Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) Market Report

Stanford, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 13, 2026

672 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $322.91/cwt -25.97 vs last sale · ≈ $3,031/hd at 939 lb · 179 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $347.40/cwt -6.00 vs last sale · ≈ $2,859/hd at 823 lb · 132 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $361.96/cwt +0.23 vs last sale · ≈ $2,767/hd at 764 lb · 74 head
Stanford, KY 9-weight steers sold at $322/cwt, mid-pack for the state and $2/cwt below the KY average ($324), with $21/cwt under Mt. Sterling, KY ($343). KY 9-weight steers are down $23/cwt from their early July peak of $346. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 672 1,396 1,026
Feeder cattle 637 1,320 918
Slaughter cattle 32 62 100
Replacement cattle 3 14 8

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 600 lbs 12.00-15.00 higher, 600-800 lbs steady, over 800 lbs sharply lower, Feeder and yearling heifers steady to 5.00 lower, Good demand for feeder classes and moderate demand for yearlings. Slaughter cows and bulls 8.00-12.00 lower, 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
210 210 1 535.00 $535.00 $1,124 —
220 fancy 220 1 605.00 $605.00 $1,331 —
365 fancy 365 1 540.00 $540.00 $1,971 +25.00
392 392 2 520.00 $520.00 $2,038 +40.00
525–530 528 2 385.00 $385.00 $2,033 -21.01
505–545 value added 532 7 447.50–492.50 $459.46 $2,444 +29.52
550–595 value added 572 5 427.50–462.50 $434.23 $2,484 +0.71
565–577 575 6 412.50–417.50 $414.99 $2,386 +21.98
602–645 616 3 372.50 $372.50 $2,295 +3.41
605–635 value added 623 4 415.00–425.00 $420.60 $2,620 +22.65
650–652 651 4 363.00–365.00 $364.00 $2,370 -0.86
663–666 value added 664 15 420.00–425.00 $423.66 $2,813 +34.03
700 value added 700 2 382.50 $382.50 $2,678 +2.50
731–740 733 4 347.50 $347.50 $2,547 -3.50
764 value added 764 72 362.50 $362.50 $2,770 +0.45
782 782 2 342.50 $342.50 $2,678 +2.47
815–830 value added 823 132 344.75–350.00 $347.40 $2,859 -6.41
921 921 3 309.00 $309.00 $2,846 —
936–945 value added 939 176 320.75–324.75 $323.15 $3,034 -25.73
959 959 5 301.00 $301.00 $2,887 —
1000 1000 1 270.00 $270.00 $2,700 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 2 450.00 $450.00 $1,778 +25.12
425 425 1 395.00 $395.00 $1,679 —
468–480 470 5 440.00–442.50 $441.99 $2,077 +22.35
565 565 1 342.50 $342.50 $1,935 +8.55
795 795 1 307.50 $307.50 $2,445 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240 1240 1 265.00 $265.00 $3,286 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 fancy 285 1 575.00 $575.00 $1,639 —
341 341 3 442.50 $442.50 $1,509 -29.51
405–446 424 14 397.50–427.50 $410.74 $1,742 -19.91
468–497 484 15 380.00–405.00 $395.95 $1,916 -32.25
500 500 1 365.00 $365.00 $1,825 +1.46
510–545 value added 528 6 385.00–398.00 $393.98 $2,080 +4.30
564 value added 564 10 375.00 $375.00 $2,115 -12.30
570 570 2 360.00–370.00 $365.00 $2,080 +11.46
600–620 613 4 352.50–370.00 $358.69 $2,199 +1.19
670–688 684 4 335.00–340.00 $338.77 $2,317 -11.87
780 780 1 302.50 $302.50 $2,360 -13.55
945 945 1 282.50 $282.50 $2,670 -15.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,646 -22.03
470–480 473 3 370.00–377.50 $375.02 $1,774 -22.96
570–575 573 2 340.00 $340.00 $1,948 +10.64
655 655 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,063 —
760–795 772 5 260.00–280.00 $273.91 $2,115 —
850 850 1 240.00 $240.00 $2,040 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1530 1530 1 214.00 $214.00 $3,274 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–340 fancy 333 4 590.00–625.00 $598.55 $1,993 +66.05
350–395 fancy 373 2 520.00–560.00 $538.79 $2,010 —
370–387 381 3 473.00–490.00 $478.50 $1,823 +8.50
410–430 fancy 419 4 505.00–512.50 $508.08 $2,129 +8.08
422 422 2 447.00 $447.00 $1,886 -20.60
450–480 470 3 437.50–452.50 $442.29 $2,079 -14.48
505–510 508 3 352.50–370.00 $360.84 $1,833 -26.01
545–548 fancy 547 5 420.00–427.50 $421.49 $2,306 -8.41
565 fancy 565 1 420.00 $420.00 $2,373 ±0.00
570–590 584 5 370.00–392.50 $385.04 $2,249 -9.74
640 fancy 640 3 370.00 $370.00 $2,368 -3.13
655–660 658 2 320.00–322.50 $321.25 $2,114 -30.83
725 725 1 335.00 $335.00 $2,429 +12.46
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 420.00 $420.00 $2,079 +12.76
530 530 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,696 —
575 575 1 335.00 $335.00 $1,926 -7.50
645 645 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,677 -42.50

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130–1490 1379 80-85% 5 155.00–170.00 $165.18 $2,278 +28.17
1400–1470 1435 80-85% 2 173.00–176.00 $174.46 $2,504 —
1470 1470 80-85% 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,984 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935 935 85-90% 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,309 —
1005–1035 1020 85-90% 2 172.00–177.50 $174.71 $1,782 +29.24
1110 1110 85-90% 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,665 —
1180 1180 85-90% 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,274 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1670 1670 75-80% 1 174.00 $174.00 $2,906 —
1495–1865 1710 75-80% 3 159.00–166.00 $163.46 $2,795 -19.98

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205 1205 1 205.00 $205.00 $2,470 —
1130–1675 1447 3 225.00–231.00 $228.42 $3,305 —
1650 1650 1 169.00 $169.00 $2,788 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
890 890 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,914

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1110 1110 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,050.00 $3,050.00
1335 1335 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 2,750.00 $2,750.00

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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.