Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, May 21, 2021

409 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $130.00/cwt +4.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,164/hd at 895 lb · 63 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $122.80/cwt +3.80 vs last sale · ≈ $1,168/hd at 951 lb · 56 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $137.25/cwt -0.10 vs last sale · ≈ $650/hd at 474 lb · 41 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 409 661 238
Feeder cattle 377 606 188
Slaughter cattle 32 55 50

Compared to last week: Feeder steer and heifer calves sold steady to 2.00 higher. Yearling steers and heifers sold steady. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–325 315 6 152.00–175.00 $163.87 $516
440 440 3 162.00 $162.00 $713 -4.45
450–495 478 16 150.00–165.00 $158.20 $756 -7.27
505–545 521 12 141.00–161.00 $150.47 $784 +0.99
565–586 576 12 136.00–142.00 $140.00 $806
642 642 3 134.00 $134.00 $860 +1.00
700 700 1 125.00 $125.00 $875 -3.65
798 798 6 132.00 $132.00 $1,053 +6.50
825 825 4 127.00 $127.00 $1,048
835 value added 835 3 124.00 $124.00 $1,035 -7.19
895 value added 895 63 130.00 $130.00 $1,164 +4.88
951 value added 951 56 122.80 $122.80 $1,168

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–270 265 3 147.00–162.00 $151.81 $402 +16.81
375 value added 375 6 155.00 $155.00 $581
385 385 5 129.00–135.00 $133.80 $515 -8.34
415 415 3 135.00 $135.00 $560 -1.84
466 value added 466 9 154.00 $154.00 $718
450–495 476 32 125.00–148.00 $132.54 $631 -4.81
505–535 519 22 123.00–134.00 $127.57 $662 -7.91
557–595 574 12 120.00–135.00 $127.00 $729 -1.61
601–630 612 13 118.00–120.00 $119.24 $730 -8.99
626 value added 626 6 123.50 $123.50 $773 -12.50
670 670 5 114.00 $114.00 $764 -14.00
751–783 763 29 111.00–125.50 $118.92 $907
805 805 2 110.00 $110.00 $886 +13.04

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 155.00 $155.00 $527
400–415 409 7 159.00–160.00 $159.58 $653 +6.87
465 465 5 145.00 $145.00 $674 -12.45
505–545 521 19 135.00–152.00 $141.38 $737 +0.82
550–595 555 10 125.00–146.00 $137.11 $761 -0.53
640 640 3 135.00 $135.00 $864 +6.00
665 665 1 122.00 $122.00 $811 -8.82
745 745 3 110.00–122.00 $118.00 $879 -0.79

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1345 1139 80-85% 9 64.00–68.00 $66.16 $754
1115–1300 1234 80-85% 4 69.00–75.00 $72.31 $892 +12.29
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970 970 85-90% 1 59.00 $59.00 $572
1100 1100 85-90% 1 67.00 $67.00 $737 +12.20
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175 1175 75-80% 1 66.00 $66.00 $776
1665 1665 75-80% 1 70.00 $70.00 $1,166

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1475 1475 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,564
2165 2165 1 87.00 $87.00 $1,884

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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.