Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 20, 2021

1,274 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $150.11/cwt +11.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,225/hd at 816 lb · 305 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $143.04/cwt -2.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,405/hd at 982 lb · 263 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $147.33/cwt +4.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,311/hd at 890 lb · 104 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,274 1,301 1,109
Feeder cattle 1,218 1,190 976
Slaughter cattle 46 100 78
Replacement cattle 10 11 55

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold steady-2.00 higher, yearling steers 2.00-3.00 higher with very good demand. Feeder Heifers sold steady-2.00 higher with good demand. Buyers showed good interest in weaned and pre-conditioned cattle with good demand. Slaughter cows sold steady; slaughter bulls sold steady-1.00 lower with good demand.

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
220 220 1 185.00 $185.00 $407 —
375–395 385 2 164.00–170.00 $167.08 $643 -2.92
400–445 420 8 146.00–171.00 $164.03 $689 —
450–490 470 9 159.00–172.00 $165.35 $777 +2.83
507–525 value added 512 7 170.00 $170.00 $870 —
517–536 528 6 145.00–169.00 $158.42 $836 -3.47
551–592 565 9 146.00–167.00 $157.66 $891 -3.84
600–627 616 7 142.00–163.00 $152.20 $938 —
619 value added 619 40 166.50 $166.50 $1,031 +0.75
651–665 655 4 153.00 $153.00 $1,002 +6.62
707–712 value added 708 89 156.00–162.00 $161.39 $1,143 —
700–742 727 9 130.00–147.00 $138.48 $1,007 -4.79
770 770 2 144.00 $144.00 $1,109 —
804–833 value added 812 241 149.00–155.00 $153.52 $1,247 —
800–840 833 64 129.00–137.50 $137.26 $1,143 -1.41
855 855 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,069 -10.45
882–899 value added 890 103 145.30–149.90 $147.55 $1,313 +4.05
920–925 923 2 131.00–138.00 $134.49 $1,241 —
930–939 value added 938 65 144.50–148.20 $147.80 $1,386 —
958–996 value added 982 263 140.95–147.10 $143.04 $1,405 -2.86
1069 value added 1069 52 136.10 $136.10 $1,455 +2.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 150.00 $150.00 $488 —
565–575 570 2 123.00–140.00 $131.43 $749 —
645 645 1 118.00 $118.00 $761 —
675 675 1 130.00 $130.00 $878 —
775 775 1 100.00 $100.00 $775 -29.00
900 900 1 110.00 $110.00 $990 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–345 332 3 138.00–159.00 $147.98 $491 +6.98
385 385 1 132.00 $132.00 $508 —
403–447 428 8 137.00–150.00 $145.73 $624 +13.66
455–485 468 13 138.00–148.00 $143.27 $671 +2.30
500–510 503 8 139.00–150.00 $146.02 $734 +4.24
560–585 572 6 135.00–140.00 $137.99 $789 +4.26
600–620 609 6 127.00–138.00 $134.82 $821 +8.54
650–660 657 3 125.00–126.00 $125.67 $826 —
716–725 718 4 116.00–125.00 $122.73 $881 +3.22
765 765 1 121.00 $121.00 $926 -9.85
833 value added 833 61 137.50 $137.50 $1,145 —
915 915 1 105.00 $105.00 $961 +3.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–435 420 2 90.00–125.00 $106.88 $449 -22.12
450–495 470 4 115.00–134.00 $124.26 $584 -4.74
510–540 525 2 100.00–120.00 $110.29 $579 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 170.00 $170.00 $561 —
350 350 1 160.00 $160.00 $560 —
407–445 428 5 151.00–167.00 $160.00 $685 ±0.00
455–492 479 5 150.00–164.00 $157.29 $753 +3.29
511–545 517 6 135.00–154.00 $150.66 $779 —
555–595 578 4 141.00–155.00 $145.78 $843 +1.78
605–647 638 8 120.00–140.00 $132.07 $843 —
700–736 727 8 120.00–126.00 $122.63 $892 —
790 790 1 110.00 $110.00 $869 —
815–820 818 2 110.00–113.00 $111.50 $912 —
985 985 1 101.00 $101.00 $995 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–430 425 2 135.00–136.00 $135.51 $576 —
470 470 1 140.00 $140.00 $658 —
780 780 1 110.00 $110.00 $858 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1285 1143 80-85% 6 64.00–66.50 $65.64 $750 -0.90
1060–1300 1218 80-85% 9 70.00–74.50 $72.41 $882 —
1245 1245 80-85% 1 59.00 $59.00 $735 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1365 1365 75-80% 1 67.50 $67.50 $921 —
1335–1785 1501 75-80% 12 71.50–80.00 $77.04 $1,156 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525–1880 1732 3 90.00–99.00 $95.18 $1,649 +2.17
1430–1955 1746 9 100.00–112.50 $103.50 $1,807 -0.41

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1110 1110 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
1230 1230 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 760.00 $760.00

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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
1000 1000 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00 +10.00
1100–1200 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,250.00–1,360.00 $1,302.61 —
1150 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —

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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.