Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, September 22, 2023

1,147 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $223.56/cwt +33.56 vs last sale · ≈ $2,175/hd at 973 lb · 274 head

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $234.01/cwt -4.08 vs last sale · ≈ $2,132/hd at 911 lb · 219 head

light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $234.72/cwt -20.53 vs last sale · ≈ $1,954/hd at 833 lb · 99 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,147	1,047	1,310
Feeder cattle	1,077	971	1,252
Slaughter cattle	66	67	55
Replacement cattle	4	9	3

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers sold unevenly steady on a light test with the weaned preconditioned calves bringing a premium. Fleshy bawling calves facing discounts. Yearling steers sold 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold 4.00 to 6.00 lower with slaughter bulls steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
255	255	1	265.00	$265.00	$676	—
385	385	1	245.00	$245.00	$943	-2.50
405–415	410	2	240.00	$240.00	$984	-15.00
467 value added	467	2	275.00	$275.00	$1,284	—
535	535	3	261.00	$261.00	$1,396	+22.29
594 value added	594	10	274.00	$274.00	$1,628	—
595	595	2	255.00	$255.00	$1,517	+20.00
614–649 value added	624	32	264.00–274.00	$271.07	$1,691	+5.44
651 value added	651	3	256.00	$256.00	$1,667	—
695–697	697	12	232.00–246.00	$233.16	$1,625	—
702–707	705	13	240.00–242.00	$240.61	$1,696	+20.61
725 value added	725	3	248.00	$248.00	$1,798	—
777 value added	777	2	249.00	$249.00	$1,935	-12.00
750–789	787	24	220.00–233.00	$232.48	$1,830	+0.48
805–820	813	2	219.00–225.00	$222.03	$1,805	-20.14
833–837 value added	833	97	234.00–235.00	$234.98	$1,957	-21.00
870	870	2	219.00	$219.00	$1,905	-0.07
907–920	911	3	200.00–215.00	$209.95	$1,913	-13.05
908–914 value added	911	216	230.50–236.00	$234.34	$2,135	-4.27
954–981 value added	973	274	220.00–229.90	$223.56	$2,175	—
1014 value added	1014	53	225.90	$225.90	$2,291	-2.58
1055	1055	1	194.00	$194.00	$2,047	-13.77

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
489	489	5	190.00	$190.00	$929	—
540	540	3	229.00	$229.00	$1,237	—
695	695	1	188.00	$188.00	$1,307	—
860	860	6	173.00	$173.00	$1,488	—
1195	1195	1	150.00	$150.00	$1,792	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
367	367	2	230.00	$230.00	$844	—
530–535	531	4	219.00–222.00	$221.24	$1,175	+11.24
695	695	1	220.00	$220.00	$1,529	—
757	757	4	200.00	$200.00	$1,514	—
1010	1010	1	179.00	$179.00	$1,808	-11.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
500	500	1	160.00	$160.00	$800	—
730	730	1	181.00	$181.00	$1,321	—

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
505	505	1	200.00	$200.00	$1,010	—

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
460	460	1	183.00	$183.00	$842	—

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
260–292	281	3	220.00–222.50	$221.73	$623	—
397	397	4	220.00	$220.00	$873	-22.50
470–491	482	7	220.00–229.00	$222.51	$1,072	-5.15
485 value added	485	2	240.00	$240.00	$1,164	—
510–530	521	17	240.00–244.00	$241.55	$1,258	+3.59
555–587	576	3	220.00–222.00	$220.64	$1,271	-8.40
610–641	624	28	218.00–235.00	$226.18	$1,411	+0.41
657–685	667	5	226.00–232.00	$229.08	$1,528	—
713 value added	713	3	217.00	$217.00	$1,547	—
773–793 value added	779	13	219.00–224.00	$220.57	$1,718	—
805	805	4	210.00	$210.00	$1,690	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
345	345	1	215.00	$215.00	$742	—
385	385	1	203.00	$203.00	$782	-7.00
417–420	419	4	200.00–202.00	$201.00	$842	-16.50
450–480	470	3	204.00–214.00	$210.81	$991	+13.02
505–533	517	14	210.00–221.00	$216.49	$1,119	—
555	555	1	205.00	$205.00	$1,138	—
635–640	638	3	200.00–211.00	$203.68	$1,299	+3.68
680	680	1	200.00	$200.00	$1,360	-6.87
717–725	720	3	183.00–185.00	$184.33	$1,327	-0.67
751–788	772	7	182.00–192.00	$186.17	$1,437	+3.09

