The Morning Wire / Thu Jul 30, 2026

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The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Thu, Jul 30
● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed
← Jul 29Jul 30Jul 31 →

The market in a line

Thu, Jul 30
Choice cutout closed $2.93 lower at $360.50. 24 barns across 12 states reported 1,318 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Jul 27 USDA
Weighted across every reported lot, by weight class. Weekly rather than daily — one day's barns are too thin a base for a national figure.
WeightPricevs prior weekHeadBarns
300-399 lb528.70/cwt$14.38 lower2,016127
400-499 lb442.30/cwt$21.17 lower3,021137
500-599 lb399.29/cwt$19.75 lower3,877142
600-699 lb371.94/cwt$15.92 lower3,856139
700-799 lb350.71/cwt$5.75 lower3,237111
800-899 lb342.06/cwt$1.77 lower3,99672

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA
Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Thu, Jul 30, weighted by head. Spread of $72.89 between the top and bottom of 10 barns. An average moves with the cattle that showed up as much as with the buyers in the seats — a yard with better grade will average higher on the same demand. This is where the money landed, not a verdict on the barn.
BarnStateAverageHead
Mid Missouri StockyardsMO432.87/cwt40
Paris Livestock AuctionKY431.94/cwt79
Cedar Livestock AuctionUT425.31/cwt30
Denison Livestock AuctionIA422.43/cwt23
Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission - KansasKS421.70/cwt35
Woodward Livestock IncOK420.04/cwt72
Benton County Sale BarnAR418.96/cwt27
Apache Livestock AuctionOK408.13/cwt53
Tulia Livestock AuctionTX390.72/cwt67
Stanford Livestock AuctionKY359.98/cwt36

Boxed beef

PM close · Jul 30 USDA
Choice $360.50, $2.93 lower. Select $341.33, $1.08 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $19.17. 130 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
4,154 head traded Jul 24–Jul 30.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered364.33392
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed FOB365.0070
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered230.9623
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB232.271,628
KansasLive FOB229.57590
NebraskaDressed Delivered362.391,299

At the barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA
One barn per state, largest first — more states file than fit here. Your own state is linked below.

Compared to last week, steers over 600 lbs sold steady to 5.00 lower with one load of 800 lb steers selling higher. Heifers sold steady to 5.00 higher with large groups of 800 - 900 lb heifers selling up to 10.00 higher. Steers under 600 lbs and heifers under 550 lbs not enough for market test.

Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission - Kansas · Kansas

Compared to last Thursday the feeder market was stronger with a good quality offering. Feeder steers 600 lbs and under were mostly steady to 6.00 higher, while the yearling steers were sharply higher with a good supply and good demand.

Paris Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week: Feeder steers lightly tested with a higher undertone noted. Feeder heifers not enough cattle for a market test. Steer and heifer calves unevenly steady on a light test. Quality average on a light run due to excessive heat.

Apache Livestock Auction · Oklahoma

Compared to last Thursday, not enough stocker or feeder cattle this week for accurate trends. Feeder cattle futures extended the bounce out of Monday's limit losses, with $2.20 to $5.02 gains at the close. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back down 22 cents on July 29 to $347.69.

Toppenish Livestock Commission · Washington

Compared to last week, feeder cattle overall sold 4.00 to 6.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls overall sold steady to 2.00 lower.

Producers Livestock Auction Co - San Angelo · Texas

Compared to last week's sale, Slaughter High Choice and Prime Steers traded mostly 8.00 lower. Slaughter Choice Steers traded mostly 6.00 lower, while Slaughter Select Steers traded mostly 3.00 lower.

New Holland Sale Stables · Pennsylvania

Comparted to last week: Feeder steers under 450lbs 10.00-15.00 lower, 450-550lbs 5.00-8.00 lower, 550-650lbs 10.00-15.00 higher, not enough over 650lbs for a trend. Feeder heifers under 450lbs 10.00-15.00 lower, 450-600lbs 8.00-10.00 higher, not enough over 600lbs for a trend.

Benton County Sale Barn · Arkansas

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 7.00 lower. Feeder cattle were sharply lower. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were light. Cattle quality was average.

Smithfield Livestock Auction · North Carolina

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)316.62/cwt$2.44 lower475
Boner (85% lean)333.86/cwt$0.56 higher1,656
Cutter (90% lean)330.85/cwt$0.18 lower2,443
Premium White328.53/cwt$1.14 higher1,848
Bull (92% lean)374.72/cwt$1.13 lower366

What published

See every report →
57 USDA reports carried this date — sale barns, state summaries, video and board sales, grain, hay and the national desks.
Source: USDA AMS. Every figure is USDA's as filed, and the direction words — higher, lower, steady— follow the arithmetic rather than an opinion. Quoted comment is the work of USDA market reporters, credited to the sale it came from. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of USDA data, not a copy of USDA's document and not endorsed by USDA.