Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Mondays

Sale of Monday, July 20, 2026

205 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (271)

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $391.92/cwt ≈ $2,375/hd at 606 lb · 85 head
Stanford, KY 6-weight heifers sold at $391/cwt, among the strongest in the state—$20/cwt above the KY average ($371)—but $30/cwt under Flemingsburg, KY ($421). What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 205 81 139
Feeder cattle 184 63 113
Slaughter cattle 21 14 26
Replacement cattle — 4 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers steady, Feeder heifers 2.00-4.00 lower, Moderate to good demand for feeders on limited comparison. Slaughter cows 3.00-5.00 lower, Slaughter bulls steady, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.

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
280 fancy 280 3 545.00 $545.00 $1,526 —
467 fancy 467 4 497.50 $497.50 $2,323 —
612 value added 612 2 417.50 $417.50 $2,555 —
770–780 775 2 342.50–345.00 $343.76 $2,664 —
855 855 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,822 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 435.00 $435.00 $2,088 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,617 —
425–435 430 2 400.00–417.50 $408.65 $1,757 -46.35
456–492 472 8 380.00–415.00 $397.15 $1,875 -45.35
510–530 520 3 360.00–380.00 $373.46 $1,942 -61.54
550–595 573 4 357.50–380.00 $369.35 $2,116 -15.65
606–615 value added 606 85 385.00–392.00 $391.92 $2,375 —
675 675 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,160 —
760 760 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,242 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 362.50 $362.50 $1,214 —
400 400 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,420 —
460 460 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,564 —
540 540 1 322.50 $322.50 $1,742 —
590 590 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,534 —
610 610 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,013 —
690 690 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,863 —
715 715 1 272.50 $272.50 $1,948 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 520.00 $520.00 $1,456 —
357 fancy 357 2 532.50 $532.50 $1,901 —
420–425 fancy 423 2 502.50–510.00 $506.27 $2,142 —
440 440 1 462.50 $462.50 $2,035 —
455–495 464 7 455.00–485.00 $476.00 $2,209 —
515–540 526 7 417.50–445.00 $435.99 $2,293 -19.01
555 555 1 425.00 $425.00 $2,359 -5.34
600–630 613 4 357.50–390.00 $371.74 $2,279 -43.26
665–670 668 2 340.00–350.00 $344.98 $2,304 -35.02
792–795 793 3 290.00–312.50 $297.52 $2,359 —
870 870 1 282.50 $282.50 $2,458 —
965 965 1 277.50 $277.50 $2,678 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 377.50 $377.50 $1,755 —
660 660 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,178 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1325 1242 80-85% 5 173.00–180.00 $176.72 $2,195 —
1300 1300 80-85% 1 146.00 $146.00 $1,898 —
1365–1480 1423 80-85% 2 160.00–166.00 $163.12 $2,321 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755–1105 934 85-90% 5 155.00–167.50 $159.54 $1,490 —
1090 1090 85-90% 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,526 -40.00
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1685–1875 1768 75-80% 3 175.00–183.00 $178.90 $3,163 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1730 1730 1 225.00 $225.00 $3,892 —
2165 2165 1 217.00 $217.00 $4,698 —

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Price trend

high 496.66 low 320.00 Jul 2025 Jul 2026

500–549 lb Medium and Large 1-2 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Jul 13, 2026)

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