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
340	340	1	192.50	$192.50	$654	+7.50
440	440	1	210.00	$210.00	$924	—
450–485	462	3	208.00–210.00	$208.70	$964	+8.70
565–575	569	4	200.00–211.00	$204.25	$1,162	+13.25
685	685	1	181.00	$181.00	$1,240	—
735	735	2	183.00	$183.00	$1,345	+1.09
770	770	3	190.00	$190.00	$1,463	—
870	870	1	193.00	$193.00	$1,679	+33.00

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
435	435	2	178.00	$178.00	$774	—
480–493	491	6	180.00–186.00	$185.02	$908	—
585	585	1	179.00	$179.00	$1,047	—
605–645	625	2	180.00–186.00	$183.10	$1,144	—
700	700	1	177.50	$177.50	$1,242	—
750–755	752	3	150.00–165.00	$155.02	$1,166	—

Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
550–552	551	4	137.50–150.00	$143.74	$792	—
747	747	2	160.00	$160.00	$1,195	—

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
307–348	334	6	255.00	$255.00	$852	+10.00
385	385	1	250.00	$250.00	$962	+5.45
490	490	5	236.00	$236.00	$1,156	-5.87
500–538	523	13	210.00–230.00	$211.94	$1,108	-10.56
567	567	5	211.00	$211.00	$1,196	-11.77
600–647	624	4	206.00	$206.00	$1,285	-10.64
680	680	1	200.00	$200.00	$1,360	-15.24
720	720	1	190.00	$190.00	$1,368	—
772	772	7	194.00	$194.00	$1,498	+16.00
850–890	870	2	184.00–189.00	$186.44	$1,622	—
955	955	1	172.00	$172.00	$1,643	—
1065	1065	1	160.00	$160.00	$1,704	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
430	430	1	180.00	$180.00	$774	—
492	492	2	206.00	$206.00	$1,014	-18.00
505	505	1	202.00	$202.00	$1,020	-1.93
570–590	580	2	190.00–201.00	$195.41	$1,133	+2.08
650–690	662	5	190.00–197.00	$193.20	$1,279	+13.20
875	875	1	165.00	$165.00	$1,444	—
940	940	1	162.50	$162.50	$1,528	—
975	975	1	155.00	$155.00	$1,511	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
455–478	472	4	200.00–215.00	$211.39	$998	-6.61
530–540	535	2	185.00–187.50	$186.24	$996	-17.76
577–591	585	5	198.00–205.00	$202.24	$1,183	-1.19
685	685	1	193.00	$193.00	$1,322	+9.04
735	735	1	170.00	$170.00	$1,250	—
805	805	1	164.00	$164.00	$1,320	—

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
587	587	2	180.00	$180.00	$1,057	—
645	645	1	185.00	$185.00	$1,193	—
710	710	1	160.00	$160.00	$1,136	+15.00

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
695	695	1	180.00	$180.00	$1,251	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
370	370	1	147.50	$147.50	$546	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
845–1085	965	85-90%	2	52.00–55.00	$53.31	$514	—
880–1085	966	85-90%	9	70.00–82.50	$77.01	$744	—
895–1355	1110	85-90%	19	83.50–93.00	$88.67	$984	-15.34
915–1345	1113	85-90%	10	95.00–104.50	$98.93	$1,101	-5.08

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1060–1460	1273	80-85%	13	94.00–105.50	$100.17	$1,275	-7.63

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1470	1470	75-80%	1	109.50	$109.50	$1,610	—
1345–1730	1514	75-80%	4	101.00–105.50	$103.57	$1,568	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1140–1155	1148	3	96.00–107.00	$99.67	$1,144	—
1475–2065	1730	3	122.00–126.00	$124.47	$2,153	—
1745–1910	1828	2	135.50–139.50	$137.41	$2,512	—

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1235	1235	Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	1,200.00	$1,200.00
1470	1470	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,485.00	$1,485.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1170	1170	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	1,500.00	$1,500.00	—
1215	1215	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,400.00	$1,400.00	—

↑ 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.