The Morning Wire / Fri Aug 28, 2026

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The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Fri, Aug 28
● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed
← Aug 27Aug 28Aug 29 →

The market in a line

Fri, Aug 28
Choice cutout closed $5.13 lower at $376.23. 13 barns across 11 states reported 647 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Aug 24 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 lb479.93/cwt$44.63 lower2,173131
400-499 lb416.28/cwt$26.18 lower4,241154
500-599 lb371.00/cwt$25.78 lower5,891153
600-699 lb349.11/cwt$12.09 lower6,188155
700-799 lb334.62/cwt$3.57 lower5,752130
800-899 lb324.00/cwt$4.98 lower8,80594

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 28, weighted by head. Spread of $56.15 between the top and bottom of 5 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
Eastern Missouri Commission CompanyMO404.04/cwt51
Sweetwater Livestock AuctionTN362.69/cwt26
Cattlemen's Livestock Auction - Belen, NMNM359.33/cwt38
Siler City Livestock AuctionNC351.66/cwt27
Ash Flat Livestock Auction Inc.AR347.89/cwt27

Boxed beef

PM close · Aug 28 USDA
Choice $376.23, $5.13 lower. Select $361.08, $1.89 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $15.15. 108 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
24,741 head traded Aug 22–Aug 28.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered349.841,972
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed FOB341.0080
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered219.68230
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB219.264,882
NebraskaDressed Delivered345.139,079
NebraskaDressed FOB345.85480

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 two weeks ago: Feeder steers 900-1000 lbs 10.00 lower, other weights of steers not well compared. Feeder heifers sold with higher undertones compared to the limited heifer offering last sale.

Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction · South Dakota

Compared to last week: Steer and heifer calves sold 15.00-20.00 higher. Feeder steers and heifers sold 3.00-5.00 higher with limited comparisons. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Trade and demand good.

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction - Belen, NM · New Mexico

Slaughter cattle were 4.00 lower this week compared to last week . Feeder cattle were steady to 3.00 to 5.00 lower this week compared to last week . Demand was moderate ; market activity and buyer interest were moderate . Offerings light with quality average . 2 head of hogs

Siler City Livestock Auction · North Carolina

Compared to last week, there has not been a good recent test on comparable weights (last week was a bred cow special) on overall kind and quality with feeder cattle trading with a lower undertone as feeder market has seen sharp declines over the last several weeks.

Eastern Missouri Commission Company · Missouri

Compared to last week; slaughter and feeder cows traded 3.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls traded 5.00 lower. A larger run of bulls today with many ranchers pulling bulls off there cows. Moderate bidding today with most all of the bidding coming from the seats. Sale again next Friday.

Torrington Livestock Commission Company · Wyoming

Compared to last week, receipts were higher as continued drought conditions across North Central Arkansas have left many producers with limited forage and water supplies, prompting increased movement of livestock to market. Feeder offerings consisted primarily of new-crop, fleshier calves.

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Inc. · Arkansas

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)296.81/cwt$5.54 lower728
Boner (85% lean)309.44/cwt$1.63 lower2,153
Cutter (90% lean)314.56/cwt$1.71 lower3,109
Premium White326.14/cwt$4.02 higher2,223
Bull (92% lean)358.39/cwt$1.62 higher711

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.