001,5192
Cows—Lean 85-90%1,027131.46/cwt127.00–137.001,3505
Cows—Boner 80-85%1,233160.65/cwt152.00–169.001,98110
Cows—Boner 80-85%1,280141.00/cwt141.00–141.001,8051
Cows—Boner 80-85%1,283144.40/cwt143.00–146.001,8532
Cows—Breaker 75-80%1,415147.34/cwt145.00–149.502,0853
Cows—Breaker 75-80%1,421155.93/cwt153.00–160.002,2167
Replacement Cattle · Bred Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Bred Heifers—Medium and Large 1-28332,101.40/head2,050.00–2,150.002,1013
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows1 lot · lightest first
Stock Cows—Medium and Large 1-2860155.62/cwt150.00–162.001,3382
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs4 lots · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs—Medium and Large 1-21,2303,050.00/head3,050.00–3,050.003,0501
Cow-Calf Pairs—Medium and Large 2-31,3702,400.00/head2,400.00–2,400.002,4001
Cow-Calf Pairs—Medium and Large 1-21,4362,953.62/head2,800.00–3,025.002,9543
Cow-Calf Pairs—Medium and Large 1-2Fancy1,7204,325.00/head4,325.00–4,325.004,3251
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows—Medium and Large 1-21,0852,046.54/head1,800.00–2,300.002,0472
Bred Cows—Medium and Large 1-21,0951,725.00/head1,725.00–1,725.001,7251

This sale against other markets

Kentucky weighted averages
One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Kentucky auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.