Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 19, 2021

1,406 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $149.93/cwt +23.56 vs last sale · ≈ $870/hd at 580 lb · 193 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $150.98/cwt +1.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,013/hd at 671 lb · 159 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $139.27/cwt +15.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,013/hd at 728 lb · 158 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,406 1,016 1,256
Feeder cattle 1,329 973 1,209
Slaughter cattle 69 42 47
Replacement cattle 8 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers sold unevenly steady to 2.00 higher with buyers showing preference for weaned and fancy calf packages. Yearlings limited comparison however demand has remained very good for several weeks. Slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher with light demand. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00 to 5.00 lower with light 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
373–394 fancy 383 49 174.00–183.00 $180.44 $691 —
410 value added 410 1 160.00 $160.00 $656 +3.00
420–445 430 3 145.00–155.00 $150.56 $647 -1.42
455 value added 455 3 163.00 $163.00 $742 -3.34
487–491 fancy 489 83 175.00–180.50 $178.32 $872 —
500–525 value added 508 11 155.00–158.50 $157.38 $799 -0.81
504–547 515 15 145.00–153.00 $150.47 $775 +4.11
555–582 567 5 149.00–153.00 $150.18 $852 +6.53
585 fancy 585 88 169.00 $169.00 $989 —
606–645 value added 619 15 141.00–161.00 $152.94 $947 +5.12
650–695 value added 670 11 140.00–146.00 $142.39 $954 -3.53
700–716 value added 713 31 143.00–150.00 $148.70 $1,060 +0.09
715 715 2 131.00 $131.00 $937 -2.34
755–791 value added 783 13 139.00–140.50 $140.17 $1,098 -13.25
815 815 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,141 -6.93
854–897 880 67 139.00–143.75 $143.06 $1,259 +4.06
887 thin fleshed 887 62 153.00 $153.00 $1,357 —
960–980 970 2 125.00–129.00 $126.98 $1,232 -7.02
1020 1020 2 129.00 $129.00 $1,316 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570 570 1 138.00 $138.00 $787 +3.00
630 630 1 124.00 $124.00 $781 -11.00
677 677 6 130.00 $130.00 $880 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
657–665 660 3 125.00–132.00 $129.65 $856 —
710 710 1 125.00 $125.00 $888 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
332 332 5 135.00 $135.00 $448 —
360–375 362 11 129.00–133.00 $132.26 $479 +6.88
424 fancy 424 44 158.00 $158.00 $670 —
427–447 437 4 132.00–134.00 $132.98 $581 +7.71
470–495 484 6 125.00–132.00 $127.13 $615 +0.94
484 fancy 484 98 150.60 $150.60 $729 —
500 500 1 125.00 $125.00 $625 -2.14
510–520 value added 518 4 128.00–129.00 $128.75 $667 -0.46
572 fancy 572 78 152.25 $152.25 $871 —
560–595 581 17 115.00–128.00 $125.76 $731 -0.61
550–595 value added 587 98 127.00–154.00 $152.28 $894 —
605–625 608 9 121.00–126.00 $124.88 $759 +5.04
652 652 2 120.00 $120.00 $782 +4.00
664–677 value added 671 154 151.75–151.90 $151.84 $1,019 +2.12
680–695 690 3 127.00–128.00 $127.67 $881 +11.67
700 700 2 117.00 $117.00 $819 —
712–745 value added 728 155 137.50–141.95 $139.80 $1,018 +15.80
735 735 1 102.00 $102.00 $750 —
775 775 1 124.00 $124.00 $961 —
791 value added 791 73 140.00 $140.00 $1,107 +9.30
835 835 2 120.00–123.00 $121.50 $1,015 +16.50
942 942 5 116.00 $116.00 $1,093 —
995 995 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,085 —
1080 1080 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,188 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 118.00 $118.00 $378 —
395 395 1 111.00 $111.00 $438 -2.62
405 405 1 116.00 $116.00 $470 +1.00
610 610 1 116.00 $116.00 $708 +16.00
660 660 1 115.00 $115.00 $759 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 110.00 $110.00 $462 —
600 600 1 104.00 $104.00 $624 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 169.00 $169.00 $439 —
345 345 1 163.00 $163.00 $562 +17.00
405 405 2 146.00 $146.00 $591 ±0.00
455–495 470 4 141.00–155.00 $150.30 $706 +0.72
515 515 1 145.00 $145.00 $747 +3.78
553–561 557 6 142.00–147.00 $144.52 $805 +5.87
662 662 2 119.00 $119.00 $788 —
740 740 1 108.00 $108.00 $799 -8.00
765–780 773 2 112.00–115.00 $113.51 $877 -2.68
805 805 1 103.00 $103.00 $829 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 2 123.00 $123.00 $756 —
735 735 1 101.00 $101.00 $742 —
985 985 2 93.00 $93.00 $916 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 158.00 $158.00 $569 +24.00
620 620 1 104.00 $104.00 $645 -8.39
750 750 1 102.00 $102.00 $765 -3.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 107.00 $107.00 $508 —
565 565 1 102.00 $102.00 $576 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1740 1323 80-85% 11 53.00–56.00 $54.39 $720 —
1115–1545 1345 80-85% 4 57.00–61.00 $58.73 $790 —
1350–1720 1511 80-85% 5 48.00–52.00 $49.80 $752 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1560 1406 75-80% 7 51.00–56.00 $54.01 $759 —
1330–1760 1623 75-80% 6 57.00–64.00 $59.96 $973 —
1790 1790 75-80% 1 49.00 $49.00 $877 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1195 1070 85-90% 3 40.00–50.00 $46.19 $494 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1925 1594 4 83.00–88.00 $84.99 $1,355 —
1210–2430 1696 4 65.00–74.00 $69.13 $1,172 —
1600–1950 1775 2 90.00–95.00 $92.75 $1,646 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
965 965 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 80.00 $80.00 $772

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1385–1735 1596 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 900.00–1,050.00 $959.55
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1005 1005 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 500.00 $500.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1060 1060 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 900.00 $900.00 —

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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.