Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Market Report, Richmond, KY

Richmond, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, August 21, 2026

1,181 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $321.84/cwt ≈ $2,768/hd at 860 lb · 325 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $311.55/cwt -1.20 vs last sale · ≈ $2,901/hd at 931 lb · 263 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $343.51/cwt +16.01 vs last sale · ≈ $2,594/hd at 755 lb · 121 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,181 241 1,267
Feeder cattle 1,145 221 1,226
Slaughter cattle 22 18 32
Replacement cattle 14 2 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder calves and yearlings sold sharply lower. With the exception of 925lb to 975lbs steers they sold 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 10.00 to 12.00 lower.

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
475–480 478 3 395.00–400.00 $396.66 $1,896 —
540 540 2 352.50 $352.50 $1,904 -62.50
580 value added 580 6 417.50 $417.50 $2,422 —
585 585 1 365.00 $365.00 $2,135 -66.00
630 630 1 345.00 $345.00 $2,174 -40.00
695 695 2 360.00 $360.00 $2,502 +7.50
725 725 2 350.00 $350.00 $2,538 +17.50
754–755 value added 755 121 330.25–357.00 $343.51 $2,594 —
851–881 value added 860 325 315.50–326.25 $321.84 $2,768 —
902–939 value added 931 263 304.00–312.50 $311.55 $2,901 -1.20
950 950 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,755 -122.50
967 value added 967 104 309.00 $309.00 $2,988 ±0.00
1038 value added 1038 110 301.25 $301.25 $3,127 —
1069 value added 1069 54 294.75 $294.75 $3,151 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
655 655 1 307.50 $307.50 $2,014 —
700–745 723 2 305.00 $305.00 $2,205 -30.00
750–780 760 3 300.00 $300.00 $2,280 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–930 928 2 280.00–282.50 $281.25 $2,610 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 2 327.50 $327.50 $1,523 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–345 338 2 370.00–380.00 $374.89 $1,267 —
412 412 2 330.00 $330.00 $1,360 —
450–485 464 6 322.50–342.50 $332.68 $1,544 -77.72
505–535 526 8 340.00–365.00 $352.38 $1,854 -41.44
555–565 560 2 320.00–335.00 $327.43 $1,834 -37.83
625–635 630 2 295.00–310.00 $302.44 $1,905 +7.44
757 757 2 270.00 $270.00 $2,044 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 1 415.00 $415.00 $1,017 —
450 450 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,350 —
535–547 541 4 300.00–317.50 $308.65 $1,670 -31.35
550–595 562 5 292.50–302.50 $298.58 $1,678 -48.92
735 735 1 275.00 $275.00 $2,021 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485 485 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,479 -55.00
525 525 1 282.50 $282.50 $1,483 -57.50
590 590 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,682 —
635 635 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,810 +5.00
705–730 718 2 240.00–260.00 $250.17 $1,796 -39.83
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 3 270.00 $270.00 $1,404 —
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
562 562 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,461 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
592 592 2 255.00 $255.00 $1,510 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,580 —
405 fancy 405 1 435.00 $435.00 $1,762 —
410–425 415 3 395.00 $395.00 $1,639 -107.50
485–487 486 3 370.00 $370.00 $1,798 -105.00
500–523 515 7 350.00–367.50 $359.96 $1,854 -32.54
565–570 568 3 312.50–330.00 $324.20 $1,841 —
600–635 612 6 325.00–340.00 $333.58 $2,042 +6.08
655–690 673 2 320.00–325.00 $322.43 $2,170 —
700–740 716 4 290.00–317.50 $307.95 $2,205 +25.45
780 780 2 270.00–282.50 $276.25 $2,155 —
815 815 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,997 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 410.00 $410.00 $1,394 —
375 375 2 410.00 $410.00 $1,538 —
505 505 3 337.50 $337.50 $1,704 —
735 735 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,984 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
582 582 2 295.00 $295.00 $1,717 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 2 335.00 $335.00 $1,390 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
975 975 1 220.00 $220.00 $2,145 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
565 565 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,582 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1165 1143 80-85% 2 154.00–156.00 $154.98 $1,771 —
1185–1450 1317 80-85% 8 161.00–169.00 $165.30 $2,177 -21.70
1320 1320 80-85% 1 177.00 $177.00 $2,336 -10.00
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130 1130 85-90% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,469 —
1035–1255 1145 85-90% 2 160.00–162.00 $161.10 $1,845 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350 1350 75-80% 1 165.00 $165.00 $2,228 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1920 1408 13 175.00–178.00 $176.03 $2,479 —
1615 1615 1 210.00 $210.00 $3,392 —
1880–2120 2027 3 197.00–204.00 $199.51 $4,044 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
890–1135 1042 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,490.00–2,850.00 $2,445.07
980–1465 1180 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,825.00–2,775.00 $2,191.28

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
980 980 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,700.00 $2,700.00 —

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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.