Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report, Lexington, KY

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 23, 2022

1,278 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $181.47/cwt +7.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,588/hd at 875 lb · 176 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $177.87/cwt +3.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,670/hd at 939 lb · 170 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $172.49/cwt +6.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,151/hd at 667 lb · 111 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,278 1,241 607
Feeder cattle 1,116 1,166 556
Slaughter cattle 158 66 51
Replacement cattle 4 9 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher with very good demand; attractive featherweights sharply higher. Yearlings steers sold steady to firm with very good demand. Feeder heifers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher with very good demand. Slaughter cows sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher; high dressing cows 6.00 to 10.00 higher with a very attractive offering of heavy high dressing cows today. Slaughter bulls sold steady in a light test 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
260–270 265 2 190.00–207.00 $198.34 $526 —
295 value added 295 1 212.50 $212.50 $627 —
300–335 312 3 194.00–206.00 $201.70 $629 -3.30
315–340 value added 328 2 220.00–237.50 $228.42 $749 —
390 390 3 212.00 $212.00 $827 +16.78
408–435 value added 418 13 208.00–218.00 $212.15 $887 +6.91
400–437 424 4 200.00–205.00 $202.42 $858 +12.42
495 495 1 192.00 $192.00 $950 —
497–498 value added 497 7 201.00–217.00 $210.13 $1,044 +6.55
500–545 value added 525 13 202.00–218.00 $213.14 $1,119 +9.50
550–590 value added 559 17 196.00–215.00 $212.34 $1,187 +12.29
605–625 615 2 173.00 $173.00 $1,064 —
600–648 value added 638 68 185.00–206.75 $201.41 $1,285 +20.41
653–665 value added 655 24 175.00–200.50 $195.60 $1,281 +18.63
670 670 2 162.00 $162.00 $1,085 —
710–745 value added 730 8 167.00–179.00 $175.08 $1,278 -2.92
759–790 value added 760 68 165.00–188.00 $186.71 $1,419 +9.71
782 782 2 157.00 $157.00 $1,228 —
806 fancy 806 7 180.00 $180.00 $1,451 +2.40
815–835 826 5 171.00–176.00 $174.61 $1,442 +0.95
859 fancy 859 57 181.00 $181.00 $1,555 —
883 thin fleshed 883 118 181.85 $181.85 $1,606 —
890 890 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,460 -10.16
936–944 thin fleshed 939 170 175.80–178.95 $177.87 $1,670 —
991 991 43 163.00 $163.00 $1,615 -2.00
1015 1015 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,421 -10.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–380 360 3 170.00–172.50 $171.62 $618 —
450 450 2 172.00 $172.00 $774 —
586 586 3 171.00 $171.00 $1,002 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–265 value added 263 4 170.00–178.00 $174.50 $459 —
315–326 value added 324 7 173.00–176.00 $173.42 $562 —
355–360 358 3 166.00–169.00 $167.66 $600 —
360–395 value added 386 14 174.00–180.00 $176.53 $681 +4.53
400–440 value added 422 5 170.00–177.00 $173.44 $732 +0.63
435–445 438 3 158.00–162.00 $160.00 $701 -1.00
452–471 value added 460 17 165.00–179.00 $170.41 $784 +1.01
450–495 472 10 154.00–164.00 $159.58 $753 +1.36
500–547 value added 533 47 161.00–178.00 $173.09 $923 +5.89
530–545 539 4 151.00–157.00 $154.49 $833 +3.80
551–590 566 6 152.00–157.00 $153.55 $869 —
571–593 value added 575 35 166.00–179.00 $176.07 $1,012 +5.11
600–635 625 4 151.00–157.00 $153.45 $959 +6.45
623–640 value added 633 29 159.00–173.00 $166.86 $1,056 +2.64
659–667 thin fleshed 665 98 173.50–174.00 $173.90 $1,156 —
665–697 value added 683 13 161.00–162.00 $161.84 $1,105 -4.05
708–740 717 10 131.00–144.00 $142.04 $1,018 +7.04
791 791 3 130.00 $130.00 $1,028 —
810–820 815 2 136.00–145.00 $140.47 $1,145 —
885 885 1 138.00 $138.00 $1,221 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 140.00 $140.00 $539 +7.50
450–485 468 2 141.00–151.00 $145.81 $682 —
500–545 515 3 123.00–140.00 $131.26 $676 —
565–585 575 2 141.00–143.00 $142.02 $817 —
605–615 608 5 115.00–134.00 $128.97 $784 —
670–695 683 4 124.00–129.00 $126.45 $864 —
715 715 1 126.00 $126.00 $901 +7.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
248 248 3 182.50 $182.50 $453 —
290 fancy 290 1 222.00 $222.00 $644 —
305 305 1 197.50 $197.50 $602 —
330 fancy 330 1 218.00 $218.00 $719 —
350–362 fancy 360 5 199.00–209.00 $200.95 $723 —
362–390 value added 371 6 209.00–217.00 $214.20 $795 +13.20
375–390 383 2 191.00–204.00 $197.63 $757 +3.17
400 400 1 199.00 $199.00 $796 +20.00
427–441 value added 431 13 211.00–213.00 $211.63 $912 —
456–466 value added 460 8 207.00–208.00 $207.38 $954 —
450–475 fancy 467 4 188.00–208.00 $193.58 $904 +4.75
455–480 468 2 177.00–180.00 $178.46 $835 +0.98
505–516 512 9 165.00–186.00 $182.66 $935 -0.53
515–526 fancy 523 4 187.00–197.00 $194.54 $1,017 —
566–590 574 8 169.00–174.00 $171.27 $983 +4.96
610–615 value added 612 5 166.00–169.00 $167.80 $1,027 —
655–680 value added 676 7 161.00–174.00 $162.80 $1,101 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280–290 285 2 147.50–155.00 $151.32 $431 —
320–335 328 2 141.00–179.00 $159.56 $523 —
470 470 1 157.00 $157.00 $738 —
535 535 1 147.00 $147.00 $786 —
625 625 1 131.00 $131.00 $819 -8.00
785 785 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,028 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308 308 3 130.00 $130.00 $400 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1720 1434 75-80% 7 89.00–93.00 $91.94 $1,318 -2.80
1215–1855 1500 75-80% 52 94.00–111.00 $100.65 $1,510 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1295 1199 80-85% 7 84.00–95.00 $90.03 $1,079 —
1005–1690 1317 80-85% 44 95.00–115.00 $103.00 $1,357 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1140 1036 85-90% 11 87.00–106.00 $94.51 $979 +30.51
990–1195 1101 85-90% 5 83.00–86.00 $84.58 $931 —
1395 1395 85-90% 1 48.00 $48.00 $670 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1535 1535 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,612 —
1400–2010 1724 7 115.00–121.00 $118.88 $2,049 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
835 835 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 725.00 $725.00

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630 630 1 110.00 $110.00 $693 —
790 790 1 99.00 $99.00 $782 —

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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.