The Morning Wire / Fri Aug 7, 2026

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The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Fri, Aug 7
● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed
← Aug 6Aug 7Aug 8 →

The market in a line

Fri, Aug 7
Choice cutout held near $364.36. 13 barns across 11 states reported 636 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Aug 3 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 lb520.97/cwt$7.73 lower2,144132
400-499 lb455.79/cwt$13.49 higher3,874147
500-599 lb414.24/cwt$14.95 higher6,223157
600-699 lb387.51/cwt$15.57 higher6,926156
700-799 lb363.42/cwt$12.71 higher5,686134
800-899 lb350.75/cwt$8.69 higher8,51394

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA
Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Fri, Aug 7, weighted by head. Spread of $93.61 between the top and bottom of 4 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
Dunlap Livestock AuctionIA442.94/cwt183
Sweetwater Livestock AuctionTN433.71/cwt149
Ash Flat Livestock Auction Inc.AR404.45/cwt53
Cattlemen's Livestock Auction - Belen, NMNM349.33/cwt28

Boxed beef

PM close · Aug 7 USDA
Choice $364.36, $0.50 higher. Select $352.37, $2.59 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $11.99. 60 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
48,598 head traded Aug 1–Aug 7.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered375.393,154
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered239.181,090
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB235.326,326
KansasDressed Delivered370.0039
KansasLive FOB234.943,813
NebraskaDressed Delivered370.3914,747

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 a thin test from two weeks ago, steers over 850 lbs sold unevenly steady and heifers over 800 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher. Demand was good from the buyers in the crowd. The bulk of the offerings of yearlings sold in load lots with packages mixed in the run.

Lexington · Nebraska

Slaughter cattle were 2.00 higher this week compared to last week . Feeder cattle were 6.00 to 8.00 higher this week compared to last week . Demand was good ; market activity and buyer interest were active . Offerings moderate with quality average . 7 hogs

Siler City Livestock Auction · North Carolina

Compared to last week, feeder cattle receipts increased, with a mixed offering of weaned and unweaned calves, consisting mostly of plainer-quality offerings. Feeder steers sold unevenly, ranging from $7.00 lower to $12.00 higher.

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Inc. · Arkansas

Compared to last week; slaughter and feeder cows traded 5.00 lower. Slaughter bulls traded mostly steady. A light offering of bred cows today also with most of the offering sold to internet bidding.

Torrington Livestock Commission Company · Wyoming

Friday's auction had a light offering of feeder cattle selling in small packages and singles were lightly tested. Slaughter cows mostly average dressing cows sold steady. Special feeder cattle auction next week.

Eastern Missouri Commission Company · Missouri

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)310.76/cwt$3.42 lower452
Boner (85% lean)328.33/cwt$0.72 lower1,842
Cutter (90% lean)329.75/cwt$0.57 lower2,875
Premium White325.78/cwt$0.05 lower1,617
Bull (92% lean)373.00/cwt$2.25 lower383

What published

See every report →
44 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.