Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Albany, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 20, 2026

538 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 $495.36/cwt ≈ $2,421/hd at 489 lb · 32 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $424.63/cwt +3.27 vs last sale · ≈ $2,221/hd at 523 lb · 30 head

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $411.55/cwt +4.42 vs last sale · ≈ $2,333/hd at 567 lb · 30 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	538	402	340
Feeder cattle	488	350	250
Slaughter cattle	36	38	74
Replacement cattle	14	14	16

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600lbs sold mostly steady with feeder steers over 600lbs Steady to 4.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 500lbs sold 6.00 to 8.00 lower with feeder heifers over 500lbs mostly steady. Weaned, preconditioned feeders with favorable body condition still bringing large premiums. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

→ Feeder cattle: preconditioned feeders with favorable body condition still bringing large premiums
▼ Feeder heifers: Feeder heifers under 500lbs sold 6.00 to 8.00 lower with feeder heifers over 500lbs mostly steady
▼ Feeder steers: Feeder steers under 600lbs sold mostly steady with feeder steers over 600lbs Steady to 4.00 lower
→ Slaughter bulls: Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady
→ Slaughter cows: Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
300–345	323	2	550.00–557.50	$554.01	$1,789	—
360–395	372	11	525.00–545.00	$540.26	$2,010	-9.74
375 fancy	375	2	557.50	$557.50	$2,091	—
415–420	419	8	510.00–525.00	$523.14	$2,192	+0.20
400–445 value added	420	3	532.50–540.00	$535.76	$2,250	—
450 fancy	450	1	520.00	$520.00	$2,340	—
482–493	490	31	492.00–502.50	$494.57	$2,423	—
500–535	516	8	475.00–490.00	$480.59	$2,480	+11.01
555–570	561	6	462.50–475.00	$467.48	$2,623	+5.04
610–628 value added	619	8	442.50–457.50	$446.84	$2,766	-15.54
615–640	632	5	415.00–435.00	$425.44	$2,689	-14.18
650–655 value added	652	3	410.00–417.50	$414.99	$2,706	—
670–687	681	10	382.50–402.50	$388.53	$2,646	-31.47
708–711 value added	709	9	400.00	$400.00	$2,836	-9.00
748	748	3	365.00	$365.00	$2,730	-11.69
782	782	2	368.00	$368.00	$2,878	—
860	860	2	335.00	$335.00	$2,881	+7.50

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
310	310	1	525.00	$525.00	$1,628	—
450–495	485	9	475.00–487.50	$476.57	$2,311	-14.88
500–545	526	6	452.50–467.50	$459.66	$2,418	—
577	577	4	452.50	$452.50	$2,611	—
620–630	625	2	397.50	$397.50	$2,484	+2.50

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
420	420	1	450.00	$450.00	$1,890	-45.00
485	485	1	470.00	$470.00	$2,280	-10.00
620	620	1	397.50	$397.50	$2,464	—
657	657	2	400.00	$400.00	$2,628	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
440	440	1	442.50	$442.50	$1,947	—
482	482	4	440.00	$440.00	$2,121	—

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
555	555	1	385.00	$385.00	$2,137	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
240	240	1	570.00	$570.00	$1,368	-40.00
265–295	278	7	520.00–535.00	$525.12	$1,460	-37.24
295 fancy	295	1	550.00	$550.00	$1,622	—
320–335	331	7	517.50–522.50	$518.88	$1,717	-27.33
362–385	375	17	472.50–490.00	$478.24	$1,793	-40.72
400–446	432	20	460.00–477.50	$466.64	$2,016	-26.97
450–470	460	24	450.00–467.50	$457.28	$2,103	-28.72
500–547	523	30	410.00–432.50	$424.63	$2,221	+3.27
550–596	567	30	397.50–425.00	$411.55	$2,333	+17.82
600–615 value added	606	17	400.00–420.00	$413.52	$2,506	+27.18
605–620	613	2	380.00–382.50	$381.27	$2,337	—
676–682	678	5	357.50–362.50	$359.51	$2,437	-5.49
705–715	710	2	332.50–337.50	$335.02	$2,379	+14.92
770 value added	770	1	342.50	$342.50	$2,637	—
780	780	1	327.50	$327.50	$2,554	-7.44

