Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, July 17, 2026

489 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $324.71/cwt ≈ $3,042/hd at 937 lb · 250 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $317.21/cwt -16.29 vs last sale · ≈ $3,091/hd at 974 lb · 60 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $348.19/cwt -1.81 vs last sale · ≈ $2,228/hd at 640 lb · 24 head
Richmond, KY 9-weight steers sold at $323/cwt, in line with the state average but $2/cwt below the KY average ($325) and $25/cwt under Paris, KY ($348). KY 9-weight steers are down $27/cwt from their late-June peak of $351. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 489 737 950
Feeder cattle 460 701 894
Slaughter cattle 18 34 48
Replacement cattle 11 2 8

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trend on feeder calves due to a limited comparison. Yearling steers sold 10.00 to 12.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

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
420 420 1 520.00 $520.00 $2,184 +15.00
505 505 1 447.50 $447.50 $2,260 —
740 740 9 370.00 $370.00 $2,738 -8.41
805 805 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,737 —
842 value added 842 9 349.50 $349.50 $2,943 -11.25
908–932 926 25 312.00–316.50 $315.44 $2,921 —
923–944 value added 938 225 325.25–327.25 $325.74 $3,055 —
973 value added 973 55 318.00 $318.00 $3,094 -15.53
990 990 5 308.50 $308.50 $3,054 -16.50
1036 value added 1036 45 306.25 $306.25 $3,173 -13.50
1190 1190 1 277.50 $277.50 $3,302 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800 800 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,520 —
850 850 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,508 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 430.00 $430.00 $1,526 —
515–532 526 3 350.00–355.00 $353.37 $1,859 -44.87
550–590 570 2 345.00–355.00 $349.82 $1,994 -35.78
610–620 615 2 330.00–340.00 $335.04 $2,060 -14.96
620–643 value added 642 22 347.00–349.50 $349.39 $2,243 —
652 652 2 320.00 $320.00 $2,086 -30.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 402.50 $402.50 $1,288 —
360–370 367 3 400.00 $400.00 $1,468 —
431 431 3 400.00 $400.00 $1,724 —
475–487 483 3 367.50–370.00 $369.18 $1,783 —
540 540 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,728 —
635 635 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,968 —
695 695 1 300.00 $300.00 $2,085 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 397.50 $397.50 $1,371 -62.50
425 425 3 390.00 $390.00 $1,658 —
457 457 2 337.50 $337.50 $1,542 —
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
677 677 2 247.50 $247.50 $1,676 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 372.50 $372.50 $1,453 —

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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 1 610.00 $610.00 $1,220 —
450–455 452 3 467.50–485.00 $479.12 $2,166 —
805 805 1 300.00 $300.00 $2,415 —
875–895 885 2 287.50–290.00 $288.74 $2,555 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 450.00 $450.00 $1,328 —
385 385 1 467.50 $467.50 $1,800 -32.50
455 455 1 472.50 $472.50 $2,150 +82.50
525 525 1 367.50 $367.50 $1,929 -2.50
600 600 1 327.50 $327.50 $1,965 —
760 760 1 287.50 $287.50 $2,185 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,681 —
485 485 1 425.00 $425.00 $2,061 —
625 625 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,000 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 440.00 $440.00 $2,178 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295 1295 80-85% 1 179.00 $179.00 $2,318 —
1235–1450 1321 80-85% 6 191.00–204.00 $195.48 $2,582 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925 925 85-90% 1 184.00 $184.00 $1,702 +39.09
975–1170 1055 85-90% 3 165.00–167.00 $165.74 $1,749 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430 1430 75-80% 1 184.00 $184.00 $2,631 —
1575 1575 75-80% 1 190.00 $190.00 $2,992 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335 1335 1 226.00 $226.00 $3,017 —
1535–1820 1678 2 189.00–200.00 $194.03 $3,256 —
1580–2055 1788 4 231.00–239.00 $236.47 $4,228 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
970 970 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00
1065 1065 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
1200–1350 1275 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,575.00–3,125.00 $2,866.18
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
875 875 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,225.00 $2,225.00

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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.