Cattle Market Pulse

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) Market Report

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 4, 2026

630 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 steers $435.35/cwt +66.58 vs last sale · ≈ $2,878/hd at 661 lb · 159 head
light 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $334.60/cwt +15.50 vs last sale · ≈ $3,152/hd at 942 lb · 110 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $348.95/cwt ≈ $2,718/hd at 779 lb · 64 head
Lexington, KY 6-weight steers brought $434/cwt, the top of the state and $22/cwt above the KY average ($412). Receipts were 630 head. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 630 520 1,204
Feeder cattle 583 481 1,142
Slaughter cattle 33 38 50
Replacement cattle 14 1 12

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday the feeder market was stronger in spots with a good quality offering. Feeder steers and heifers 400-600 lbs were mostly steady with a lite test, while the yearling steers and heifers were 3.00 to 8.00 higher or greater in spots with a good supply and good demand. Slaughter cows and bulls were 1.00 to 3.00 lower with a moderate supply and 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
420 420 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,100 —
460 460 1 467.50 $467.50 $2,150 +13.68
500–510 503 3 412.50–420.00 $417.47 $2,100 -11.69
540 value added 540 2 452.50 $452.50 $2,444 —
551–590 572 11 407.00–427.50 $420.69 $2,406 +2.03
600 value added 600 1 433.00 $433.00 $2,598 —
630–640 633 7 403.00–422.50 $412.54 $2,611 +27.33
658–664 value added 661 154 428.50–445.00 $436.79 $2,887 —
650–682 664 5 380.00–397.50 $390.96 $2,596 +17.76
715 715 2 371.00 $371.00 $2,653 +3.51
780–799 797 23 342.50–356.00 $354.48 $2,825 —
810–818 815 5 311.00–335.00 $319.55 $2,604 —
941–943 value added 942 110 329.25–339.75 $334.60 $3,152 —
965 965 1 317.50 $317.50 $3,064 +30.00
1060 value added 1060 42 309.00 $309.00 $3,275 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 445.00 $445.00 $2,069 —
540 540 1 399.00 $399.00 $2,155 -8.00
565 565 2 370.00 $370.00 $2,090 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,790 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 465.00 $465.00 $1,325 —
370 370 1 425.00 $425.00 $1,572 +55.00
420–435 428 2 402.50–410.00 $406.18 $1,738 —
460–485 473 2 412.50–417.50 $415.07 $1,963 —
530–548 545 7 346.00–373.00 $365.53 $1,992 -5.49
570 570 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,881 -20.95
555–595 577 5 350.00–367.50 $358.76 $2,070 +7.81
600–625 610 5 352.50–360.00 $355.51 $2,169 -0.79
655–670 662 12 327.50–341.00 $336.67 $2,229 —
712–743 728 9 325.00–330.00 $327.82 $2,387 +19.96
746 value added 746 27 343.50 $343.50 $2,563 —
779 value added 779 64 348.95 $348.95 $2,718 —
830–835 832 3 280.00–287.00 $284.66 $2,368 -19.86
850 850 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,422 +47.50
945 945 1 271.00 $271.00 $2,561 —
1080 1080 1 240.00 $240.00 $2,592 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 417.50 $417.50 $1,420 —
382 382 2 382.50 $382.50 $1,461 +47.50
500 500 1 352.50 $352.50 $1,762 —
550–576 570 4 310.00–325.00 $313.62 $1,788 -16.38
620 620 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,922 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
170 170 1 510.00 $510.00 $867 —
190 fancy 190 1 580.00 $580.00 $1,102 —
245 fancy 245 1 575.00 $575.00 $1,409 —
260 fancy 260 1 565.00 $565.00 $1,469 —
315 315 1 535.00 $535.00 $1,685 —
350 350 1 475.00 $475.00 $1,662 —
460 460 1 465.00 $465.00 $2,139 —
505–547 533 3 400.00–409.00 $406.16 $2,165 —
550–565 560 3 407.50–412.50 $409.14 $2,291 —
625–643 640 7 377.50 $377.50 $2,416 —
665–692 683 3 350.00–362.50 $354.06 $2,418 —
850 850 1 270.00 $270.00 $2,295 +32.52
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
645 645 1 315.00 $315.00 $2,032 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890 890 85-90% 1 166.00 $166.00 $1,477 —
775–1090 913 85-90% 4 127.00–144.00 $136.28 $1,244 —
945–1300 1093 85-90% 5 147.00–162.00 $152.78 $1,670 -25.81
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1470 1174 80-85% 6 169.00–186.00 $179.65 $2,109 —
1265 1265 80-85% 1 191.00 $191.00 $2,416 +9.55
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410 1410 75-80% 1 199.00 $199.00 $2,806 —
1315–1620 1416 75-80% 5 172.00–184.00 $177.92 $2,519 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025 1025 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,958 —
1320–2155 1753 5 207.00–220.00 $215.59 $3,779 —
1950 1950 1 227.00 $227.00 $4,426 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1170–1540 1315 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 166.00–193.00 $179.13 $2,356

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1290–1470 1380 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 3,150.00–3,700.00 $3,407.07

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1355 1355 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 3,350.00 $3,350.00 —
1340–1655 1501 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 4 3,350.00–3,700.00 $3,522.23 —
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 2,175.00 $2,175.00 —

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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.