Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, February 17, 2023

294 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 $171.50/cwt -2.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,391/hd at 811 lb · 65 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $170.50/cwt +8.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,453/hd at 852 lb · 64 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $165.79/cwt -11.22 vs last sale · ≈ $887/hd at 535 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 294 678 706
Feeder cattle 254 624 646
Slaughter cattle 38 44 45
Replacement cattle 2 10 15

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold steady on light test; yearling steers steady. Feeder heifers under 500lbs 1.00-2.00 higher; over 500lbs steady. Slaughter cows sold steady on light test, Slaughter bulls sold steady. There was good demand for all feeder cattle, with moderate offerings and good buyer activity this week. Buyers showed good interest in weaned steers and heifers 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
378 fancy 378 7 247.50 $247.50 $936 +2.50
473–494 fancy 486 10 230.00–237.50 $232.92 $1,132 —
510 510 1 180.00 $180.00 $918 -29.08
577 577 4 194.00 $194.00 $1,119 -3.03
600 fancy 600 4 199.00 $199.00 $1,194 —
630–645 635 3 170.00 $170.00 $1,080 -6.10
650–692 671 4 169.00–175.00 $171.91 $1,154 -8.36
811 value added 811 65 171.50 $171.50 $1,391 —
852 value added 852 64 170.50 $170.50 $1,453 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 167.50 $167.50 $620 ±0.00
455 455 2 180.00 $180.00 $819 —
570 570 1 157.00 $157.00 $895 -23.50
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1950 1950 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,833 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 2 160.00 $160.00 $376 —
287 287 2 187.50 $187.50 $538 +15.00
380–386 fancy 385 10 192.50–197.50 $196.51 $757 —
390 390 1 186.00 $186.00 $725 +4.80
410–435 429 4 184.00–185.00 $184.24 $790 +4.51
456–497 477 12 179.00–185.00 $182.47 $870 +8.20
515–545 535 16 161.00–171.00 $165.79 $887 -5.50
550–560 557 3 154.00–161.00 $158.69 $884 -2.26
630 630 6 156.00 $156.00 $983 -2.51
670 670 3 155.00 $155.00 $1,038 -3.46
705 705 1 139.00 $139.00 $980 —
813 813 3 131.00 $131.00 $1,065 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–465 463 2 139.00–146.00 $142.52 $660 -18.48
675–685 680 5 127.00–135.00 $128.71 $875 -6.29

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 200.00 $200.00 $400 -2.00
290 290 1 200.00 $200.00 $580 +10.00
432 fancy 432 2 220.00 $220.00 $950 +1.00
552 552 2 167.00 $167.00 $922 -21.63
830 830 1 126.00 $126.00 $1,046 —
985 985 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,231 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865 865 1 93.00 $93.00 $804 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1080 1070 80-85% 2 66.00–69.00 $67.49 $722 —
925–1365 1131 80-85% 7 73.00–83.00 $79.11 $895 —
1215–1355 1305 80-85% 3 88.00–99.00 $91.76 $1,197 +11.00
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890 890 85-90% 1 79.00 $79.00 $703 —
760–1145 959 85-90% 5 50.00–68.00 $55.83 $535 -17.64
965 965 85-90% 1 75.00 $75.00 $724 +1.53
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405 1405 75-80% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,489 —
1470 1470 75-80% 1 66.00 $66.00 $970 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1550 1550 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,457 —
1450–1915 1718 3 123.00–133.00 $127.55 $2,191 —
1740–1850 1792 3 108.00–119.00 $115.44 $2,069 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850–1005 928 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 850.00–975.00 $907.28

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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.