Cattle Market Pulse

Mid-Kentucky Livestock Market Report

Upton, Kentucky · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 26, 2026

616 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Mid-Kentucky Livestock Market report →

heavy 8-weight M&L 1-2 steers $361.22/cwt +11.22 vs last sale · ≈ $3,110/hd at 861 lb · 100 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $400.35/cwt +2.35 vs last sale · ≈ $2,274/hd at 568 lb · 20 head
light 7-weight M&L 2-3 heifers $320.02/cwt ≈ $2,266/hd at 708 lb · 20 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 616 601 793
Feeder cattle 454 385 613
Slaughter cattle 96 98 101
Replacement cattle 66 118 79

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week; Feeder steers and heifers 500 lbs and under sold steady to 3.00 lower. Feeders over 500 lbs sold steady to firm. Feeder steers 800 lbs sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to firm . Slaughter bulls sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Strong demand for all classes of slaughter cattle. Groups of 20 head or more: 61 hd 858 lbs 362.00 mix 39 hd 865 lbs 360.00 blk

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
381 value added 381 5 541.00 $541.00 $2,061 —
385 385 1 510.00 $510.00 $1,964 -67.50
453 453 6 490.00 $490.00 $2,220 —
495 value added 495 13 512.50 $512.50 $2,537 —
522 522 7 460.00 $460.00 $2,401 -1.00
580 580 1 412.50 $412.50 $2,392 -65.50
614 614 5 425.50 $425.50 $2,613 +21.18
657 657 12 400.00 $400.00 $2,628 +3.63
703 703 10 360.50 $360.50 $2,534 -4.50
781 value added 781 7 350.00 $350.00 $2,734 —
859–865 value added 861 100 360.00–362.00 $361.22 $3,110 +11.22
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406–448 418 7 420.00–480.00 $461.63 $1,930 —
450 450 2 477.50 $477.50 $2,149 —
680 680 1 360.00 $360.00 $2,448 +20.00
825 825 6 340.00 $340.00 $2,805 —
1000 1000 3 286.00 $286.00 $2,860 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
327–340 331 7 410.00–485.00 $462.97 $1,532 —
389 389 4 465.00 $465.00 $1,809 +33.75
415–423 416 13 445.00–452.00 $450.91 $1,876 -1.09
485 485 1 345.00 $345.00 $1,673 -67.00
506–525 516 11 374.00–388.00 $380.24 $1,962 -30.76
565–590 573 19 372.00–377.50 $375.71 $2,153 +20.01
705–722 708 20 317.00–326.00 $320.02 $2,266 —
1018 1018 3 264.00 $264.00 $2,688 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 590.00 $590.00 $1,416 —
288 288 3 575.00 $575.00 $1,656 —
338 338 2 490.00 $490.00 $1,656 -32.50
436 436 6 457.50 $457.50 $1,995 -13.09
467 467 6 452.50 $452.50 $2,113 -10.00
517 517 18 412.50 $412.50 $2,133 +1.50
567–568 568 20 400.00–401.00 $400.35 $2,274 +2.35

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 2 610.00 $610.00 $1,586 -40.00
345 345 2 530.00 $530.00 $1,828 -31.00
365 365 2 540.00 $540.00 $1,971 —
443 443 2 485.00 $485.00 $2,149 -19.00
455–456 456 7 471.00–485.00 $474.99 $2,166 -9.01
529 529 8 440.00 $440.00 $2,328 -10.00
628 628 5 381.00 $381.00 $2,393 —
716 716 3 345.00 $345.00 $2,470 -1.00
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 2 432.50 $432.50 $2,141 —
525–528 527 3 402.50–405.00 $404.17 $2,130 +4.17
611 611 4 352.50 $352.50 $2,154 -40.50
820 820 2 337.50 $337.50 $2,768 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1675 1224 80-85% 27 160.00–189.00 $171.48 $2,099 +17.13
1000–1600 1323 80-85% 4 146.00–155.00 $152.69 $2,020 -36.00
1210–1625 1448 80-85% 22 181.00–191.00 $184.18 $2,667 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–1150 991 85-90% 20 125.00–163.00 $147.14 $1,458 -19.00
1120–1143 1134 85-90% 10 169.00–170.00 $169.40 $1,921 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1600 1600 75-80% 1 186.00 $186.00 $2,976 +11.00
1820 1820 75-80% 1 174.00 $174.00 $3,167 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–2180 1598 6 205.00–227.00 $221.32 $3,537 —
1650–1850 1714 4 232.00–241.00 $235.88 $4,043 -0.74

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
800–1010 906 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 180.00–239.00 $213.56 $1,935

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1001 1001 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00
1100 1100 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,250.00 $2,250.00
1000–1260 1164 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 6 2,675.00–3,200.00 $3,005.10
1000–1400 1240 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 2,895.00–3,175.00 $3,081.56
1250 1250 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,600.00 $3,600.00
1250–1500 1375 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 3,178.00–3,525.00 $3,367.27
1150–1585 1386 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 2,225.00–3,600.00 $2,978.70
1500 1500 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,275.00 $3,275.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
975–1000 983 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 2,100.00–2,750.00 $2,529.66
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1425 1425 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 300.00 $300.00 $4,275

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Bred Heifers

Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
850 850 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 3,050.00 $3,050.00
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
900 900 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,050.00 $2,050.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 3,550.00 $3,550.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 3,200.00 $3,200.00 —

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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.