Blue Grass South Stockyards market report — October 22, 2026

Stanford, KY · Thursday sale · USDA report published 10/22/2026 · Sale days

Head sold

989

Last week 917 (+72)
Last year 1,038

5-wt steers (500–599 lb)

$374.80 /cwt

$2,133 per head · 20 hd
vs last week +17.82

7-wt steers (700–799 lb)

$335.01 /cwt

$2,464 per head · 32 hd
vs last week −0.13

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 600 lbs 8.00-12.00 higher, over 600 lbs steady, Feeder and yearling heifers 5.00-8.00 higher, Good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows and bulls steady, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.
USDA Market News reporter, October 22, 2026

Feeder steers — Oct 22

Steers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 15. Last year = sale of Oct 23. Value added = lots USDA marks as value added (weaned and vaccinated programs). No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	Value added $/cwt	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	1	375 lb	$443.00†	$1,661	−35.31	—	—	$410.00 (1 hd)†
400–499 lb	5	439 lb	$425.61	$1,867	−26.23	+45.61	—	$378.75 (2 hd)†
500–599 lb	20	569 lb	$374.80	$2,133	+17.82	+19.80	$411.92 (60 hd)	$344.57 (7 hd)
600–699 lb	27	672 lb	$341.47	$2,294	−5.00	+7.83	$360.19 (15 hd)	$304.13 (3 hd)†
700–799 lb	32	735 lb	$335.01	$2,464	−0.13	−1.67	$352.50 (4 hd)†	$299.10 (3 hd)†
800–899 lb	16	846 lb	$330.72	$2,798	+0.72	−16.00	—	$297.33 (6 hd)
900–999 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$320.75 (58 hd)	—

Feeder heifers — Oct 22

Heifers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 15. Last year = sale of Oct 23. Value added = lots USDA marks as value added (weaned and vaccinated programs). No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	Value added $/cwt	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	10	357 lb	$422.03	$1,506	+9.69	+33.43	—	$389.86 (13 hd)
400–499 lb	46	462 lb	$369.40	$1,706	+6.14	+7.56	—	$331.88 (12 hd)
500–599 lb	58	567 lb	$337.14	$1,912	+9.98	+0.37	$358.41 (52 hd)	$297.39 (5 hd)
600–699 lb	34	644 lb	$328.32	$2,114	+20.77	+23.80	$343.00 (12 hd)	$284.97 (19 hd)
700–799 lb	17	727 lb	$312.86	$2,274	+14.00	+56.58	$331.00 (10 hd)	$262.03 (8 hd)
800–899 lb	15	883 lb	$293.20	$2,589	+9.53	—	—	—
900–999 lb	2	972 lb	$278.00†	$2,702	+2.48	+18.00	—	$195.00 (1 hd)†

Slaughter cows — Oct 22

Grade	Dressing	Head	Avg wt	Avg $/cwt	Range $/cwt
Boner 80-85%	High	3	1,260 lb	$141.95	$134.00–$150.00
Boner 80-85%	Average	11	1,363 lb	$126.15	$121.00–$130.00
Boner 80-85%	Low	10	1,336 lb	$113.36	$106.00–$119.00
Breaker 75-80%	Average	1	1,640 lb	$120.00	$120.00–$120.00
Breaker 75-80%	Low	2	1,653 lb	$114.98	$114.00–$116.00
Lean 85-90%	Average	3	1,142 lb	$125.32	$125.00–$126.00
Lean 85-90%	Low	6	1,099 lb	$112.24	$107.00–$118.00
Lean 85-90%	Very Low	7	1,054 lb	$95.40	$89.00–$102.00

Price trends

Steers 500–599 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $374.93/cwt
4-week average: $376.97
13-week average: $375.24
4-week vs 13-week: +0.5%

52-wk low $320.00high $472.73

Steers 700–799 lb Easing

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $335.01/cwt
4-week average: $326.65
13-week average: $330.27
4-week vs 13-week: −1.1%

52-wk low $301.12high $370.83

Sales in 12 of the last 13 weeks.

Heifers 500–599 lb Easing

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $337.81/cwt
4-week average: $333.75
13-week average: $339.41
4-week vs 13-week: −1.7%

52-wk low $277.48high $411.84

Direction compares the 4-week average with the 13-week average: Rising +1% or more, Steady within ±1%, Easing −1% to −3%, Falling −3% or more. Weekly prices are head-weighted averages of Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 feeder cattle, regular lots.

The label describes recent prices; it is not a forecast. In our backtest of every barn since 2019 (about 35,000 barn-weeks), barns labeled Falling went on to beat other barns' average move over the next 13 weeks 61% of the time, and barns labeled Rising trailed it 56% of the time.

