Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 20, 2022

668 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Blue Grass Stockyards report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $172.29/cwt +14.42 vs last sale · ≈ $838/hd at 487 lb · 106 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $154.42/cwt +25.42 vs last sale · ≈ $1,186/hd at 768 lb · 73 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $157.09/cwt +4.04 vs last sale · ≈ $828/hd at 527 lb · 30 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 668 669 672
Feeder cattle 563 608 561
Slaughter cattle 80 55 68
Replacement cattle 25 6 43

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold steady - 2.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 1.00 - 2.00 higher. Good demand for all feeder classes with good buyer activity. Slaughter cows sold steady - 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold steady - 2.00 higher. Good demand on all 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
306–320 fancy 310 4 205.00–217.50 $214.27 $664 —
300–340 326 7 180.00–197.50 $187.95 $613 +0.95
365–380 fancy 373 2 200.00–207.00 $203.57 $759 —
350–396 388 10 183.00–196.00 $191.01 $741 +8.76
420–437 431 8 180.00–188.00 $185.87 $801 +9.88
435 fancy 435 1 204.00 $204.00 $887 +14.01
450–485 fancy 472 5 187.00–193.00 $189.16 $893 -0.59
455–495 483 11 170.00–185.00 $181.87 $878 +6.59
518–545 value added 525 13 184.00–186.00 $184.47 $968 -5.15
505–541 532 4 162.00–173.00 $170.39 $906 -2.74
550–575 564 12 169.00–181.00 $173.14 $977 +4.40
578 value added 578 5 184.00 $184.00 $1,064 -4.50
605–630 618 7 159.00–171.00 $167.01 $1,032 +3.38
615–642 value added 636 6 173.00–178.00 $175.68 $1,117 —
670–680 675 2 152.00–170.00 $160.93 $1,086 +5.93
700–745 720 5 131.00–142.00 $137.95 $993 +3.95
768 value added 768 71 154.90 $154.90 $1,190 —
760–790 775 2 135.00–140.00 $137.45 $1,065 +11.45
923 923 3 134.00 $134.00 $1,237 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–495 483 5 157.00–169.00 $162.29 $784 +8.29
500–520 510 2 133.00–152.00 $142.31 $726 +7.99

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–290 273 2 162.50–165.00 $163.67 $447 +21.17
300–335 319 6 152.00–165.00 $158.22 $505 +5.01
351–395 369 6 155.00–166.00 $160.58 $593 +6.15
372 fancy 372 2 170.00 $170.00 $632 —
400–445 fancy 418 16 162.00–177.00 $169.91 $710 -2.11
400–445 423 11 146.00–161.00 $154.94 $655 +5.92
450–490 473 24 143.00–161.00 $155.17 $734 +4.96
461–490 fancy 477 8 164.00–170.00 $168.10 $802 +1.72
492 value added 492 74 178.30 $178.30 $877 —
505–540 526 21 144.00–159.00 $154.34 $812 +5.35
510–541 value added 529 9 161.00–167.00 $163.52 $865 +1.18
552 value added 552 2 160.00 $160.00 $883 —
550–585 571 10 138.00–157.00 $149.81 $855 +3.28
600–630 620 7 126.00–137.00 $131.15 $813 -5.85
655–670 663 2 131.00 $131.00 $869 +5.00
725 725 1 129.00 $129.00 $935 +8.01
726 value added 726 8 137.50 $137.50 $998 —
830 830 1 120.00 $120.00 $996 +8.00
877 877 2 120.00 $120.00 $1,052 ±0.00
950 950 1 117.00 $117.00 $1,112 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–445 423 2 138.00–141.00 $139.58 $590 +5.22
455–465 460 2 130.00–140.00 $134.95 $621 +4.95
650 650 1 109.00 $109.00 $708 -7.44
782 782 1 116.00 $116.00 $907 +5.53

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 175.00 $175.00 $464 —
340 340 1 172.00 $172.00 $585 —
370–377 375 4 175.00–179.00 $177.64 $666 +4.70
405 fancy 405 1 190.00 $190.00 $770 —
400–435 415 6 158.00–175.00 $168.76 $700 +1.28
470 fancy 470 1 180.00 $180.00 $846 —
455–495 479 10 154.00–174.00 $164.15 $786 +4.42
525–548 535 9 151.00–165.00 $157.36 $842 +0.56
550–590 578 9 150.00–163.00 $158.29 $915 +3.30
605–635 616 6 138.00–154.00 $144.90 $893 -2.59
655–680 668 3 138.00–148.00 $141.61 $946 +0.97
710–745 728 3 128.00–130.00 $128.67 $937 —
780 780 1 125.00 $125.00 $975 -1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 155.00 $155.00 $465 -3.00
350–390 370 2 153.00–160.00 $156.31 $578 +2.82
425 425 1 140.00 $140.00 $595 +1.27
465 465 1 139.00 $139.00 $646 +6.46
525–535 530 2 140.00–143.00 $141.49 $750 +18.97
555 555 1 139.00 $139.00 $771 —
655 655 1 125.00 $125.00 $819 +6.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1390 1206 80-85% 8 73.00–79.00 $75.21 $907 +13.12
1185–1375 1279 80-85% 13 80.00–91.00 $85.14 $1,089 —
1300 1300 80-85% 1 66.00 $66.00 $858 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1105 1033 85-90% 5 61.00–66.00 $63.78 $659 —
915–1190 1056 85-90% 6 68.00–74.00 $70.08 $740 —
950–1230 1090 85-90% 2 58.00–59.00 $58.44 $637 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1280 1235 75-80% 2 75.00–76.00 $75.48 $932 —
1215–1570 1394 75-80% 10 83.00–88.00 $85.23 $1,188 +3.42

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430–1810 1562 3 107.00–114.00 $110.94 $1,733 —
1695–2175 1866 5 119.00–125.00 $121.23 $2,262 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1015 1015 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 730.00 $730.00
1005–1065 1045 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 740.00–880.00 $784.88
1135 1135 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,110.00 $1,110.00
1170 1170 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 920.00 $920.00
1245 1245 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 930.00 $930.00
1345 1345 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,090.00 $1,090.00
1355 1355 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,050.00 $1,050.00
1315–1515 1439 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 1,000.00–1,220.00 $1,149.21

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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
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 970.00 $970.00 —
1075–1335 1205 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 725.00–1,090.00 $927.19 —
1340 1340 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,090.00 $1,090.00 —

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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.