Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 29, 2026

359 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $374.00/cwt +54.00 vs last sale · ≈ $3,018/hd at 807 lb · 51 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $482.10/cwt +26.33 vs last sale · ≈ $2,086/hd at 433 lb · 26 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $425.10/cwt -0.02 vs last sale · ≈ $2,224/hd at 523 lb · 26 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 359 418 729
Feeder cattle 297 343 649
Slaughter cattle 53 50 54
Replacement cattle 9 25 26

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 2.00 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
365–377 375 5 547.50–562.50 $550.42 $2,064 -8.90
435–442 440 3 522.50 $522.50 $2,299 -9.28
462–480 471 4 522.50–530.00 $526.32 $2,479 +8.89
505–541 517 13 480.00–482.50 $481.52 $2,489 -11.61
552 value added 552 4 495.00 $495.00 $2,732 —
562–595 578 7 455.00–467.50 $463.83 $2,681 -6.17
605–615 value added 611 9 430.00–447.00 $444.11 $2,714 —
670–693 value added 691 19 412.00–417.50 $412.56 $2,851 —
755 755 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,794 +10.00
807 value added 807 51 374.00 $374.00 $3,018 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 502.50 $502.50 $1,859 —
485–490 487 3 470.00–492.50 $484.95 $2,362 +17.45
500 500 2 440.00 $440.00 $2,200 —
697 697 2 367.50 $367.50 $2,561 —
745 745 1 355.00 $355.00 $2,645 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480 480 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,160 —
775 775 1 327.50 $327.50 $2,538 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 520.00 $520.00 $2,080 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 fancy 315 1 585.00 $585.00 $1,843 —
325 325 1 540.00 $540.00 $1,755 +5.11
360 360 1 512.50 $512.50 $1,845 +11.27
420–440 432 6 457.50–467.50 $462.46 $1,998 +6.69
415–435 value added 433 20 482.50–497.50 $487.99 $2,113 —
455–460 456 7 455.00–470.00 $464.30 $2,117 +11.83
500–535 518 20 410.00–425.00 $418.38 $2,167 -6.74
540 value added 540 6 447.50 $447.50 $2,416 —
555–587 value added 571 4 400.00–405.00 $402.57 $2,299 —
575–595 588 4 380.00–385.00 $381.86 $2,245 -34.77
613–640 618 8 370.00–377.50 $375.59 $2,321 -7.79
650 650 1 377.50 $377.50 $2,454 —
700 700 1 337.50 $337.50 $2,362 +10.00
950–990 970 2 275.00–277.50 $276.28 $2,680 +28.78
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 445.00 $445.00 $1,980 +8.21
460–498 487 12 415.00–435.00 $427.66 $2,083 -1.58
500–522 516 5 400.00 $400.00 $2,064 -5.93
580 580 1 372.50 $372.50 $2,160 -17.42
600 600 1 350.00 $350.00 $2,100 ±0.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 450.00 $450.00 $2,138 —
535 535 1 377.50 $377.50 $2,020 —
560 560 1 405.00 $405.00 $2,268 —
645 645 1 332.50 $332.50 $2,145 -15.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 570.00 $570.00 $1,682 -8.32
360–365 363 2 542.50–555.00 $548.79 $1,992 -10.82
435–440 438 2 495.00–502.50 $498.73 $2,184 -11.22
460–475 468 2 497.50–512.50 $505.12 $2,364 +7.65
510–545 520 5 460.00–470.00 $464.44 $2,415 -4.45
550–570 557 8 447.50–465.00 $453.45 $2,526 +1.27
615 615 1 392.50 $392.50 $2,414 -10.50
700–725 713 2 372.50–380.00 $376.32 $2,683 +23.86
755 755 1 350.00 $350.00 $2,642 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–385 380 2 517.50–520.00 $518.77 $1,971 -6.93
445 445 1 455.00 $455.00 $2,025 -41.12
455–470 462 3 452.50–467.50 $460.77 $2,129 -2.83
540 540 1 425.00 $425.00 $2,295 -15.99
570–575 573 2 417.50–427.50 $422.48 $2,421 +13.26

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1450 1279 80-85% 8 168.00–179.00 $172.95 $2,212 -3.35
1280 1280 80-85% 1 162.00 $162.00 $2,074 -14.30
1200–1440 1312 80-85% 7 180.00–193.00 $185.32 $2,431 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1015 993 85-90% 2 130.00–145.00 $137.67 $1,367 +28.67
750–1255 1017 85-90% 6 148.00–159.00 $156.42 $1,591 +17.18
845–1210 1100 85-90% 6 163.00–171.00 $165.17 $1,817 +1.39
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1685 1530 75-80% 3 174.00–176.00 $175.04 $2,678 —
1460–1740 1555 75-80% 4 181.00–185.00 $183.25 $2,850 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1685 1307 3 199.00–203.00 $200.72 $2,623 —
1340–1555 1448 2 213.00–214.00 $213.54 $3,092 —
1485–2095 1878 4 223.00–240.00 $229.55 $4,311 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1075 1075 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,825.00 $1,825.00
1695 1695 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
650 650 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 950.00 $950.00

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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
1025 1025 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,400.00 $2,400.00 —
1160 1160 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 3,150.00 $3,150.00 +125.00

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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.