Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 27, 2021

456 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 $146.01/cwt -1.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,340/hd at 918 lb · 119 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $139.09/cwt ≈ $1,210/hd at 870 lb · 60 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $166.59/cwt +2.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,050/hd at 630 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 456 1,274 1,387
Feeder cattle 414 1,218 1,335
Slaughter cattle 32 46 37
Replacement cattle 10 10 15

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold Steady with light test, feeder heifers sold steady with light test. Slaughter cows sold steady, Slaughter bulls sold steady. There was good demand for all classes of feeder cattle, with light offerings and good buyer activity this week. Buyers showed good interest in yearling 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
327 327 2 168.00 $168.00 $549 —
370 370 1 160.00 $160.00 $592 -7.08
405 405 1 150.00 $150.00 $608 -14.03
468 468 3 159.00 $159.00 $744 -6.35
507–530 519 4 145.00–150.00 $147.56 $766 -10.86
546 value added 546 10 177.00 $177.00 $966 +7.00
570–597 591 5 146.00–155.00 $149.35 $883 -8.31
623–640 value added 630 15 166.00–167.00 $166.59 $1,050 +0.09
660–697 687 12 140.00–159.50 $157.43 $1,082 +4.43
705–720 707 9 130.00–154.00 $148.18 $1,048 +9.70
860–880 870 2 131.00–132.00 $131.49 $1,144 +6.49
915 915 2 128.00 $128.00 $1,171 -6.49
912–923 value added 918 117 145.60–147.00 $146.32 $1,343 -1.48
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508–517 512 5 125.00–139.00 $133.34 $683 —
550 550 1 130.00 $130.00 $715 -1.43
635–646 642 3 124.00–135.00 $130.32 $837 +12.32
675–685 682 3 119.00–136.00 $126.29 $861 -3.71
805 805 1 110.00 $110.00 $886 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 3 155.00 $155.00 $341 —
330 330 1 135.00 $135.00 $446 -12.98
380 380 3 135.00–150.00 $140.00 $532 +8.00
417 417 2 141.00 $141.00 $588 -4.73
460–480 469 12 130.00–150.00 $135.48 $635 -7.79
515–545 528 9 126.00–146.00 $138.71 $732 -7.31
562–570 566 4 130.00–144.00 $137.05 $776 -0.94
615–625 620 2 123.00–126.00 $124.49 $772 -10.33
677–685 680 8 126.00 $126.00 $857 +0.33
700–720 704 5 114.00–123.00 $118.40 $834 -4.33
870 value added 870 59 139.80 $139.80 $1,216 —
880 880 1 97.00 $97.00 $854 —
905 905 3 120.00 $120.00 $1,086 +15.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 2 120.00–125.00 $122.50 $521 +15.62
452 452 2 126.00 $126.00 $570 +1.74
595 595 1 128.00 $128.00 $762 —
600 600 1 118.00 $118.00 $708 —
792 792 2 107.00 $107.00 $847 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 157.50 $157.50 $457 —
360–385 375 3 156.00–169.00 $161.76 $607 +1.76
402–415 407 4 149.00–170.00 $163.23 $664 +3.23
480–488 486 4 158.00–164.00 $162.52 $790 +5.23
535 535 2 142.00 $142.00 $760 -8.66
550–582 564 6 130.00–148.00 $141.92 $800 -3.86
605–646 632 7 127.00–141.00 $137.39 $868 +5.32
660 660 2 115.00 $115.00 $759 —
700 700 3 143.00 $143.00 $1,001 +20.37
750–770 755 4 114.00–125.00 $122.20 $923 +12.20
805 805 1 100.00 $100.00 $805 -11.50
885 885 2 100.00 $100.00 $885 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 147.50 $147.50 $442 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1380 1171 80-85% 9 60.00–69.00 $65.29 $765 —
1150–1345 1233 80-85% 3 55.00–59.00 $57.03 $703 -1.97
1165–1410 1297 80-85% 5 71.00–76.00 $73.50 $953 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1315–1340 1328 75-80% 2 75.00–77.00 $75.99 $1,009 —
1360–1515 1438 75-80% 2 67.00–68.00 $67.53 $971 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915 915 85-90% 1 59.00 $59.00 $540 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1590 1590 1 93.00 $93.00 $1,479 —
1770–2015 1893 2 104.00–105.00 $104.53 $1,979 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
980–1030 1005 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 810.00–900.00 $856.12
1210–1235 1223 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,060.00–1,110.00 $1,084.74

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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 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,110.00 $1,110.00 +10.00

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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.