Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards Lexington Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Special Graded)

Sale of Monday, May 18, 2026

300 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $492.96/cwt +99.81 vs last sale · ≈ $2,573/hd at 522 lb · 51 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $476.35/cwt +87.96 vs last sale · ≈ $2,815/hd at 591 lb · 41 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $544.27/cwt +148.26 vs last sale · ≈ $2,395/hd at 440 lb · 25 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 300 556 337
Feeder cattle 300 337

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
246 246 4 650.00 $650.00 $1,599
308 308 6 600.00 $600.00 $1,848 +227.50
364–375 365 13 582.50–602.50 $584.08 $2,132 +196.58
438–444 440 25 537.50–547.50 $544.27 $2,395 +155.75
518–530 522 51 485.00–517.50 $492.96 $2,573 +103.33
579–594 591 41 471.00–499.00 $476.35 $2,815 +87.96
605 605 5 491.00 $491.00 $2,971
656–664 660 21 400.00–438.00 $412.97 $2,726 +48.90
720–735 733 15 356.00–384.00 $359.67 $2,636 +34.17
767 767 3 385.00 $385.00 $2,953
854 854 10 341.25 $341.25 $2,914
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 487.50 $487.50 $1,755
538 538 3 412.50 $412.50 $2,219
585 585 2 350.00 $350.00 $2,048
655 655 2 390.00 $390.00 $2,554 +122.50
768 768 2 310.00 $310.00 $2,381
843 843 6 340.00 $340.00 $2,866
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 473.00 $473.00 $2,152

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
367 367 3 493.00 $493.00 $1,809 +153.00
426–445 430 21 451.00–453.00 $452.56 $1,946 +58.56
507–535 513 24 382.00–401.00 $400.17 $2,053 +19.94
635 635 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,508
668 668 1 485.00 $485.00 $3,240 +149.66
760 760 1 389.00 $389.00 $2,956
805 805 1 375.00 $375.00 $3,019 +104.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 6 457.50 $457.50 $1,743
570–588 586 9 354.00–355.00 $354.89 $2,080
612–630 619 5 383.00–387.00 $384.63 $2,381
669 669 4 375.00 $375.00 $2,509
750 750 2 329.00 $329.00 $2,468 +109.00
850 850 1 331.00 $331.00 $2,814
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 397.00 $397.00 $1,707
500 500 3 357.00 $357.00 $1,785
560 560 1 345.00 $345.00 $1,932
648 648 3 361.00 $361.00 $2,339

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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.