Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 2, 2024

1,196 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 $236.80/cwt -12.15 vs last sale · ≈ $2,299/hd at 971 lb · 268 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $233.55/cwt -11.79 vs last sale · ≈ $2,162/hd at 926 lb · 238 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $242.04/cwt -2.96 vs last sale · ≈ $2,109/hd at 872 lb · 188 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,196 1,423 934
Feeder cattle 1,154 1,392 917
Slaughter cattle 32 30 17
Replacement cattle 10 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week feeder and yearling steers sold 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold mostly steady. There was moderate to good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows and bulls sold mostly steady. 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
305–315 310 2 307.50–310.00 $308.73 $957 -21.27
415–425 420 2 297.50–305.00 $301.21 $1,265 +8.71
470–496 487 11 300.00–312.50 $303.75 $1,479 —
500–536 527 6 282.50–297.50 $285.36 $1,504 —
575–590 583 2 275.00–280.00 $277.47 $1,618 -3.53
605–620 value added 610 3 270.00–274.00 $272.64 $1,663 —
615–647 628 6 240.00–256.00 $248.35 $1,560 -26.14
652–675 654 10 240.00–242.50 $240.26 $1,571 —
670 value added 670 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,776 —
702–735 707 7 240.00–250.00 $241.49 $1,707 -19.51
754–790 766 24 230.00–245.00 $234.93 $1,800 -25.62
800–845 831 17 221.00–238.50 $236.32 $1,964 —
850–885 853 14 220.00–237.25 $235.97 $2,013 —
859–890 value added 873 174 238.90–245.30 $242.53 $2,117 -2.47
900–921 903 14 215.00–229.50 $227.56 $2,055 —
905–949 value added 927 224 229.75–237.90 $233.92 $2,168 -11.42
959–996 value added 971 268 230.50–239.00 $236.80 $2,299 -12.15
1012 value added 1012 113 230.00 $230.00 $2,328 -3.07
1135 1135 1 190.00 $190.00 $2,156 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,182 —
515 515 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,339 +30.00
570–584 582 7 255.00–260.00 $255.70 $1,488 -1.80
690 690 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,587 —
708–721 715 7 230.00 $230.00 $1,644 —
763–795 769 5 220.00–224.00 $223.17 $1,716 +13.17
1040 1040 2 160.00 $160.00 $1,664 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415 1415 1 158.00 $158.00 $2,236 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 300.00 $300.00 $930 —
372 372 2 265.00 $265.00 $986 -6.88
425 fancy 425 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,211 —
415–440 433 4 267.50–275.00 $269.99 $1,169 +2.44
451–490 463 14 260.00–277.50 $267.72 $1,240 -7.28
480 fancy 480 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,344 —
515–542 533 6 270.00–285.00 $277.63 $1,480 +12.58
535 value added 535 3 287.00 $287.00 $1,535 —
560 value added 560 1 282.50 $282.50 $1,582 —
567–585 574 18 250.00–265.00 $258.91 $1,486 -2.59
620–640 628 3 237.50–248.00 $244.38 $1,535 +7.86
657 value added 657 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,577 -14.44
665–693 683 15 225.00–232.50 $230.23 $1,572 -6.26
706 value added 706 41 239.50 $239.50 $1,691 —
725 725 3 220.00 $220.00 $1,595 -6.98
750–797 775 23 207.50–224.00 $219.58 $1,702 —
853 853 8 219.00 $219.00 $1,868 +19.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,000 —
559–595 562 21 233.50–240.00 $234.15 $1,316 —
670 670 2 220.00 $220.00 $1,474 —
805 805 1 176.00 $176.00 $1,417 +16.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,200 -22.50
480–495 488 8 270.00–280.00 $274.39 $1,339 —
525–530 527 3 270.00–282.50 $278.31 $1,467 —
557–580 565 3 250.00–260.00 $256.58 $1,450 —
625–630 627 3 225.00–242.50 $236.64 $1,484 -0.88
675 675 1 232.00 $232.00 $1,566 —
721 721 3 237.50 $237.50 $1,712 +19.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 270.00 $270.00 $648 —
515 515 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,288 +5.00
560–595 578 4 237.50 $237.50 $1,373 -3.51
622 622 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,306 +17.50
695 695 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,390 —
765 765 2 197.50 $197.50 $1,511 +17.50

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1190 1144 80-85% 7 125.00–129.00 $127.22 $1,455 +3.66
1065–1325 1154 80-85% 5 140.00–146.00 $142.81 $1,648 -1.69
1040–1410 1247 80-85% 11 130.00–138.00 $133.84 $1,669 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1455 1455 75-80% 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,877 —
1505–1590 1548 75-80% 2 143.50–148.50 $146.07 $2,261 +19.07
1525–1635 1572 75-80% 3 130.00–138.00 $133.29 $2,095 -0.21
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960 960 85-90% 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,142 —
980 980 85-90% 1 131.50 $131.50 $1,289 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525–1580 1553 2 159.00–167.00 $162.93 $2,530 —
1670 1670 1 143.00 $143.00 $2,388 —
1690–1920 1788 4 169.00–176.00 $173.43 $3,101 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1005–1205 1088 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,425.00–1,650.00 $1,561.91

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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.