Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, June 22, 2021

1,439 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $130.43/cwt +5.53 vs last sale · ≈ $1,261/hd at 967 lb · 300 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $140.61/cwt +18.12 vs last sale · ≈ $972/hd at 691 lb · 225 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $137.26/cwt +1.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,019/hd at 742 lb · 145 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,439 1,002 1,027
Feeder cattle 1,386 963 888
Slaughter cattle 53 39 139

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers sold steady to 3.00 higher with good demand. Yearling steer packages noticeably higher in a limited comparison with very good demand; yearling heifer packages steady with very good demand. Slaughter cows sold 3.00 to 4.00 lower with moderate demand. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower with good demand.

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
420–442 value added 435 3 168.00–171.00 $168.97 $735 -0.03
480 480 1 151.00 $151.00 $725 ±0.00
486 value added 486 11 156.00 $156.00 $758 -13.00
547 value added 547 5 164.00 $164.00 $897 -1.31
555 value added 555 2 165.00 $165.00 $916 +9.00
555 555 1 150.00 $150.00 $832 +3.39
600 value added 600 3 159.00 $159.00 $954 +2.49
715 value added 715 4 138.00 $138.00 $987 -0.50
715 715 2 133.00–135.00 $134.00 $958 —
784 value added 784 129 143.70 $143.70 $1,127 —
840–845 844 7 128.00–132.00 $129.14 $1,090 -0.19
850 850 1 129.00 $129.00 $1,096 +2.86
907 907 7 134.00 $134.00 $1,215 +10.67
954–979 fancy 967 300 128.90–132.00 $130.43 $1,261 +5.53
1006–1030 1013 82 119.00–124.30 $124.08 $1,257 +6.62
1027–1042 fancy 1034 106 125.80–129.00 $127.45 $1,318 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 1 144.00 $144.00 $828 —
602–645 616 3 131.00–134.00 $132.05 $813 +11.05
810 810 1 121.00 $121.00 $980 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 1 122.00 $122.00 $640 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 135.00 $135.00 $378 —
325 325 1 131.00 $131.00 $426 —
367 value added 367 2 146.00 $146.00 $536 -4.00
425 425 1 133.00 $133.00 $565 —
475 475 1 140.00 $140.00 $665 +5.00
470–497 value added 481 13 143.00–148.00 $147.20 $708 +3.68
505–540 value added 538 19 140.00–144.00 $143.74 $773 +6.54
580 value added 580 3 139.00 $139.00 $806 +0.57
603–648 632 14 128.00–131.00 $129.62 $819 +3.46
684–695 value added 691 221 139.00–142.00 $140.99 $974 —
691 691 4 119.50 $119.50 $826 -2.99
737–748 value added 742 136 137.75–139.00 $138.40 $1,027 +2.12
747 747 9 120.00 $120.00 $896 +8.00
750–790 765 3 109.00–117.00 $113.34 $867 -1.96
785 value added 785 65 132.00 $132.00 $1,036 -3.81
801 fancy 801 64 137.00 $137.00 $1,097 —
825 825 1 110.00 $110.00 $908 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 122.00 $122.00 $433 —
420 420 1 127.00 $127.00 $533 +10.00
650–675 667 3 112.00–123.00 $115.58 $771 +1.58

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 fancy 315 6 175.00 $175.00 $551 —
340 340 1 145.00 $145.00 $493 —
470 470 1 149.00 $149.00 $700 —
550–570 557 3 144.00–148.00 $146.63 $817 +0.27
612 value added 612 4 139.00 $139.00 $851 —
657 657 2 129.00 $129.00 $848 +5.00
1011 1011 3 103.00 $103.00 $1,041 +9.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
270 270 1 142.50 $142.50 $385 —
655 655 1 123.00 $123.00 $806 —
815 815 1 90.00 $90.00 $734 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1440 1289 80-85% 8 66.00–70.00 $67.79 $874 -10.14
1175–1490 1335 80-85% 4 62.00–65.00 $63.74 $851 -8.83
1460 1460 80-85% 1 75.00 $75.00 $1,095 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 85-90% 1 63.00 $63.00 $680 -2.68
1000–1210 1127 85-90% 3 66.00–67.00 $66.36 $748 +8.34
960–1415 1164 85-90% 5 69.00–74.00 $71.56 $833 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250 1250 75-80% 1 65.00 $65.00 $812 —
1280–1460 1378 75-80% 3 73.00–76.00 $74.37 $1,025 —
1440–1500 1459 75-80% 5 66.00–68.00 $66.80 $975 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1700–1915 1830 3 103.00–115.00 $107.81 $1,973 —
2280–2445 2363 2 85.00–86.00 $85.52 $2,021 —

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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.