Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 23, 2024

1,128 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 $226.50/cwt -1.24 vs last sale · ≈ $2,199/hd at 971 lb · 282 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $229.60/cwt +0.92 vs last sale · ≈ $2,111/hd at 919 lb · 165 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $233.91/cwt ≈ $1,626/hd at 695 lb · 80 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,128 776 450
Feeder cattle 1,092 734 422
Slaughter cattle 35 41 27
Replacement cattle 1 1 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: No trend due to low comparable receipts. Weaned precondition feeders still bringing a premium while fleshy bawling and off colored feeders facing discounts. Yearling steers sold steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady with the exception of a few extremely high dressing individuals.

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
445 445 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,179 -50.00
482–485 483 8 265.00–275.00 $267.51 $1,292 -21.55
571 571 3 262.00 $262.00 $1,496 -11.31
600 600 5 268.00 $268.00 $1,608 +13.00
675 675 8 254.00 $254.00 $1,714 -14.00
707 707 6 250.00 $250.00 $1,768 +17.20
864 value added 864 60 240.00 $240.00 $2,074 —
904–927 value added 919 162 229.90–230.00 $229.93 $2,113 +0.98
941 941 3 212.00 $212.00 $1,995 -2.00
960–994 value added 971 282 223.30–230.95 $226.50 $2,199 -1.24
1043 value added 1043 52 216.10 $216.10 $2,254 -11.30
1067–1071 value added 1069 250 214.80–217.90 $216.64 $2,316 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,030 —
455–491 484 5 260.00 $260.00 $1,258 -16.00
548 548 3 260.00 $260.00 $1,425 —
645 645 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,548 +10.00
718 718 3 227.50 $227.50 $1,633 +17.50
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–495 488 4 232.50–247.50 $243.69 $1,189 —
510 510 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,160 —
850 850 1 189.00 $189.00 $1,606 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,246 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,265 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 3 315.00 $315.00 $756 —
518 value added 518 6 260.00 $260.00 $1,347 —
500–545 519 6 235.00–242.50 $237.85 $1,234 -18.80
585 585 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,404 -17.50
600–629 615 10 222.50–226.00 $224.29 $1,379 -5.71
650–660 652 5 222.00–225.75 $224.99 $1,467 —
698 value added 698 75 234.50 $234.50 $1,637 —
766 value added 766 63 225.75 $225.75 $1,729 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 3 237.50 $237.50 $1,128 -4.56
590–595 594 4 222.50–225.00 $224.38 $1,333 -7.64
612 612 2 212.50 $212.50 $1,300 -0.67
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 2 222.50 $222.50 $761 —
480 480 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,056 —
510 510 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,033 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,128 +37.50

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Feeder Bulls

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505 505 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,212 —
591 591 3 227.50 $227.50 $1,345 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 2 255.00 $255.00 $872 —
410–415 413 2 247.50–257.50 $252.47 $1,043 -17.53
705 705 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,340 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
247 247 2 325.00 $325.00 $803 —
770 770 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,424 -10.00
900 900 1 182.50 $182.50 $1,642 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 267.50 $267.50 $843 -7.50
490 490 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,090 —
565 565 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,201 -7.50
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 227.50 $227.50 $785 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1215 1165 80-85% 2 132.00–133.50 $132.72 $1,546 -7.47
1075–1415 1221 80-85% 7 135.50–145.50 $140.69 $1,718 -10.91
1235–1300 1268 80-85% 2 147.00–154.00 $150.41 $1,907 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1060 968 85-90% 2 98.00–104.00 $101.29 $980 —
925–1040 990 85-90% 4 112.00–119.00 $115.49 $1,143 —
910–1075 993 85-90% 2 123.00–126.50 $124.90 $1,240 —
1015–1040 1028 85-90% 2 131.00–132.50 $131.74 $1,354 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1540 1408 2 159.00 $159.00 $2,239 -7.41
1530 1530 1 148.00 $148.00 $2,264 -25.97
1880–2200 2040 4 173.00–197.00 $187.05 $3,816 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1330 1330 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00

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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.