The Morning Wire / Thu Aug 13, 2026

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

The Feeder BoardNational weight ladder, every weight classfreeState & Region LaddersEvery state, every weightfreeFind Your BarnEvery USDA-reported market, every salefreeSale ReportsClean report pages replacing USDA PDFsfreeState Auction SummariesUSDA's statewide view, 30 statesfreeWhat Are My Calves Worth?Weight + sex + state → today's moneyfreeThe Forward CurveFall prices trading today, by regionproVideo & Internet SalesSuperior, Western Video and morefreeBoard SalesForward feeder trade, by delivery monthfree

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

Fed Cash Today5-Area live & dressed, regional splitfreePacker MarginThe daily per-head numberfreeCarcass Weight WatchWeekly weights vs 5-year bandfreeCattle on FeedMonthly placements & marketings, revisions trackedfreeNegotiated Share TrackerCash vs formula, tracked over yearsfreeWhat Quality PaysWhat packers add and subtract on a carcass gridfree

Beef & Retail — from the box to the grocery shelf

Boxed Beef DailyChoice, Select, the spreadfreePrimal ValuesRib to flank, what's pulling the cutoutfreeWhat the Label Is WorthGrass-fed and organic vs conventional, by cutfreeThe 84-Cut LadderEvery cut USDA tracks, dailyproWho Gets WhatEvery segment’s share of the beef dollarfreeImported Lean MarketThe 90s trade that moves cull cowsSoon

Feed & Hay — the cost side, cash not futures

Cash Grain Bids30 states of elevator bids, dailyfreeHay Prices19 states + 18 auctions, by qualityfreeBasis MapWhat local corn is worth against the boardfreeFeedstuffs DeskDDGS, soybean meal, mill feedsfree

Cows & Bred Stock — the rebuild market

Cull Cow & Bull PricesDaily national, by class and regionfreeCow CutoutWhat the grinding beef is worth, dailyfreeBred Cows & PairsBy stage, age, and statefree

More

Latest ReportsEvery USDA release as it publishesfreeReport ArchiveWhat USDA published on any datefreeThe Morning WireDaily brief from every fresh reportfreeRecords BookAll-time highs, and where today sitsfreeCattle on FeedMonthly, with revisions trackedfreeThe BordersMexico & Canada flows and pricesproDrought & Forced SellingHow much of the herd is dry, and what it costsfreeAlertsYour barn, your class, your thresholdSoon

The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Thu, Aug 13
● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed
← Aug 12Aug 13Aug 14 →

The market in a line

Thu, Aug 13
Choice cutout closed $3.62 higher at $375.90. 31 barns across 15 states reported 1,714 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Aug 10 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 lb536.53/cwt$15.56 higher2,410129
400-499 lb454.09/cwt$1.70 lower4,267152
500-599 lb401.83/cwt$12.41 lower6,255153
600-699 lb373.89/cwt$13.62 lower7,091152
700-799 lb354.03/cwt$9.39 lower6,343136
800-899 lb338.97/cwt$11.78 lower7,82985

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, Aug 13, weighted by head. Spread of $80.72 between the top and bottom of 16 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
Paris Livestock AuctionKY443.75/cwt88
Stanford Livestock AuctionKY428.09/cwt21
Appalachian Regional Stockyard - WythevilleVA413.18/cwt153
Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission - KansasKS409.63/cwt34
Benton County Sale BarnAR409.13/cwt35
Wheeler Livestock AuctionMO408.73/cwt25
Glasgow Livestock AuctionKY400.27/cwt22
Woodward Livestock IncOK398.50/cwt44
Apache Livestock AuctionOK396.77/cwt73
Rockingham Livestock Sales, Inc.VA392.83/cwt40
Norwood Livestock AuctionNC390.26/cwt134
I-40 Livestock AuctionAR385.40/cwt27
Tulia Livestock AuctionTX384.52/cwt50
AthensGA372.68/cwt85
Hope Livestock Auction Inc.AR363.33/cwt32
Producers Livestock Auction Co - San AngeloTX363.03/cwt58

Boxed beef

PM close · Aug 13 USDA
Choice $375.90, $3.62 higher. Select $349.24, $0.57 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $26.66. 113 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
22,500 head traded Aug 7–Aug 13.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered363.812,307
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered238.53466
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB230.432,406
KansasDressed Delivered360.00156
KansasLive FOB235.5070
NebraskaDressed Delivered365.309,923

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 Thursday, stocker and feeder cattle steady. Feeder cattle futures saw $1.40 to $3.52 losses across most contracts. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back up $3.44 on August 12 to $351.93. Slaughter cows weak to 6.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady. Trade active with good demand.

Toppenish Livestock Commission · Washington

Compared to last Thursday feeder steers under 500 lbs sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Feeder steers over 500 lbs 4.00 to 6.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 6.00 lower. There was good demand for feeder classes and moderate demand for yearlings. Slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 3.00 lower.

Paris Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week, feeder steers sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher, while feeder heifers and bulls sold 4.00 to 6.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold uneven; leans sold 4.00 to 5.00 higher, boners sold steady to 1.00 lower, and breakers sold 6.00 to 7.00 lower. Slaughter bulls overall sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher.

Producers Livestock Auction Co - San Angelo · Texas

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers were 3.50-4.00 lower, Dairy steers were 10.00 lower, slaughter cows were too lightly tested last week to make an accurate market trend. Trade active. Demand moderate to good.

Kalona Livestock Auction · Iowa

Compared to last week, feeder steers and heifers had a light test to the market with very few comparables to determine a trend. Slaughter cattle sold mostly steady. Supply was light with moderate demand. The heat wave continues for the area.

Wheeler Livestock Auction · Missouri

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers under 600 lbs sold 6.00-15.00, mostly 10.00 lower, over 600 lbs sold 2.00-8.00 higher. Demand good for long weaned, vaccinated and worked cattle. Fleshy and cattle with too much hair are steeply discounted. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 4.00 lower.

I-40 Livestock Auction · Arkansas

Extreme hot temperatures today, compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 lower. Feeder cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 lower. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were moderate. Cattle quality was plain to average.

Smithfield Livestock Auction · North Carolina

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 600 lbs 12.00-15.00 higher, 600-800 lbs steady, over 800 lbs sharply lower, Feeder and yearling heifers steady to 5.00 lower, Good demand for feeder classes and moderate demand for yearlings.

Stanford Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)311.94/cwt$2.33 higher398
Boner (85% lean)328.44/cwt$1.79 higher1,529
Cutter (90% lean)328.49/cwt$0.60 higher2,796
Premium White327.76/cwt$6.64 higher2,274
Bull (92% lean)367.98/cwt$0.92 lower379

What published

See every report →
70 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.