Last 52 weeks

Weekly average $/cwt4-week average

Price history since 2019

Weekly average $/cwt

When to sell: the seasonal pattern

5-weight steers

For 500–599 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in May and Apr and lowest in Nov and Dec.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−3.2%	14%	7
Feb	−1.1%	29%	7
Mar	+4.8%	86%	7
Apr	+6.3%	100%	7
May	+6.6%	100%	7
Jun	+4.6%	86%	7
Jul	+1.8%	86%	7
Aug	+1.9%	71%	7
Sep	−0.1%	57%	7
Oct	−3.4%	14%	7
Nov	−5.9%	0%	7
Dec	−5.4%	0%	7

7-weight steers

For 700–799 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Jul and Aug and lowest in Nov and Dec.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−2.7%	14%	7
Feb	−1.5%	43%	7
Mar	−1.0%	29%	7
Apr	+1.3%	71%	7
May	+1.7%	71%	7
Jun	+3.0%	86%	7
Jul	+4.6%	100%	7
Aug	+4.4%	86%	7
Sep	+2.6%	57%	7
Oct	0.0%	29%	7
Nov	−3.5%	0%	7
Dec	−3.4%	14%	7

Recent sales

Last 13 weeks. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price. Download the weekly history as CSV.
Sale	Head sold	Steers 500–599 $/cwt	Steers 700–799 $/cwt	Heifers 500–599 $/cwt
Thu Oct 22	989	$374.80	$335.01	$337.14
Mon Oct 19	176	$377.50†	—	$340.24
Thu Oct 15	917	$356.98†	$335.15	$327.17
Mon Oct 12	151	$402.77	$295.00†	$304.45†
Thu Oct 8	954	$372.89	$318.75	$326.83
Mon Oct 5	179	$368.42	$310.00†	$341.72
Thu Oct 1	781	$370.02	$322.02	$338.24
Mon Sep 28	153	$377.50†	$315.00†	$343.19†
Thu Sep 24	1,772	$370.40	$333.91	$336.39
Mon Sep 21	53	$377.50†	—	$325.90
Thu Sep 17	1,263	$366.57	$318.34†	$339.38
Mon Sep 14	114	$375.00†	—	$346.15†
Thu Sep 10	1,070	$367.76	$328.50	$328.22
Thu Sep 3	166	$350.00†	$319.00	$315.52
Mon Aug 31	74	$375.00†	—	$325.00†
Thu Aug 27	793	$360.83†	$330.50	$325.92
Mon Aug 24	77	$370.84	—	$322.50†
Thu Aug 20	507	$357.50†	—	$352.69
Mon Aug 17	74	—	—	$326.97
Thu Aug 13	637	$407.49	$345.83	$365.00†
Mon Aug 10	114	—	—	$355.90
Thu Aug 6	1,320	$401.13	$342.22	$356.87
Mon Aug 3	102	—	—	$348.43
Thu Jul 30	606	$376.10	$338.33†	$374.03
Mon Jul 27	104	$350.00†	—	$323.75†
Thu Jul 23	470	$412.74	$342.50†	$377.88

Special and graded sales

The last 12 months of this barn's special and graded sales, $/cwt, Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 regular lots (value-added lots where a sale has only those). A sale counts in the weekly trend only when it is a regular feeder sale: a plain special where feeder steers and heifers are most of the head. Graded, replacement, cow-and-pair, preconditioned and Holstein sales stay out.
Sale	Type	Head	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799	Heifers 500–599	In trend
May 14, 2026	Graded Feeder Cattle Salegraded	466	$478.55	$356.38	$424.04	No
Dec 4, 2025	Graded Feeder Cattle Salegraded	387	$418.37	$336.74	$357.86	No

Nearby barns this week

Straight-line distance between towns. Barns tagged unweaned show unweaned-calf prices. Every Kentucky sale this week.
Barn	Distance	Sale	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799
Blue Grass Stockyards, Richmond	25 mi	Oct 23	$400.23	$335.83†
Lake Cumberland Livestock, Somerset	31 mi	Oct 24	$363.43	$346.13†
Washington Co. Cattle Sale, Springfield	33 mi	Oct 20	$388.73	$335.77
Blue Grass Stockyards, Lexington	36 mi	Oct 20	$366.78	$345.31
Blue Grass Stockyards, Campbellsville	40 mi	Oct 24	$390.97†	—
Russell Co. Stockyard, Russell Springs	40 mi	Oct 21	$401.43	$342.88

Sale days

Sale	Latest report	Head	Sales in 52 weeks	USDA report
Thursday	October 22, 2026	989	47	AMS_2191
Monday	October 19, 2026	176	46	AMS_2190
Graded Feeder Cattle Sale graded	May 14, 2026	466	2	AMS_2220

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “Blue Grass South Stockyards (Thursday) - Stanford, KY” (AMS_2191); “Blue Grass South Stockyards (Monday) - Stanford, KY” (AMS_2190); “Blue Grass Stockyards - Graded Feeder Cattle Sale - Stanford, KY” (AMS_2220). See something wrong? Report a correction. Feeder prices are Medium and Large frame No. 1 and 1–2 cattle, $/cwt, grouped into 100-lb bands by average weight and weighted by head count. Value-added, unweaned and No. 2 lots are shown in their own columns; other lot types (fancy, fleshy, thin-fleshed, spayed, replacement) are left out. $/head = $/cwt × average weight ÷ 100.