Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 31, 2021

653 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $153.10/cwt +21.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,030/hd at 673 lb · 156 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $153.60/cwt +25.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,098/hd at 715 lb · 71 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $157.85/cwt ≈ $1,277/hd at 809 lb · 70 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 653 607 1,058
Feeder cattle 629 556 1,014
Slaughter cattle 21 51 40
Replacement cattle 3 — 4

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday middleweight feeder steers not fully established due to light receipts. Middleweight heifers traded firm in a limited comparison. Very good demand for yearling steer and heifer packages. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls lightly tested.

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
430 430 1 154.00 $154.00 $662 —
450–475 value added 467 3 160.00–163.00 $162.04 $757 -6.95
512 512 2 154.00 $154.00 $788 —
520–532 value added 529 8 156.00–158.00 $156.49 $828 +0.26
550 value added 550 5 154.50 $154.50 $850 -11.17
570 570 1 150.00 $150.00 $855 +6.00
610–640 value added 622 12 144.00–156.00 $152.91 $951 -16.81
685 685 7 142.00 $142.00 $973 —
687 value added 687 45 159.50 $159.50 $1,096 -4.50
700 700 2 131.00 $131.00 $917 —
809 thin fleshed 809 70 157.85 $157.85 $1,277 —
910 thin fleshed 910 53 149.80 $149.80 $1,363 —
1015 1015 1 99.00 $99.00 $1,005 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,147 —
875 875 1 137.00 $137.00 $1,199 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 1 130.00 $130.00 $800 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
436 value added 436 3 148.00 $148.00 $645 —
455–485 470 2 139.00–141.00 $140.03 $658 —
471–485 value added 476 6 145.00–146.00 $145.34 $692 —
547 value added 547 2 141.00 $141.00 $771 —
580–591 value added 586 20 141.00–145.50 $143.74 $842 +3.74
595 595 1 134.00 $134.00 $797 -1.00
601–619 value added 616 36 138.00–148.50 $146.79 $904 +3.00
622–625 624 6 131.00–136.00 $134.34 $838 +4.34
660 660 1 135.00 $135.00 $891 +5.00
660–687 value added 673 155 151.25–155.25 $153.22 $1,031 +18.29
715 value added 715 71 153.60 $153.60 $1,098 —
849 fancy 849 62 139.70 $139.70 $1,186 —
913 913 3 97.00 $97.00 $886 -2.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–325 313 2 121.00–135.00 $127.72 $400 +9.72
415 415 2 123.00 $123.00 $510 —
495 495 2 123.00 $123.00 $609 -2.00
620 620 1 119.00 $119.00 $738 —
665 665 1 117.00 $117.00 $778 —
735 735 1 113.00 $113.00 $831 +4.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 1 133.00 $133.00 $698 —
870 870 1 101.00 $101.00 $879 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
590 590 1 108.00 $108.00 $637 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 153.00 $153.00 $635 -5.00
515 515 1 135.00 $135.00 $695 -5.00
502–536 fancy 532 16 150.00–156.00 $155.29 $826 —
620 fancy 620 4 136.00 $136.00 $843 —
830 830 1 104.00 $104.00 $863 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 145.00 $145.00 $304 —
400–442 428 3 136.00–140.00 $137.25 $587 -2.75
550–587 575 3 129.00–136.00 $131.23 $755 —
725 725 1 112.00 $112.00 $812 —
760 760 1 95.00 $95.00 $722 -4.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 120.00 $120.00 $462 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1145 1088 80-85% 2 66.00–68.00 $66.95 $728 —
1205–1860 1372 80-85% 5 73.00–76.00 $74.37 $1,020 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875 875 85-90% 1 59.00 $59.00 $516 +0.94
810–1045 928 85-90% 2 66.00–67.00 $66.56 $618 —
940–1095 1018 85-90% 2 60.00–63.00 $61.39 $625 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1665 1500 75-80% 2 76.00–78.00 $76.89 $1,153 +4.45

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350 1350 1 83.00 $83.00 $1,120 —
1610–2200 1905 2 95.00–101.00 $98.46 $1,876 —
2180 2180 1 92.00 $92.00 $2,006 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
945 945 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 90.00 $90.00 $850

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1405 1405 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00

↑ Back to top

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.