Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 18, 2026

256 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) report →

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $411.45/cwt +61.45 vs last sale · ≈ $2,591/hd at 630 lb · 83 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $437.60/cwt ≈ $2,465/hd at 563 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 256 92 127
Feeder cattle 218 68 84
Slaughter cattle 35 23 43
Replacement cattle 3 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers sold steady. Slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady on a light test.

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
345 345 1 535.00 $535.00 $1,846 —
440 440 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,200 —
600 600 1 432.50 $432.50 $2,595 —
655 655 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,620 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 2 590.00 $590.00 $1,386 —
305 305 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,494 -27.74
500–522 511 9 420.00–435.00 $423.95 $2,166 -9.14
563 value added 563 9 445.00 $445.00 $2,505 —
550–592 564 6 420.00–430.00 $426.50 $2,405 —
615–625 620 3 385.00–392.50 $390.02 $2,418 +40.02
630 value added 630 80 412.25 $412.25 $2,597 —
675–685 680 3 365.00–385.00 $373.30 $2,538 +33.30
710 value added 710 1 347.50 $347.50 $2,467 —
705–735 720 2 320.00–335.00 $327.34 $2,357 +12.34
910 910 1 272.50 $272.50 $2,480 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 505.00 $505.00 $1,389 —
340–345 342 3 460.00–467.50 $462.52 $1,582 —
375 375 1 440.00 $440.00 $1,650 -45.00
400–435 416 6 420.00–430.00 $423.22 $1,761 -31.86
485–495 490 2 430.00–445.00 $437.42 $2,143 —
502–520 507 4 390.00–407.50 $400.67 $2,031 -1.83
555–575 565 2 412.50–417.50 $414.96 $2,345 —
655–695 682 3 350.00–352.50 $351.70 $2,399 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 462.50 $462.50 $1,526 —
375 375 1 455.00 $455.00 $1,706 -12.50
465 465 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,790 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 380.00 $380.00 $2,071 —
570 570 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,109 —
680 680 1 297.50 $297.50 $2,023 -22.50
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,890 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316–345 323 4 545.00–547.50 $546.83 $1,766 —
425 425 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,125 +15.09
500–545 516 4 440.00–457.50 $450.41 $2,324 +6.96
565–571 569 5 437.50–457.50 $444.49 $2,529 —
600–625 615 5 395.00–420.00 $412.47 $2,537 -9.17
920 920 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,668 +50.00
1085 1085 1 275.00 $275.00 $2,984 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 520.00 $520.00 $1,690 —
350–385 368 3 500.00–505.00 $503.42 $1,853 —
440 440 1 452.50 $452.50 $1,991 —
470–495 480 3 460.00–465.00 $461.65 $2,216 —
670–675 673 2 365.00–367.50 $366.25 $2,465 —
985 985 1 242.50 $242.50 $2,389 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 1 412.50 $412.50 $2,228 +7.50
550–595 568 3 400.00–415.00 $406.85 $2,311 —
665–690 678 2 320.00–340.00 $329.82 $2,236 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 472.50 $472.50 $2,103 —
485 485 1 447.50 $447.50 $2,170 —
580 580 1 380.00 $380.00 $2,204 -40.00
600–640 620 2 362.50–365.00 $363.71 $2,255 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,701 —
485 485 1 430.00 $430.00 $2,086 —
625 625 1 347.50 $347.50 $2,172 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 1 382.50 $382.50 $1,932 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050 1050 85-90% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,155 —
980–1225 1107 85-90% 3 157.50–160.00 $158.52 $1,755 -4.16
1105–1395 1212 85-90% 5 163.00–171.00 $166.10 $2,013 —
1185–1245 1215 85-90% 2 141.00–142.00 $141.51 $1,719 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1355 1269 80-85% 4 171.00–185.00 $179.94 $2,283 —
1300–1490 1368 80-85% 4 188.00–201.00 $194.29 $2,658 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1360 1360 75-80% 1 152.00 $152.00 $2,067 —
1390–1665 1470 75-80% 4 166.00–176.00 $169.09 $2,486 —
1470–1560 1515 75-80% 2 180.00–183.00 $181.54 $2,750 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1830 1830 1 229.00 $229.00 $4,191 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1060 1060 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,450.00 $2,450.00
1105 1105 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,400.00 $3,400.00
1120 1120 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00

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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.