Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 27, 2024

701 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $229.29/cwt -3.46 vs last sale · ≈ $2,103/hd at 917 lb · 183 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $220.95/cwt +23.95 vs last sale · ≈ $1,885/hd at 853 lb · 62 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $237.70/cwt +1.70 vs last sale · ≈ $2,077/hd at 874 lb · 59 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 701 964 1,276
Feeder cattle 620 890 1,224
Slaughter cattle 80 74 47
Replacement cattle 1 — 5

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday weaned steers over 600 lbs sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher with good demand; yearling loads 2.00 to 3.00 higher with good demand; under 600 lbs lightly tested. Weaned feeder heifers 500-700 lbs traded 3.00 to 8.00 higher with good demand; under 500 lbs lightly tested; yearling load noticeably higher in a limited comparison. Slaughter cows and slaughter bulls sold 2.00 to 3.00 lower today; however cows carrying more fill than last Tuesday and yesterday.

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
355 355 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,065 +11.88
427 427 2 275.00 $275.00 $1,174 -16.00
485 485 1 277.50 $277.50 $1,346 -10.00
510–540 value added 530 3 272.50–282.50 $275.71 $1,461 -21.88
601–610 value added 603 4 262.50–267.50 $266.24 $1,605 +10.24
651–690 value added 685 22 271.00–273.00 $272.74 $1,868 +3.74
706 value added 706 5 253.00 $253.00 $1,786 -5.94
710–725 718 2 232.50 $232.50 $1,669 +1.70
750–775 772 9 230.00–243.00 $238.46 $1,841 —
865–874 874 59 220.00–238.00 $237.70 $2,077 +1.70
911–929 917 183 219.50–240.00 $229.29 $2,103 -3.46
1012 1012 57 223.25 $223.25 $2,259 —
1055 1055 53 219.25 $219.25 $2,313 +19.25
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600–625 613 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,471 —
670 670 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,558 +10.99
720 720 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,656 +8.28
755–780 768 2 202.50–224.00 $213.07 $1,636 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 231.00 $231.00 $820 +0.50
675 675 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,350 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
317 317 2 240.00 $240.00 $761 -18.89
432 value added 432 2 252.50 $252.50 $1,091 -11.50
406–447 433 12 230.00 $230.00 $996 -18.00
500–505 502 3 237.50–242.00 $240.49 $1,207 +17.49
507 value added 507 2 267.50 $267.50 $1,356 +13.22
560–570 563 3 230.00–242.50 $238.28 $1,342 +2.23
678 678 3 236.00 $236.00 $1,600 +19.77
720–725 721 6 191.00–208.00 $205.15 $1,479 -5.76
802 802 2 184.00 $184.00 $1,476 —
853 853 62 220.95 $220.95 $1,885 —
922 922 2 175.00 $175.00 $1,614 —
990 990 1 167.50 $167.50 $1,658 —
1055 1055 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,688 -32.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,210 +20.00
605 605 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,134 -11.82
680–685 683 2 185.00–199.00 $192.03 $1,312 -13.77
745 745 2 191.00 $191.00 $1,423 —
820 820 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,345 -6.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630 630 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,166 —
715 715 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,323 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105 1105 1 141.00 $141.00 $1,558 —
1115 1115 1 173.00 $173.00 $1,929 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 200.00 $200.00 $670 —
440 440 1 205.00 $205.00 $902 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
311–340 318 4 260.00–290.00 $268.01 $852 —
360 360 1 282.50 $282.50 $1,017 +10.44
402–435 413 3 270.00–272.50 $271.62 $1,122 +9.66
466–485 476 9 255.00–272.50 $262.90 $1,251 -12.10
520–521 value added 520 15 255.00–265.00 $260.33 $1,354 —
502–547 530 18 251.00–267.50 $255.21 $1,353 -8.14
595 value added 595 5 265.00 $265.00 $1,577 —
600 value added 600 2 250.00 $250.00 $1,500 —
665 665 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,390 -16.42
725 725 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,580 +5.73
771–785 774 5 208.00–218.00 $210.03 $1,626 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 257.50 $257.50 $747 +15.00
387 387 2 265.00 $265.00 $1,026 —
500–545 515 3 222.50–245.00 $230.44 $1,187 -2.06
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
670 670 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,407 -1.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 195.00 $195.00 $653 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1510 1192 80-85% 19 122.00–132.00 $127.05 $1,514 -13.49
1135–1285 1223 80-85% 5 133.00–141.00 $135.71 $1,660 —
1320–1480 1405 80-85% 3 143.00–162.00 $154.06 $2,165 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1505 1308 75-80% 4 125.00–133.00 $128.95 $1,687 —
1175–1885 1495 75-80% 7 135.00–142.00 $137.72 $2,059 -11.83
1185–1810 1520 75-80% 11 143.00–153.00 $146.13 $2,221 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1370 1163 85-90% 11 124.00–135.00 $129.17 $1,502 +9.11
1040–1380 1228 85-90% 4 118.00–121.00 $119.98 $1,473 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1495 1315 3 139.00–144.00 $141.16 $1,856 —
1545–1770 1649 4 159.00–163.00 $161.29 $2,660 —
1745–1890 1817 5 169.00–176.00 $173.05 $3,144 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
910 910 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,410

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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.