Cattle Market Pulse

Bluegrass Stockyard Market Report

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, July 15, 2026

126 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Bluegrass Stockyard report →

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $426.51/cwt -10.87 vs last sale · ≈ $2,203/hd at 516 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 126 493 340
Feeder cattle 78 447 281
Slaughter cattle 12 38 45
Replacement cattle 36 8 14

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Wednesday: No trends due to limited comparisons, however both the feeder and slaughter markets appeared firm and 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
340 340 1 510.00 $510.00 $1,734 —
390 390 1 545.00 $545.00 $2,126 —
520 520 1 435.00 $435.00 $2,262 -37.88
655 655 1 387.50 $387.50 $2,538 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 2 475.00 $475.00 $1,995 —
550 550 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,200 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–425 420 2 450.00–455.00 $452.53 $1,901 -19.79
435 435 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,479 -132.32
440 fancy 440 2 470.00 $470.00 $2,068 —
450–480 466 7 422.50–450.00 $434.25 $2,024 -14.60
500–518 value added 511 5 440.00–450.00 $448.04 $2,289 +9.44
520–525 522 5 400.00–425.00 $404.98 $2,114 -5.02
555–580 value added 568 2 415.00–420.00 $417.44 $2,371 -22.56
585 585 1 382.00 $382.00 $2,235 -28.73
775 775 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,402 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 455.00 $455.00 $910 —
347 347 2 467.50 $467.50 $1,622 —
535 535 1 392.00 $392.00 $2,097 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 1 307.50 $307.50 $1,830 —
625 625 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,125 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 fancy 380 1 575.00 $575.00 $2,185 -5.00
380 380 1 500.00 $500.00 $1,900 -55.00
435 435 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,175 +11.06
450–480 460 3 477.00–492.00 $486.78 $2,239 +16.78
512–525 516 3 455.00–470.00 $460.08 $2,374 +4.80
555–581 571 5 390.00–400.00 $393.40 $2,246 -65.39
600–637 625 3 367.50–375.00 $372.60 $2,329 —
657–670 661 3 330.00–357.50 $348.21 $2,302 -28.79
785 785 1 320.00 $320.00 $2,512 +25.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–385 378 2 450.00–477.50 $464.02 $1,754 -38.48
450–475 456 4 452.50–455.00 $454.35 $2,072 +14.35
510–535 523 2 370.00–402.50 $385.86 $2,018 —
590 590 1 355.00 $355.00 $2,094 -69.98
640 640 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,888 -55.05
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1020 1020 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 3,475.00 $3,475.00 —
1565 1565 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 3,400.00 $3,400.00 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225 1225 85-90% 1 193.00 $193.00 $2,364 —
955–1620 1253 85-90% 4 154.00–167.00 $160.37 $2,009 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225 1225 80-85% 1 194.00 $194.00 $2,376 +12.94
1400–1780 1590 80-85% 2 177.00–185.00 $180.52 $2,870 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1655 1655 75-80% 1 184.00 $184.00 $3,045 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1440 1313 2 203.00–219.00 $211.78 $2,781 —
1495–1755 1625 2 232.50–237.00 $234.57 $3,812 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1070 1070 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,475.00 $2,475.00
1080–1085 1083 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 2,250.00–2,400.00 $2,325.17
1015–1340 1167 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 2,850.00–3,400.00 $3,138.17
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
785–825 805 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,100.00–2,500.00 $2,304.97

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1310 1310 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 5,350.00 $5,350.00 —
1155–1590 1373 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 4,900.00–5,775.00 $5,406.83 —
1520 1520 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 5,250.00 $5,250.00 —
1670 1670 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 5,810.00 $5,810.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1005–1525 1265 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 2 4,300.00–4,350.00 $4,330.14 —

↑ Back to top

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.