Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 6, 2021

1,306 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $136.67/cwt ≈ $1,283/hd at 939 lb · 180 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $140.96/cwt +0.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,363/hd at 967 lb · 169 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $133.00/cwt -3.25 vs last sale · ≈ $1,169/hd at 879 lb · 131 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,306 770 1,248
Feeder cattle 1,254 690 1,193
Slaughter cattle 47 65 55
Replacement cattle 5 15 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

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

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
390 390 2 170.00 $170.00 $663 —
470 470 4 175.00 $175.00 $822 +11.00
510–535 519 8 142.00–165.00 $156.12 $810 —
513–523 value added 519 17 170.00–178.00 $175.21 $909 —
577 value added 577 17 171.50 $171.50 $990 +10.50
555–592 578 8 148.00–156.00 $151.31 $875 +0.17
600–621 614 9 150.00–152.00 $150.65 $925 —
684–691 value added 687 11 152.00–155.00 $153.37 $1,054 —
760 value added 760 3 143.00 $143.00 $1,087 +9.00
811 value added 811 70 137.95 $137.95 $1,119 —
855–891 value added 858 65 140.00 $140.00 $1,201 +7.00
870 870 18 132.00 $132.00 $1,148 —
939 value added 939 180 135.00–140.00 $136.67 $1,283 —
954–981 value added 967 169 138.00–145.00 $140.96 $1,363 +0.81
1004–1037 value added 1016 213 133.90–140.00 $137.66 $1,399 +3.70

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 5 152.00 $152.00 $395 +19.58
338 338 7 159.00 $159.00 $537 —
450–485 473 29 135.00–150.00 $143.20 $677 -10.80
510–547 532 16 139.00–148.00 $143.83 $765 -2.13
512–543 value added 532 14 143.00–153.00 $147.52 $785 -11.69
550–587 564 13 131.00–143.00 $137.55 $776 -8.45
606–610 value added 607 17 135.00–138.00 $136.94 $831 —
605–635 623 17 123.00–128.00 $125.65 $783 -15.35
655–660 659 12 132.00 $132.00 $870 +10.00
805 805 5 115.00 $115.00 $926 —
879 value added 879 131 133.00 $133.00 $1,169 -3.25

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 3 165.00 $165.00 $404 —
350–355 352 7 155.00–158.00 $156.70 $552 -8.30
451–499 476 40 157.00–167.00 $161.17 $767 +3.13
555–592 567 11 143.00–156.00 $149.57 $848 -10.43
610 610 6 140.00 $140.00 $854 —
668–685 674 8 132.00–135.00 $133.86 $902 -4.15
754 754 5 117.00 $117.00 $882 +1.00
818 818 8 111.00 $111.00 $908 -5.44

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1340 1120 80-85% 6 65.00–68.00 $67.31 $754 -4.69
965–1420 1164 80-85% 10 68.00–74.00 $70.57 $821 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1285 1229 75-80% 5 72.00–73.00 $72.20 $887 —
1220–1295 1276 75-80% 4 65.00–67.00 $65.48 $836 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–920 915 85-90% 2 51.00–58.00 $54.48 $498 —
995–1000 998 85-90% 2 61.50–63.00 $62.25 $621 —
1100 1100 85-90% 2 48.00 $48.00 $528 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1645 1645 1 95.00 $95.00 $1,563 —
1700–1995 1887 3 104.00–108.00 $105.56 $1,992 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1080 1080 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00
1140–1500 1320 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,050.00 $1,050.00

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
628 628 3 101.00 $101.00 $634 —

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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.