Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, April 7, 2023

418 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 $193.64/cwt +9.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,639/hd at 846 lb · 79 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $205.82/cwt +24.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,107/hd at 538 lb · 29 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $191.64/cwt +8.13 vs last sale · ≈ $905/hd at 472 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 418 610 819
Feeder cattle 333 546 736
Slaughter cattle 50 42 49
Replacement cattle 35 22 34

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder steers sold 5.00 to 8.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. There was very good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 1.00 to 2.00 lower. There was good demand for slaughter classes.

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
290–292 291 3 220.00–227.50 $222.49 $647 —
330–340 338 4 245.00–250.00 $248.78 $841 +13.78
380–390 387 3 230.00–245.00 $240.09 $929 +12.09
415–442 434 5 240.00–250.00 $243.54 $1,057 +28.54
451–482 462 6 224.00–248.00 $236.76 $1,094 +2.15
515–521 value added 520 5 240.00–245.00 $243.41 $1,266 +1.41
500–535 523 11 219.00–235.00 $227.57 $1,190 +18.82
568–577 575 11 237.00–242.00 $240.65 $1,384 +35.84
613 613 5 222.00 $222.00 $1,361 +9.91
660 660 1 198.00 $198.00 $1,307 +8.36
740 740 1 193.00 $193.00 $1,428 -3.99
750–780 765 2 172.00–181.00 $176.59 $1,351 -15.84
799 value added 799 16 196.00 $196.00 $1,566 —
805–840 837 13 186.50–190.00 $186.76 $1,563 +24.75
848 value added 848 66 195.00 $195.00 $1,654 +10.00
865 865 1 182.00 $182.00 $1,574 +17.00
940 940 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,410 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 220.00 $220.00 $748 —
360 360 1 222.50 $222.50 $801 —
405 405 2 215.00–217.50 $216.25 $876 —
450 450 2 204.00 $204.00 $918 +1.50
515 515 1 192.00 $192.00 $989 +8.00
740 740 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,214 +5.00
830 830 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,328 —
865 865 1 159.00 $159.00 $1,375 +32.00
905 905 1 127.00 $127.00 $1,149 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 195.00 $195.00 $517 —
320–340 333 3 205.00–221.00 $215.88 $719 —
352–385 370 9 206.00–220.00 $213.67 $791 +26.19
410–435 427 5 198.00–202.00 $199.21 $851 +14.99
451–497 472 19 183.00–199.00 $191.64 $905 +8.13
510–545 524 8 170.00–182.50 $176.48 $925 -4.74
543 value added 543 21 217.00 $217.00 $1,178 —
555–595 565 6 182.00–186.00 $184.30 $1,041 +9.50
605–635 625 3 172.00–179.00 $176.74 $1,105 +3.21
652 652 5 181.50 $181.50 $1,183 +11.91
705 705 1 140.00 $140.00 $987 -12.00
815 815 1 116.00 $116.00 $945 -20.04
875 875 1 136.00 $136.00 $1,190 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 192.50 $192.50 $462 —
260 260 1 177.50 $177.50 $462 —
310–325 315 3 193.00–200.00 $195.41 $616 +25.41
370–375 373 3 191.00–196.00 $193.00 $720 +27.00
407 407 2 188.00 $188.00 $765 +15.25
505 505 2 165.00–168.00 $166.50 $841 +1.50
560–595 578 2 160.00–165.00 $162.58 $940 +0.58
605 605 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,004 +11.64
760 760 1 117.00 $117.00 $889 -10.47

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 237.50 $237.50 $855 +10.32
400 400 1 225.00 $225.00 $900 —
427 fancy 427 2 249.00 $249.00 $1,063 —
485 fancy 485 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,176 —
495 495 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,101 +12.86
500–535 512 3 195.00–206.00 $202.17 $1,035 —
562 562 2 205.00 $205.00 $1,152 -5.47
633 633 3 180.00 $180.00 $1,139 -5.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 207.50 $207.50 $695 —
480 480 1 200.00 $200.00 $960 +17.50
588 588 3 218.00 $218.00 $1,282 +28.00
1080 1080 1 90.00 $90.00 $972 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1815 1815 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 2 2,275.00 $2,275.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1265 1117 80-85% 9 82.00–88.00 $85.36 $953 —
1065–1410 1238 80-85% 14 90.00–99.00 $95.25 $1,179 -0.21
1060–1435 1252 80-85% 6 100.00–106.00 $103.19 $1,292 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–1040 934 85-90% 10 79.00–84.00 $81.42 $760 -1.64
915–1035 991 85-90% 4 71.00–75.00 $72.99 $723 —
1020–1030 1025 85-90% 2 87.00–89.00 $88.00 $902 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1635–1735 1685 75-80% 2 103.00–105.00 $103.97 $1,752 -8.53
1525–1870 1698 75-80% 3 97.00–99.00 $98.27 $1,669 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1645 1645 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,777 —
1725 1725 1 131.00 $131.00 $2,260 —
1745–2415 1985 3 114.00–121.00 $116.11 $2,305 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
820 820 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 107.50 $107.50 $882

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
780–790 785 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 850.00–875.00 $862.42
825–1345 1025 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 12 835.00–1,210.00 $1,047.25
840–1240 1111 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 6 1,000.00–1,475.00 $1,311.46

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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 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00 —
1195 1195 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,675.00 $1,675.00 —

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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.