Cattle Market Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report
Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Friday, April 16, 2021976 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Blue Grass Stockyards report →
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers
$143.85/cwt
+4.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,042/hd at 724 lb · 124 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers
$130.00/cwt
≈ $1,117/hd at 859 lb · 66 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers
$131.13/cwt
+3.30 vs last sale · ≈ $815/hd at 622 lb · 48 head
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 976 | 1,157 | 628 |
| Feeder cattle | 826 | 1,039 | 570 |
| Slaughter cattle | 115 | 49 | 57 |
| Replacement cattle | 35 | 69 | 1 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275–295 | 285 | 10 | 166.00–180.00 | $172.75 | $492 | -19.05 |
| 286 | 286 | 5 | 201.00 | $201.00 | $575 | — |
| 330 | 330 | 3 | 150.00 | $150.00 | $495 | -27.59 |
| 348 | 348 | 11 | 192.00 | $192.00 | $668 | — |
| 373–385 | 378 | 15 | 170.00–181.00 | $175.95 | $665 | -11.58 |
| 410–447 | 427 | 29 | 167.00–175.00 | $171.65 | $733 | -4.17 |
| 455–489 | 478 | 33 | 160.00–177.00 | $167.97 | $803 | +5.63 |
| 512–535 | 524 | 8 | 152.00–170.00 | $161.20 | $845 | +6.85 |
| 525–531 | 528 | 11 | 175.00–177.00 | $176.10 | $930 | +3.10 |
| 555–570 | 559 | 23 | 167.00–170.00 | $169.25 | $946 | -4.46 |
| 563–570 | 566 | 13 | 145.00–166.00 | $156.95 | $888 | -1.60 |
| 619 | 619 | 5 | 163.50 | $163.50 | $1,012 | -6.66 |
| 605–645 | 621 | 19 | 136.00–154.00 | $148.64 | $923 | +2.10 |
| 670–692 | 685 | 22 | 147.00–153.00 | $148.70 | $1,019 | +8.76 |
| 723–735 | 724 | 114 | 140.00–147.00 | $144.31 | $1,045 | -2.69 |
| 720–735 | 725 | 10 | 135.00–144.00 | $138.58 | $1,005 | +8.16 |
| 780 | 780 | 15 | 138.00 | $138.00 | $1,076 | — |
| 859 | 859 | 66 | 130.00 | $130.00 | $1,117 | — |
| 910 | 910 | 4 | 119.00 | $119.00 | $1,083 | — |
| 976 | 976 | 5 | 127.00 | $127.00 | $1,240 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 285 | 285 | 3 | 166.00 | $166.00 | $473 | +13.24 |
| 310–345 | 325 | 16 | 155.00–170.00 | $160.88 | $523 | -4.90 |
| 355–385 | 369 | 19 | 135.00–157.00 | $148.57 | $548 | -4.16 |
| 410–435 | 424 | 31 | 131.00–153.00 | $141.88 | $602 | -6.23 |
| 455–495 | 473 | 44 | 140.00–155.00 | $147.00 | $695 | +5.81 |
| 502–545 | 521 | 35 | 127.00–144.00 | $139.09 | $725 | -3.91 |
| 525 | 525 | 3 | 151.00 | $151.00 | $793 | -0.50 |
| 551–555 | 553 | 7 | 145.00 | $145.00 | $802 | +4.75 |
| 555 | 555 | 8 | 131.00–143.00 | $138.50 | $769 | +2.35 |
| 605–635 | 621 | 20 | 123.00–126.00 | $124.54 | $773 | -3.29 |
| 602–633 | 622 | 28 | 134.00–136.50 | $135.84 | $845 | — |
| 695 | 695 | 3 | 120.00 | $120.00 | $834 | — |
| 749 | 749 | 9 | 130.25 | $130.25 | $976 | — |
| 750 | 750 | 3 | 119.00 | $119.00 | $892 | — |
Feeder Bulls
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | 330 | 3 | 167.00 | $167.00 | $551 | — |
| 350–390 | 368 | 13 | 160.00 | $160.00 | $589 | -18.67 |
| 412–435 | 427 | 11 | 159.00–174.00 | $168.42 | $719 | +2.59 |
| 450–480 | 464 | 16 | 160.00–171.00 | $165.94 | $770 | +14.66 |
| 500–530 | 513 | 22 | 139.00–160.00 | $150.10 | $770 | -3.95 |
| 565 | 565 | 3 | 161.00 | $161.00 | $910 | +12.46 |
| 610–635 | 628 | 17 | 140.00–145.00 | $142.82 | $897 | -1.18 |
| 680 | 680 | 4 | 133.00 | $133.00 | $904 | -5.00 |
| 717–743 | 736 | 21 | 120.00–129.00 | $125.12 | $921 | -2.69 |
| 785–790 | 788 | 8 | 108.00–119.00 | $112.11 | $883 | -3.89 |
Slaughter Cows
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100–1285 | 1192 | 80-85% | 13 | 56.50–61.00 | $59.11 | $705 | -12.29 |
| 1100–1330 | 1199 | 80-85% | 13 | 63.00–68.00 | $66.11 | $793 | -5.29 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100–1185 | 1143 | 75-80% | 4 | 59.00–62.00 | $60.44 | $691 | -3.32 |
| 1100–1450 | 1255 | 75-80% | 13 | 65.00–67.00 | $65.65 | $824 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 665 | 665 | 85-90% | 1 | 30.00 | $30.00 | $200 | — |
| 1100–1105 | 1103 | 85-90% | 4 | 40.00–45.00 | $42.51 | $469 | — |
| 1100–1365 | 1188 | 85-90% | 3 | 56.50–57.00 | $56.81 | $675 | — |
Slaughter Bulls
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1390–1890 | 1590 | 5 | 89.00–95.00 | $91.85 | $1,460 | — |
| 1665–1685 | 1672 | 3 | 84.50–85.00 | $84.83 | $1,418 | -3.17 |
| 1715–2165 | 1940 | 2 | 98.00 | $98.00 | $1,901 | -4.61 |
Bred Cows
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Age | Stage | Head | Price range | Avg $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 915–1240 | 1045 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | 2nd Stage (4-6 mo) | 5 | 675.00–900.00 | $781.79 |
| 895–1275 | 1121 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | 3rd Stage (7-9 mo) | 11 | 975.00–1,110.00 | $1,059.15 |
| 1220 | 1220 | Aged (>8 yrs) | 2nd Stage (4-6 mo) | 3 | 900.00 | $900.00 |
Cow-Calf Pairs
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Age | Stage | Head | Price range | Avg $ | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900 | 900 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | Open | 4 | 1,075.00 | $1,075.00 | — |
| 1015 | 1015 | Aged (>8 yrs) | Open | 4 | 785.00 | $785.00 | — |
| 925–1435 | 1225 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | Open | 18 | 1,100.00–1,310.00 | $1,192.64 | — |
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.
Compared to last week: Feeder steer and heifer calves sold steady to 2.00 lower. Yearling steers and heifers sold 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls 3.00 to 4.00 lower.