Name: Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky livestock auction prices — 2026-03-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-03-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Tuesday both the feeder and slaughter markets appeared stronger with a limited, but good quality offering. Feeder steers 400-600 lbs were mostly 4.00 to 8.00 higher, or greater in spots with a limited supply and strong demand for quality feeders. Yearling steers appeared stronger as well but with limited head to head comparisons. Feeder heifers 300-600 lbs were steady to 6.00 higher with a limited supply and good demand. Slaughter cows appeared 5.00 to 6.00 higher with a light test and no trends on slaughter bulls.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $482.50/cwt on 14 head, up $20.96 from the prior sale. That ranks 25 of 31 comparable sales and sits +20.96 against this barn's trailing median of $461.54.

Average price

$482.50

▲ 20.96 vs prior sale

14 head · 550 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,654

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+6.05

vs KY average

+10.38 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	550	482.50	2,654	14thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

31 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $500.70, low $384.59, median $461.54 across 31 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale14 hd

482.50

—

KY average25 barns · 892 hd

476.45

+6.05

National average160 barns · 7,757 hd

472.12

+10.38

This barn, trailing median31 sales

461.54

+20.96

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Average	1,705	200.00	3,410	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,558	187.50	2,921	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,600	179.77	2,876	3thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	919	150.65	1,385	5thin

Every lot, as filed

56 lots · USDA AMS · Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) - Lexington, KY

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	250–300	278	607.50/cwt	607.50–607.50	1,689	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	500–550	516	516.62/cwt	500.00–522.50	2,666	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	300–350	340	630.00/cwt	630.00–630.00	2,142	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	400–450	415	527.50/cwt	527.50–527.50	2,189	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	450–500	475	520.81/cwt	520.00–522.50	2,474	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	670	399.98/cwt	399.00–401.00	2,680	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	300–350	330	575.00/cwt	575.00–575.00	1,898	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	450–500	482	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,506	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	491	502.50/cwt	502.50–502.50	2,467	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	637	433.00/cwt	433.00–433.00	2,758	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	502.50/cwt	502.50–502.50	2,136	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	496	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,158	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	1050–1100	1,080	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	2,619	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	628	378.83/cwt	357.50–400.00	2,379	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	650–700	652	449.75/cwt	449.75–449.75	2,932	71
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	900–950	944	329.75/cwt	329.75–329.75	3,113	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	400–450	413	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,168	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	550–600	550	482.50/cwt	482.50–482.50	2,654	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	350–400	354	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	2,053	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	750–800	790	207.50/cwt	207.50–207.50	1,639	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	732	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	2,617	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	615	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,445	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	588	351.00/cwt	351.00–351.00	2,064	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	510	404.90/cwt	400.00–410.00	2,065	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	426	445.80/cwt	431.00–470.00	1,899	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	483	433.34/cwt	430.00–439.00	2,093	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	315	497.50/cwt	497.50–497.50	1,567	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	235	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,105	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	490	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	490	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,088	172.53/cwt	170.00–175.00	1,877	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	965	154.10/cwt	149.00–159.00	1,487	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,558	187.50/cwt	179.00–193.00	2,921	3
Bulls	—	—	1,705	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	3,410	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,740	185.16/cwt	178.00–189.00	3,222	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,320	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	2,231	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	340	555.00/cwt	555.00–555.00	1,887	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	750–800	767	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,723	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	563	456.69/cwt	447.50–465.00	2,571	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	270	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	1,431	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	665	372.50/cwt	372.50–372.50	2,477	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	353	545.14/cwt	525.00–565.00	1,924	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Value Added	550–600	566	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,349	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	710	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,556	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,125	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	520	404.25/cwt	400.00–412.50	2,102	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	458	491.94/cwt	485.00–500.00	2,253	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	607	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	2,534	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	410	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,599	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	705	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,256	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	220	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	1,133	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	357	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,535	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	525	469.81/cwt	465.00–475.00	2,467	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	200–250	210	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	1,218	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	368	478.19/cwt	465.00–487.50	1,760	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2-3	750–800	765	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,607	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	250–300	270	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	1,485	6

How this sale compares

Kentucky weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Kentucky auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Kentucky feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Blue Grass Stockyards (Tuesday) - Lexington, KY

Tue Mar 17, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Frankfort, KY (LS-LG)

Feeder CattleReceipts 280Last week 851Year ago 1,075

Slaughter CattleReceipts 14Last week 51Year ago 67

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
3	250–300	278	607.50	607.50
1	300–350	340	630.00	630.00
1	400–450	415	527.50	527.50
3	450–500	475	520.00–522.50	520.81
10	500–550	516	500.00–522.50	516.62
2	750–800	767	355.00	355.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	250–300	270	530.00	530.00
1	300–350	340	555.00	555.00
2	350–400	353	525.00–565.00	545.14
1	400–450	425	500.00	500.00
3	450–500	458	485.00–500.00	491.94
2	500–550	525	465.00–475.00	469.81
4	550–600	563	447.50–465.00	456.69
2	600–650	607	417.50	417.50
2	650–700	670	399.00–401.00	399.98
1	700–750	710	360.00	360.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	220	515.00	515.00
2	350–400	357	430.00	430.00
3	500–550	520	400.00–412.50	404.25
1	650–700	665	372.50	372.50
1	700–750	705	320.00	320.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	330	575.00	575.00
6	350–400	354	580.00	580.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
3	400–450	413	525.00	525.00
11	450–500	482	520.00	520.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	425	502.50	502.50
4	450–500	491	502.50	502.50
5	600–650	637	433.00	433.00
2	700–750	732	357.50	357.50
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	450–500	496	435.00	435.00
1	600–650	615	397.50	397.50
1	1050–1100	1,080	242.50	242.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
14	550–600	550	482.50	482.50
71	650–700	652	449.75	449.75
35	900–950	944	329.75	329.75
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	200–250	235	470.00	470.00
2	300–350	315	497.50	497.50
9	350–400	368	465.00–487.50	478.19
9	400–450	426	431.00–470.00	445.80
8	450–500	483	430.00–439.00	433.34
2	500–550	510	400.00–410.00	404.90
14	600–650	628	357.50–400.00	378.83
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
1	750–800	790	207.50	207.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	410	390.00	390.00
3	550–600	588	351.00	351.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Value Added$ per cwt · actual wt
3	550–600	566	415.00	415.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
2	200–250	210	580.00	580.00
6	250–300	270	550.00	550.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 2-3$ per cwt · actual wt
2	750–800	765	210.00	210.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	490	100.00	100.00
2	—	1,088	170.00–175.00	172.53
2	—	965	149.00–159.00	154.10
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,558	179.00–193.00	187.50
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,740	178.00–189.00	185.16
1	—	1,320	169.00	169.00
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,705	200.00	200.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

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Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky