The Morning Wire / Wed Aug 19, 2026

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The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Wed, Aug 19
● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed
← Aug 18Aug 19Aug 20 →

The market in a line

Wed, Aug 19
Choice cutout closed $3.84 higher at $394.99. 49 barns across 23 states reported 2,724 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Aug 17 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 lb523.90/cwt$12.63 lower2,240118
400-499 lb434.44/cwt$19.65 lower3,587126
500-599 lb388.91/cwt$12.92 lower4,978130
600-699 lb361.28/cwt$12.61 lower5,283126
700-799 lb338.67/cwt$15.36 lower4,710104
800-899 lb328.40/cwt$10.57 lower5,30571

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA
Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Wed, Aug 19, weighted by head. Spread of $143.52 between the top and bottom of 17 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
Winter Livestock - Dodge CityKS482.83/cwt38
Torrington Livestock Commission CompanyWY444.14/cwt53
Springfield Livestock Marketing CenterMO417.12/cwt34
South Central Regional StockyardsMO414.87/cwt83
Russell Springs Livestock AuctionKY398.82/cwt22
Southern Oklahoma Livestock AuctionOK398.70/cwt76
North Wilkesboro Livestock AuctionNC398.10/cwt25
North Arkansas Livestock AuctionAR387.02/cwt32
Campbellsville Livestock AuctionKY386.76/cwt28
Clovis Livestock AuctionNM377.97/cwt98
Savannah Livestock AuctionTN377.28/cwt42
Brundidge StockyardsAL373.71/cwt20
Roanoke StockyardsAL366.85/cwt55
AshburnGA360.86/cwt62
Lucedale Livestock AuctionMS360.58/cwt24
Arcadia Stockyard (Wed)FL352.46/cwt77
Norwood Livestock AuctionNC339.31/cwt20

Boxed beef

PM close · Aug 19 USDA
Choice $394.99, $3.84 higher. Select $364.17, $2.12 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $30.82. 87 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
23,926 head traded Aug 13–Aug 19.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered361.962,705
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered230.5826
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB226.343,966
KansasDressed Delivered360.00156
KansasLive FOB228.00117
NebraskaDressed Delivered361.1910,361

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 sale; Steer calves and feeder steers sold 15.00-25.00 lower and heifer calves were 7.00-20.00 lower with feeder heifers 600-700 lbs being lower and 700-850 lbs selling 15.00-17.00 higher. Trade and demand were light to moderate on a lower market with similar numbers.

Clovis Livestock Auction · New Mexico

Compared to last week, slaughter steers were 14.00 lower and Holstein slaughter steers were 22.00 lower. Slaughter heifers were mostly steady. Slaughter cows were 6.00 lower and Holstein slaughter cows were 10.00 lower. Slaughter bulls were 7.00 lower and Holstein slaughter bulls were 7.00 lower.

Shipshewana Livestock Auction · Indiana

Compared to last week (7-29-26): Feeder steers were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed on all offerings under 950 lbs.

Public Auction Yards · Montana

No recent comparisons available although feeder prices were unevenly steady with the last reported sale four weeks ago. Slaughter cows sold with a lower undertone. Supply moderate. Demand moderate to good.

South Central Regional Stockyards · Missouri

Compared to last week with uneven trade. Steers 5.00 to 15.00 higher. Heifers steady to 10.00 higher. Quality was plain to average with a moderate trade. Very dry and extreme heat in the area.

Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction · Oklahoma

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls 3.00 to 6.00 lower. Feeder steers, bulls, and heifers 5.00 to 15.00 lower.

Arcadia Stockyard (Wed) · Florida

Compared to one week ago: Feeder steers sold 6.00 to 8.00 lower, feeder bulls and heifers sold 8.00 to 10.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold 6.00 to 8.00 lower, slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher. Replacement cows and pairs sold mostly steady.

Roanoke Stockyards · Alabama

Average attendance at today's sale with nigh double the run compared to last week, especially with an increase in the Feeder Cattle offering. No market test on Feeders compared to last week, however, local demand is following with lower national trends overall.

Buckhannon Stockyards · West Virginia

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)308.63/cwt$2.15 higher459
Boner (85% lean)326.83/cwt$1.42 lower1,620
Cutter (90% lean)324.93/cwt$8.53 lower3,086
Premium White320.82/cwt$2.10 lower1,588
Bull (92% lean)370.02/cwt$1.30 higher470

What published

See every report →
93 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.