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
245	245	1	502.50	$502.50	$1,231	—
320	320	1	495.00	$495.00	$1,584	-12.50
365	365	1	460.00	$460.00	$1,679	-34.85
427	427	2	440.00	$440.00	$1,879	-22.73
460–488	478	17	422.50–437.50	$430.54	$2,058	-16.15
527	527	2	382.50	$382.50	$2,016	-21.15
552–590	571	7	375.00–390.00	$380.85	$2,175	+5.83
625	625	1	355.00	$355.00	$2,219	-2.50
670–680	675	3	335.00–345.00	$339.98	$2,295	-3.27

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
355–385	370	2	435.00–437.50	$436.20	$1,614	—
410	410	2	385.00	$385.00	$1,578	—
450	450	1	415.00	$415.00	$1,868	-39.99
505	505	1	412.50	$412.50	$2,083	—
575	575	1	395.00	$395.00	$2,271	±0.00
625	625	1	340.00	$340.00	$2,125	+2.44
665–690	682	3	320.00–335.00	$324.88	$2,216	-17.62
705	705	1	312.50	$312.50	$2,203	—
755–775	765	2	275.00–290.00	$282.40	$2,160	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
360	360	1	460.00	$460.00	$1,656	—
485–495	487	5	400.00–417.50	$403.56	$1,965	-6.31
535	535	1	357.50	$357.50	$1,913	-28.74

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
455	455	4	460.00	$460.00	$2,093	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
220–245	233	2	600.00–610.00	$604.73	$1,409	+9.73
270	270	2	552.50–560.00	$556.25	$1,502	-56.83
360–380	370	2	530.00–532.50	$531.22	$1,966	-18.83
415–445	435	3	500.00	$500.00	$2,175	-24.38
453–475	456	7	487.50–505.00	$502.40	$2,291	+12.42
500–548	526	9	467.50–487.50	$476.95	$2,509	+24.14
570–575	573	2	427.50–445.00	$436.29	$2,500	+4.85
615	615	1	397.50	$397.50	$2,445	-10.92
665	665	1	380.00	$380.00	$2,527	-0.82
705	705	1	340.00	$340.00	$2,397	-8.63

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
405	405	1	492.50	$492.50	$1,995	-9.94
485	485	1	462.50	$462.50	$2,243	+2.46
505–520	513	2	452.50–457.50	$455.04	$2,334	+21.52
595	595	1	417.50	$417.50	$2,484	+5.99
775	775	1	332.50	$332.50	$2,577	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
410	410	1	480.00	$480.00	$1,968	—
465	465	1	452.50	$452.50	$2,104	—
500	500	1	450.00	$450.00	$2,250	—
560	560	2	427.50	$427.50	$2,394	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
390	390	1	462.50	$462.50	$1,804	-7.50
425	425	1	430.00	$430.00	$1,828	—
485	485	1	430.00	$430.00	$2,086	+15.00
575	575	1	400.00	$400.00	$2,300	+14.92

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
460	460	1	430.00	$430.00	$1,978	—
525	525	1	427.50	$427.50	$2,244	—

Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
420	420	1	400.00	$400.00	$1,680	—

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
375	375	1	465.00	$465.00	$1,744	—

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1015–1225	1110	85-90%	3	124.00–135.00	$127.72	$1,418	-25.90
960–1315	1118	85-90%	4	140.00–146.00	$142.38	$1,592	-11.24
1115–1240	1178	85-90%	2	175.00–184.00	$179.74	$2,117	+14.55
1030–1330	1180	85-90%	2	156.00–160.00	$157.75	$1,861	-7.44

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1060–1210	1140	80-85%	3	183.00–193.00	$188.49	$2,149	—
1140–1340	1240	80-85%	2	174.00–176.00	$174.92	$2,169	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1395–1545	1470	75-80%	2	183.00–186.00	$184.58	$2,713	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1605	1605	1	218.00	$218.00	$3,499	—
1230–2195	1726	4	183.00–208.00	$200.43	$3,459	—
1825–2125	1915	4	231.00–248.00	$237.27	$4,544	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1125–1530	1270	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	2,800.00–3,425.00	$3,140.06
1350	1350	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	2,450.00	$2,450.00
1390	1390	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	3,650.00	$3,650.00
1410	1410	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	3,775.00	$3,775.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1395	1395	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	Open	1	3,200.00	$3,200.00	—
1480	1480	Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	1	3,650.00	$3,650.00	—
1485	1485	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	1	3,175.00	$3,175.00	—

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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.