Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, September 24, 2021

884 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 $145.19/cwt +2.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,364/hd at 940 lb · 116 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $142.01/cwt +21.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,049/hd at 739 lb · 87 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $149.62/cwt +2.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,241/hd at 829 lb · 61 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 884 1,073 1,109
Feeder cattle 824 1,040 1,059
Slaughter cattle 40 33 45
Replacement cattle 20 — 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold 1.00-2.00 higher; Yearling steers sold steady with good demand, feeder heifers sold steady with good demand. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-2.00 lower, Slaughter bulls sold steady. There was good demand for all classes of feeder cattle, with moderate 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
360–390 381 4 182.50–185.00 $183.09 $698 +8.09
420–441 value added 433 5 176.00–180.00 $177.55 $769 —
429–445 433 9 163.00–168.00 $166.86 $723 +0.29
455–475 463 10 154.00–170.00 $161.72 $749 —
505–545 520 28 150.00–160.00 $157.26 $818 —
550–597 595 21 152.00–155.00 $154.87 $921 +1.87
607–630 613 6 135.00–147.00 $139.82 $857 -7.18
653–680 666 11 133.00–141.00 $137.21 $914 +2.21
665–694 value added 686 8 150.00–154.00 $150.73 $1,034 —
787 787 2 125.00 $125.00 $984 -15.45
805–810 808 4 126.00–134.00 $130.01 $1,050 -9.99
831 value added 831 57 151.00 $151.00 $1,255 +2.25
886 value added 886 58 145.00 $145.00 $1,285 +3.50
917 917 2 137.00 $137.00 $1,256 +13.00
935–945 value added 940 114 144.75–145.95 $145.33 $1,366 +2.49
970 970 56 134.85 $134.85 $1,308 +8.35
1006–1025 value added 1015 97 133.90–135.25 $134.59 $1,366 -3.11
1125 1125 1 107.50 $107.50 $1,209 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 137.50 $137.50 $323 —
331–335 332 4 145.00–150.00 $148.74 $494 —
417 417 2 144.00 $144.00 $600 —
585 585 1 120.00 $120.00 $702 -5.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225 1225 1 122.50 $122.50 $1,501 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
236 236 3 143.00 $143.00 $337 —
320–325 322 5 132.00–132.50 $132.20 $426 +0.57
357–380 365 3 141.00–144.00 $142.96 $522 —
402–427 424 21 136.00–151.00 $149.02 $632 -1.91
450–495 477 6 141.00–145.00 $143.64 $685 -3.38
502–547 525 13 125.00–145.00 $139.28 $731 -1.39
550–595 566 13 120.00–146.00 $129.70 $734 -2.16
620–646 639 12 118.00–122.00 $119.14 $761 -12.84
653–655 653 5 116.00–120.00 $119.20 $778 -7.41
700–737 726 9 116.00–129.00 $124.77 $906 +3.95
740 value added 740 78 144.00 $144.00 $1,066 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 132.50 $132.50 $391 —
340 340 1 122.50 $122.50 $416 +2.50
370–380 375 2 116.00–127.50 $121.67 $456 —
565–580 572 3 90.00–104.00 $98.03 $561 —
612 612 2 106.00 $106.00 $649 —
650–655 653 2 98.00–110.00 $103.98 $679 —
701–740 712 6 97.50–109.00 $104.92 $747 —

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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 1 145.00 $145.00 $420 -2.50
460–497 477 6 135.00–154.00 $150.27 $717 -0.73
505–545 525 8 136.00–161.00 $146.74 $770 -7.33
560–566 564 6 141.00–149.00 $143.65 $810 +7.65
615–647 632 8 136.00–144.00 $141.11 $892 +9.83
660–675 665 3 127.00–136.00 $130.05 $865 +6.04
747 747 2 108.00 $108.00 $807 —
760–770 763 3 112.00–117.00 $113.68 $867 -2.32
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 2 140.00 $140.00 $427 —
525–545 535 2 110.00–115.00 $112.55 $602 —
570–580 575 2 112.50–125.00 $118.80 $683 —
650–657 654 4 119.00–121.00 $119.99 $785 +9.99
760 760 1 90.00 $90.00 $684 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1530 1257 80-85% 13 60.00–67.00 $63.62 $800 —
1285 1285 80-85% 1 69.00 $69.00 $887 —
1245–1445 1304 80-85% 4 58.50–59.50 $58.86 $768 +1.62
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375–1680 1532 75-80% 5 61.50–67.50 $64.40 $987 —
1465–1665 1565 75-80% 2 70.00 $70.00 $1,096 +1.51
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1135 1058 85-90% 2 58.00–61.50 $59.62 $631 +6.62
1140 1140 85-90% 1 53.00 $53.00 $604 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375–2285 1705 4 80.00–89.50 $85.78 $1,463 —
1640–2045 1819 5 90.00–94.00 $92.25 $1,678 —
1595–2015 1863 3 98.50–108.00 $102.50 $1,910 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1095–1100 1098 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 685.00–710.00 $697.47
1170–1395 1306 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 775.00–910.00 $863.36
1210–1415 1313 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,000.00–1,150.00 $1,080.86
1350–1485 1418 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 875.00–975.00 $927.38

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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
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,060.00 $1,060.00 —
1100–1300 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,025.00–1,100.00 $1,065.63 —
1250 1250 Aged (>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.