Cattle Market Pulse

Mid-Kentucky Livestock Market Report

Upton, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Tuesdays

Sale of Tuesday, July 21, 2026

453 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (272)

light 3-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $534.96/cwt ≈ $1,701/hd at 318 lb · 28 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $347.78/cwt -13.22 vs last sale · ≈ $2,681/hd at 771 lb · 26 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $390.83/cwt -15.59 vs last sale · ≈ $2,036/hd at 521 lb · 22 head
Upton, KY 4-weight heifers brought $416/cwt, near the bottom of the state and $17/cwt below the KY average ($433). The class is down $37/cwt from its early July peak of $450. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 453 613 409
Feeder cattle 391 500 344
Slaughter cattle 44 83 13
Replacement cattle 18 30 52

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and feeder heifers 500 lbs and under sold 8.00 to 12.00 lower. Feeder steers and heifers over 600 lbs sold 5.00 to 10.00 lower. High temperatures pressured cattle demand and movement. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

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
442 442 9 470.00 $470.00 $2,077 -16.00
488 488 6 460.00 $460.00 $2,245 -15.00
534 534 6 421.00 $421.00 $2,248 -15.60
562 value added 562 9 434.00 $434.00 $2,439 -6.00
566 566 11 410.00 $410.00 $2,321 -15.09
653 value added 653 11 401.00 $401.00 $2,619 —
756–783 771 26 333.00–355.00 $347.78 $2,681 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 5 347.00 $347.00 $1,679 —
628 628 3 384.00 $384.00 $2,412 —
685 685 5 364.00 $364.00 $2,493 —
710 710 3 338.00 $338.00 $2,400 —
818 818 4 308.00 $308.00 $2,519 —
890 890 2 290.00 $290.00 $2,581 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1315 1315 3 225.00 $225.00 $2,959 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 7 445.00 $445.00 $1,517 —
385 385 1 405.00 $405.00 $1,559 -65.00
415 value added 415 6 430.00 $430.00 $1,784 —
415 415 2 415.00 $415.00 $1,722 -30.00
486–491 489 21 403.00–417.50 $412.70 $2,018 -17.30
510–526 519 17 384.50–385.50 $384.90 $1,998 -21.52
527 value added 527 5 411.00 $411.00 $2,166 —
564 564 5 372.50 $372.50 $2,101 -24.52
606 value added 606 12 344.00 $344.00 $2,085 -33.00
658 658 5 326.50 $326.50 $2,148 —
712 value added 712 8 306.00 $306.00 $2,179 —
718 718 4 290.00 $290.00 $2,082 -43.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 8 479.00 $479.00 $1,389 —
331 331 4 352.00 $352.00 $1,165 —
378 378 2 345.00 $345.00 $1,304 —
432 432 2 365.00 $365.00 $1,577 -41.00
463–480 469 3 330.00–385.00 $348.78 $1,636 -53.22
550–573 562 4 346.00–366.00 $356.20 $2,002 —
651 651 4 318.00 $318.00 $2,070 —
795 795 1 289.00 $289.00 $2,298 —
923 923 4 270.00 $270.00 $2,492 -5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
302–346 318 28 512.50–577.50 $534.96 $1,701 —
415 415 13 480.00 $480.00 $1,992 -3.64
490 490 3 411.00 $411.00 $2,014 -44.00
522 522 9 385.00 $385.00 $2,010 -35.00
555 555 5 348.00 $348.00 $1,931 -57.00
600 600 5 330.00 $330.00 $1,980 -35.00
748 748 4 348.00 $348.00 $2,603 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 3 454.00 $454.00 $1,521 —
395 395 2 407.50 $407.50 $1,610 —
405–410 408 3 375.00–500.00 $416.33 $1,699 -13.67
468 468 3 412.50 $412.50 $1,930 —
518 518 5 349.00–370.00 $357.40 $1,851 -17.04

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1340 1288 80-85% 2 188.00 $188.00 $2,421 +5.51
1020–1710 1297 80-85% 30 164.00–192.00 $179.74 $2,331 -2.75
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955 955 85-90% 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,528 —
935–1020 979 85-90% 6 143.00–171.00 $155.38 $1,521 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500 1500 75-80% 1 189.00 $189.00 $2,835 —
1675 1675 75-80% 1 181.00 $181.00 $3,032 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425–1500 1463 2 238.00 $238.00 $3,482 —
1328–2000 1627 7 208.00–229.00 $221.34 $3,601 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
735–800 768 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 230.00–270.00 $249.15 $1,913

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1000–1425 1119 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 2,115.00–2,800.00 $2,382.68
1120 1120 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,675.00 $3,675.00
1085–1300 1193 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,550.00–2,850.00 $2,713.52
1020–1300 1195 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 2,825.00–3,275.00 $2,997.00
1245 1245 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 3,575.00 $3,575.00
1300–1425 1363 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 3,025.00–3,550.00 $3,299.54

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1325 1325 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00

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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
1365 1365 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,900.00 $2,900.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00 —

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Price trend

high 361.22 low 313.00 Jul 2025 Jul 2026

850–899 lb Medium and Large 1-2 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Jul 14, 2026)

Markets near Upton