Cattle Market Pulse

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

Lexington, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 25, 2026

839 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $363.64/cwt -10.21 vs last sale · ≈ $2,289/hd at 629 lb · 182 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1-2 steers $295.70/cwt -16.64 vs last sale · ≈ $2,874/hd at 972 lb · 160 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $326.58/cwt +0.32 vs last sale · ≈ $2,818/hd at 863 lb · 128 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 839 928 1,795
Feeder cattle 806 897 1,708
Slaughter cattle 32 22 86
Replacement cattle 1 9 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday both the feeder and slaughter markets were lower with an average quality offering. Feeder steers and heifers 400-600 lbs were sharply lower with a good supply, while the yearling steers and heifers were 3.00 to 8.00 lower with a good supply and moderate demand. Slaughter cows and bulls were 3.00 to 6.00 lower with a moderate supply and moderate 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
410–445 431 6 442.50–450.00 $445.31 $1,919 -1.69
475 thin fleshed 475 2 485.00 $485.00 $2,304 —
480–498 490 9 410.00–427.50 $416.83 $2,042 -38.09
500–517 514 5 396.00–417.50 $400.19 $2,057 -39.81
555–580 570 14 387.50–420.00 $397.52 $2,266 -23.87
575 575 1 377.50 $377.50 $2,171 -43.89
601–620 606 7 350.00–372.50 $365.93 $2,218 -32.45
652 value added 652 22 378.00 $378.00 $2,465 -17.00
670–685 678 2 340.00–360.00 $349.89 $2,372 -21.28
740–742 741 4 340.00–347.50 $343.74 $2,547 —
769 value added 769 48 349.50 $349.50 $2,688 —
795 795 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,544 -22.54
861–865 value added 863 128 325.25–327.75 $326.58 $2,818 -2.92
902 value added 902 53 301.60 $301.60 $2,720 -8.40
910–936 933 15 298.50–309.00 $299.28 $2,792 —
957–992 value added 972 160 282.00–307.25 $295.70 $2,874 -16.64
1075 1075 1 287.50 $287.50 $3,091 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520–535 528 2 382.50–385.00 $383.77 $2,026 -13.73
710 710 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,414 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 417.50 $417.50 $1,607 —
425–447 441 4 372.50–400.00 $383.54 $1,691 —
485 485 2 352.50 $352.50 $1,710 -35.04
518–540 530 9 339.00–350.00 $342.50 $1,815 -19.11
557–597 568 10 331.00–367.50 $342.02 $1,943 —
605–638 623 15 315.00–335.00 $319.37 $1,990 -16.51
618–643 value added 630 167 358.00–377.50 $367.62 $2,316 -15.38
650–675 666 6 312.50–320.00 $315.85 $2,104 +5.85
705–728 718 9 307.50–312.50 $310.32 $2,228 -2.40
767 767 27 314.00 $314.00 $2,408 +21.00
815 815 1 263.00 $263.00 $2,143 —
850–880 865 2 249.00–257.50 $253.18 $2,190 -39.82
1005 1005 1 237.00 $237.00 $2,382 —
1037 1037 2 200.00 $200.00 $2,074 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
372 372 2 395.00 $395.00 $1,469 +50.00
580 580 1 313.00 $313.00 $1,815 —
648 648 3 312.50 $312.50 $2,025 —
670 670 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,910 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–423 422 4 420.00–450.00 $427.46 $1,804 +2.46
468–490 471 9 417.50–438.00 $434.41 $2,046 —
530–535 533 2 360.00–392.50 $376.33 $2,006 -15.08
570 570 5 340.00 $340.00 $1,938 —
562–585 579 8 361.00–372.50 $363.98 $2,107 —
650–685 672 4 317.50–322.50 $318.71 $2,142 -8.79
765 765 1 300.00 $300.00 $2,295 —
825–830 828 2 250.00–262.50 $256.23 $2,122 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,580 -20.03
453 453 4 367.50 $367.50 $1,665 —
572 572 2 297.50 $297.50 $1,702 —
910 910 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,774 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,327 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895–1085 990 85-90% 2 125.00–129.00 $126.81 $1,255 —
920–1205 1045 85-90% 6 133.00–149.00 $138.37 $1,446 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420 1420 75-80% 1 181.00 $181.00 $2,570 —
1385–1480 1435 75-80% 6 150.00–169.00 $158.10 $2,269 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1380 1294 80-85% 5 150.00–162.00 $156.37 $2,023 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1490–2065 1784 5 193.00–209.00 $202.71 $3,616 -3.68

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1035–1400 1216 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 167.00–189.00 $182.23 $2,216

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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.