Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 13, 2021

1,301 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $142.74/cwt +10.74 vs last sale · ≈ $983/hd at 688 lb · 186 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $142.66/cwt +4.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,226/hd at 860 lb · 134 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $145.90/cwt +4.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,443/hd at 989 lb · 110 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,301 1,306 762
Feeder cattle 1,190 1,254 696
Slaughter cattle 100 47 61
Replacement cattle 11 5 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold Steady with good demand, feeder heifers sold 1.00-2.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady, Slaughter bulls sold steady. There was good demand for all classes of feeder cattle, with heavy offerings and good buyer activity this week. Buyers showed good interest in steer cattle and cattle with favorable condition.

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
312 312 2 177.00 $177.00 $552 —
375 375 1 170.00 $170.00 $638 ±0.00
450–490 477 15 144.00–169.00 $162.52 $775 -12.48
503–530 522 14 161.50–165.00 $161.89 $845 +5.77
560–585 582 23 146.00–163.50 $161.50 $940 +10.19
616 value added 616 82 165.75 $165.75 $1,021 —
650–685 673 34 141.00–155.00 $146.38 $985 —
706–745 714 9 130.00–145.00 $143.27 $1,023 —
794 value added 794 61 150.00 $150.00 $1,191 +7.00
810–840 825 24 127.00–139.50 $138.67 $1,144 —
857 value added 857 120 143.50 $143.50 $1,230 +3.50
850–883 881 14 128.00–136.00 $135.45 $1,193 +3.45
901 value added 901 58 140.40 $140.40 $1,265 —
989 value added 989 110 145.90 $145.90 $1,443 +4.94
1021–1037 value added 1029 217 137.00–143.00 $138.61 $1,426 +0.95
1051 value added 1051 54 134.10 $134.10 $1,409 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 150.00 $150.00 $548 —
415 415 1 139.00 $139.00 $577 —
755 755 1 129.00 $129.00 $974 —

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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 2 135.00 $135.00 $351 -17.00
328 328 3 141.00 $141.00 $462 -18.00
415–445 430 2 130.00–134.00 $132.07 $568 —
460–499 493 19 131.00–142.00 $140.97 $695 -2.23
500–546 537 17 136.00–143.00 $141.78 $761 -2.05
550–585 565 4 127.00–141.00 $133.73 $756 -3.82
601–633 611 16 124.00–135.00 $126.28 $772 +0.63
620 value added 620 8 144.00 $144.00 $893 +7.06
678–696 value added 687 152 142.75–148.25 $145.54 $1,000 —
680–695 695 34 120.00–130.50 $130.20 $905 —
705–747 729 23 110.00–121.00 $119.51 $871 —
759–777 761 16 123.00–132.00 $130.85 $996 —
940 940 1 102.00 $102.00 $959 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 116.00 $116.00 $452 —
413 413 4 129.00 $129.00 $533 —
475–487 483 3 129.00 $129.00 $623 —
570 570 1 113.00 $113.00 $644 —
691 691 3 113.00 $113.00 $781 —
725 725 1 106.00 $106.00 $768 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–260 255 2 150.00 $150.00 $382 —
400 400 1 160.00 $160.00 $640 —
495 495 2 154.00 $154.00 $762 -7.17
577 577 2 144.00 $144.00 $831 -5.57
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
645 645 1 126.00 $126.00 $813 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1080 1068 80-85% 3 59.00–61.00 $59.99 $641 —
970–1250 1144 80-85% 17 63.00–69.50 $66.54 $761 -0.77
1085–1290 1182 80-85% 20 70.00–75.00 $71.56 $846 +0.99
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410 1410 75-80% 1 65.00 $65.00 $916 —
1300–1670 1429 75-80% 21 70.00–80.00 $74.64 $1,067 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820 820 85-90% 1 56.00 $56.00 $459 —
925 925 85-90% 1 66.00 $66.00 $610 +11.52
940 940 85-90% 1 59.00 $59.00 $555 +4.52

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1665 1665 1 88.50 $88.50 $1,474 —
1565–1900 1734 5 90.00–98.50 $93.01 $1,613 —
1605–1865 1740 3 100.50–110.50 $103.91 $1,808 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1190 1190 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,285.00 $1,285.00

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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
950 950 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 935.00 $935.00 —
1025 1025 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,090.00 $1,090.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 82.00 $82.00 $480 —

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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.