Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, October 15, 2021

996 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $148.17/cwt -2.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,279/hd at 863 lb · 141 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $151.55/cwt +10.25 vs last sale · ≈ $1,276/hd at 842 lb · 92 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $156.24/cwt +0.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,043/hd at 668 lb · 61 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 996 950 1,030
Feeder cattle 849 790 875
Slaughter cattle 122 135 145
Replacement cattle 25 25 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold steady-2.00 higher; Yearling steers sold 1.00-2.00 higher with good demand, feeder heifers sold steady. Slaughter cows sold 4.00-6.00 lower, Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-4.00 lower. There was good demand for weaned feeder cattle, lower demand for non-weaned 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
240 240 1 150.00 $150.00 $360 —
265–295 279 5 162.50 $162.50 $453 —
327 327 2 150.00 $150.00 $490 -5.00
355 355 2 160.00–170.00 $165.00 $586 +10.00
361 fancy 361 3 180.00 $180.00 $650 —
420–445 433 2 164.00–175.00 $169.34 $733 +14.34
465–490 480 16 155.00–172.00 $161.55 $775 +11.55
510–520 value added 518 5 156.00–163.00 $157.38 $815 —
515–535 526 4 130.00–153.00 $146.76 $772 -2.54
554–593 value added 568 33 159.00–167.00 $164.20 $933 —
550–587 575 5 130.00–137.00 $134.23 $772 +0.15
618–646 635 16 129.00–140.00 $136.90 $869 -0.97
665 value added 665 50 160.00 $160.00 $1,064 +2.70
671–695 680 11 129.00–142.00 $139.15 $946 +8.17
705–720 713 2 126.00–140.00 $133.07 $949 +17.07
752–785 768 10 131.00–141.00 $137.41 $1,055 +1.37
825 825 1 136.00 $136.00 $1,122 +3.13
836–845 value added 842 91 151.00–153.00 $151.72 $1,277 —
851–885 value added 863 140 143.75–151.00 $148.29 $1,280 -2.36
885 885 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,159 -1.00
931 931 3 130.00 $130.00 $1,210 -8.79
935 value added 935 57 142.00 $142.00 $1,328 -8.00
971 value added 971 53 147.60 $147.60 $1,433 +0.26
976 976 5 139.50 $139.50 $1,362 —
1032 value added 1032 53 135.25 $135.25 $1,396 —
1095 1095 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,161 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 1 115.00 $115.00 $540 -15.64
575–580 578 3 115.00–125.00 $121.69 $703 —
610 610 1 125.00 $125.00 $762 +24.00
660 660 1 118.00 $118.00 $779 —
760–770 765 2 115.00–118.00 $116.51 $891 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 125.00 $125.00 $269 -11.00
345 345 1 124.00 $124.00 $428 +4.00
357–370 363 5 125.00–131.00 $128.44 $466 +4.32
405–445 423 13 125.00–141.00 $132.11 $559 +13.15
462–475 468 8 128.00–137.00 $130.27 $610 +13.72
505–545 519 17 117.00–141.00 $130.94 $680 -4.05
555–585 571 13 115.00–130.00 $121.83 $696 -6.09
611–645 625 10 110.00–130.00 $125.23 $783 -2.77
650–684 663 16 110.00–133.00 $126.74 $840 +3.74
742 742 2 114.00 $114.00 $846 —
795 795 2 115.00 $115.00 $914 +8.00
1145 1145 1 92.00 $92.00 $1,053 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–370 368 2 110.00–116.00 $112.98 $416 +1.98
405–447 432 4 101.00–114.00 $109.92 $475 -0.08
460 460 2 106.00–112.00 $109.00 $501 +5.68
510–525 518 2 106.00–108.00 $107.01 $554 +1.01
560–567 565 5 105.00–110.00 $108.61 $614 -0.24
735 735 1 92.00 $92.00 $676 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 147.50 $147.50 $332 —
265 265 1 150.00 $150.00 $398 +10.00
330 330 1 147.50 $147.50 $487 -2.50
360 360 1 137.50 $137.50 $495 -7.52
375 fancy 375 1 172.50 $172.50 $647 —
406–445 fancy 418 6 160.00–175.00 $169.91 $710 —
455–490 478 6 130.00–151.00 $141.90 $678 +1.28
510 fancy 510 1 156.00 $156.00 $796 —
500–535 518 2 125.00–141.00 $132.73 $688 -3.61
565–585 572 7 120.00–134.00 $123.26 $705 -3.10
610–642 627 4 116.00–125.00 $121.28 $760 -1.19
665–690 679 4 109.00–127.00 $118.64 $806 -8.62
720–730 725 3 110.00–122.00 $115.99 $841 +5.99
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 108.00 $108.00 $464 —
570 570 1 114.00 $114.00 $650 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1290 1113 80-85% 26 50.00–57.00 $53.42 $595 —
1085–1200 1143 80-85% 4 58.00–59.00 $58.76 $672 —
1020–1310 1185 80-85% 6 43.00–49.50 $47.89 $567 -11.57
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1475 1388 75-80% 11 58.00–61.50 $59.63 $828 —
1440 1440 75-80% 1 51.50 $51.50 $742 —
1395–1810 1571 75-80% 9 62.00–66.50 $63.94 $1,004 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1040 968 85-90% 5 51.00–54.00 $52.36 $507 +3.67
930–1035 979 85-90% 6 46.00–49.50 $48.06 $471 -7.82

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1685 1685 1 77.00 $77.00 $1,297 —
1630–1790 1730 4 81.50–86.00 $84.43 $1,461 —
1705–1790 1748 2 93.50–96.00 $94.72 $1,656 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1290 1290 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 68.50 $68.50

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 725.00 $725.00
1205 1205 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 660.00 $660.00
1255 1255 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,085.00 $1,085.00
1285–1400 1343 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 850.00–1,100.00 $969.65

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1050–1350 1161 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 19 1,000.00–1,200.00 $1,071.26 -2.04
1100–1250 1175 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 885.00–975.00 $927.13 -146.17
1250 1250 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 900.00 $900.00 -297.90
1550 1550 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 975.00 $975.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.