Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 18, 2026

258 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $513.00/cwt -20.55 vs last sale · ≈ $2,443/hd at 476 lb · 15 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $382.46/cwt +3.04 vs last sale · ≈ $2,428/hd at 635 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 258 507 453
Feeder cattle 200 455 401
Slaughter cattle 20 44 42
Replacement cattle 38 8 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and feeder heifers sold mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher.

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 1 565.00 $565.00 $1,949 -42.92
350 350 1 570.00 $570.00 $1,995 +22.50
428 value added 428 3 547.50 $547.50 $2,343 —
425–445 433 4 510.00–522.50 $515.67 $2,233 —
450–475 value added 466 7 522.50–527.50 $523.19 $2,438 —
450–495 485 8 490.00–517.50 $504.09 $2,445 -29.46
525–546 541 4 500.00–522.50 $505.46 $2,735 +29.22
550–585 565 5 447.50–497.50 $473.87 $2,677 +29.85
600 600 1 415.00 $415.00 $2,490 +22.55
616–625 value added 618 5 445.00–455.00 $452.98 $2,799 —
655 655 1 385.00 $385.00 $2,522 +5.00
735 value added 735 9 386.00 $386.00 $2,837 —
935 935 1 318.50 $318.50 $2,978 —
950 950 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,992 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–495 478 6 420.00–487.50 $464.65 $2,221 +42.15
500–520 510 2 422.50–457.00 $440.09 $2,244 —
570–585 578 2 457.00–460.00 $458.48 $2,650 +83.48
640 640 3 360.00–387.50 $369.17 $2,363 —
670–695 683 2 380.00–385.00 $382.45 $2,612 —
725 725 1 365.00 $365.00 $2,646 —
830 830 1 312.50 $312.50 $2,594 —
885 885 1 322.50 $322.50 $2,854 —
955 955 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,960 —
1015 1015 1 275.00 $275.00 $2,791 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 505.00 $505.00 $1,540 -28.75
350–395 373 2 455.00–465.00 $460.30 $1,717 -19.70
400–435 422 3 465.00–510.00 $481.09 $2,030 +16.73
456–470 461 5 450.00–465.00 $460.95 $2,125 -7.57
500–530 518 9 412.50–432.50 $426.91 $2,211 +11.91
551 value added 551 4 427.50 $427.50 $2,356 —
560–590 573 3 380.00–390.00 $384.11 $2,201 -20.09
600–638 631 6 367.50–378.00 $374.82 $2,365 —
638 value added 638 7 389.00 $389.00 $2,482 +9.58
775 775 5 318.00 $318.00 $2,464 +20.56
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–390 372 3 417.50–450.00 $429.70 $1,598 -11.16
410–445 433 5 360.00–470.00 $439.54 $1,903 +14.54
475–496 488 8 377.50–437.50 $416.73 $2,034 +0.23
545 545 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,180 —
610 610 1 380.00 $380.00 $2,318 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 2 505.00–525.00 $515.00 $1,390 -75.00
270–290 fancy 280 2 600.00–630.00 $614.46 $1,720 —
335–348 345 4 540.00–580.00 $570.28 $1,967 -7.16
385–395 390 6 492.50–530.00 $507.63 $1,980 -57.37
410–430 420 2 502.50–522.50 $512.74 $2,154 -0.30
452–480 461 6 427.00–495.00 $479.74 $2,212 -6.76
520 520 1 422.00 $422.00 $2,194 -63.77
565–585 574 8 420.00–437.50 $432.49 $2,482 +20.12
681 681 3 370.00 $370.00 $2,520 +20.00
700 700 2 357.50–365.00 $361.25 $2,529 +20.74
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 365.00 $365.00 $1,332 -115.00
475–497 489 4 450.00–472.00 $466.05 $2,279 —
510–530 520 2 425.00–445.00 $434.81 $2,261 —
560 560 1 407.50 $407.50 $2,282 —
615–640 628 2 337.50–340.00 $338.73 $2,127 —
690 690 1 330.00 $330.00 $2,277 —
780 780 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,418 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1290 1145 80-85% 3 144.00–153.00 $148.57 $1,701 —
1120–1270 1190 80-85% 3 158.00–169.00 $163.24 $1,943 —
1310–1490 1400 80-85% 2 183.00–192.00 $187.21 $2,621 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1015 958 85-90% 4 130.00–149.00 $138.71 $1,329 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1875 1875 75-80% 1 183.00 $183.00 $3,431 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460 1460 1 209.00 $209.00 $3,051 —
1770–1895 1823 4 210.00–222.00 $216.79 $3,952 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1075 1075 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00
1155 1155 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,175.00 $2,175.00
1160–1345 1253 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 3,500.00–3,975.00 $3,755.04
1270 1270 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,600.00 $2,600.00
1340 1340 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,800.00 $3,800.00
1505 1505 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,500.00 $2,500.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
880–895 888 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,625.00–2,625.00 $2,120.77
955 955 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00

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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
1090 1090 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 4,800.00 $4,800.00 —
1115 1115 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 4,200.00 $4,200.00 —
1235 1235 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 4,000.00 $4,000.00 —
1260 1260 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 3,025.00 $3,025.00 —
1325 1325 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 5,400.00 $5,400.00 —
1345 1345 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 3,300.00 $3,300.00 —
1390 1390 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 4,700.00 $4,700.00 —
1500 1500 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 4,725.00 $4,725.00 —
1545 1545 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 5,350.00 $5,350.00 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1115 1115 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,775.00 $2,775.00 —
1195 1195 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 4,750.00 $4,750.00 —
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 3,725.00 $3,725.00 —

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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.