The Morning Wire / Mon Oct 12, 2026

The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Mon, Oct 12

● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed

← Oct 10Oct 12Oct 13 →

The market in a line

Mon, Oct 12

Choice cutout closed $2.21 higher at $375.56. 55 barns across 20 states reported 3,923 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Oct 12 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.

Weight	Price	vs prior week	Head	Barns
300-399 lb	543.99/cwt	$10.15 higher	5,423	170
400-499 lb	488.37/cwt	$5.57 higher	18,357	190
500-599 lb	432.29/cwt	$1.93 higher	30,929	190
600-699 lb	385.05/cwt	$4.54 higher	20,559	187
700-799 lb	351.46/cwt	$7.01 higher	9,935	156
800-899 lb	337.17/cwt	$3.11 higher	8,977	120

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA

Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Mon, Oct 12, weighted by head. Spread of $75.92 between the top and bottom of 20 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.

Barn	State	Average	Head
Torrington Livestock Commission Company	WY	448.34/cwt	801
Russell Livestock Auction - Iowa	IA	437.68/cwt	241
Sioux Falls Regional Livestock	SD	435.83/cwt	189
Callaway Livestock Center	MO	429.57/cwt	115
Tina Livestock	MO	421.75/cwt	28
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	398.50/cwt	32
Florence Stockyards	AL	395.47/cwt	24
Farmers Livestock Exchange, Inc.	VA	395.29/cwt	63
Paris Livestock Auction	KY	392.85/cwt	38
Oklahoma National Stockyards Market	OK	390.86/cwt	278
Stanford Livestock Auction	KY	390.50/cwt	20
Joplin Regional Stockyards	MO	387.67/cwt	491
Unionville Livestock Auction - Unionville, TN	TN	386.72/cwt	26
Roswell Livestock Auction	NM	385.83/cwt	117
Tulsa Stockyards Inc.	OK	381.42/cwt	150
Donalsonville	GA	380.95/cwt	42
Columbia Livestock Market	FL	375.73/cwt	26
Billings Livestock Commission	MT	373.42/cwt	35
Lynchburg Livestock Market, Inc.	VA	372.91/cwt	47
Glasgow Livestock Auction	KY	372.42/cwt	29

Boxed beef

PM close · Oct 12 USDA

Choice $375.56, $2.21 higher. Select $354.13, $0.17 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $21.43. 80 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

9,540 head traded Oct 3–Oct 9.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	345.00	173
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed FOB	343.00	40
Iowa-Minnesota	Live Delivered	219.76	82
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	218.67	4,131
Nebraska	Dressed Delivered	345.00	1,818
Nebraska	Dressed FOB	345.00	121

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.

CLOSE Compared to last week feeder steers and heifers sold steady to 10.00 higher. Supply was heavy with very good demand. The largest lot of the day was 344 steers weighing 933 lbs. which sold for 317.00/cwt.
Joplin Regional Stockyards · Missouri

Compared to last week: Feeder steers over 750lbs steady to 3.00 higher, under 750lbs 5.00-10.00 higher. Feeder heifers 2.00-7.00 higher. Steer calves 10.00-20.00 higher. Heifers calves over 500lbs 4.00-8.00 higher, under 500lbs 10.00-20.00 higher. Demand good for all classes of cattle.
Oklahoma National Stockyards Market · Oklahoma

Compared to last sale; Steer calves 400-450 lbs and 500-550 lbs sold 10.00-16.00 higher and 450-500 lbs were 16.00 lower. Feeder steers 600-650 lbs sold 8.00 lower and 650-700 lbs were 5.00 higher.
Roswell Livestock Auction · New Mexico

Compared to last week's sale, Slaughter Steers traded $2.00-$6.00 higher, Slaughter Bulls were $10.00 lower, and Dairy Slaughter Cows were $3.00-$7.00 lower. Dairy Feeders Calves traded $15.00 to $25.00 lower.
New Holland Sale Stables · Pennsylvania

This is the first Monday sale of the fall. All feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly light to moderate for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain. Most feeders were offered in small packages with many singles noticed.
Billings Livestock Commission · Montana

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder steers, bulls, and heifers mostly steady.
Arcadia Stockyard (Mon) · Florida

Compared to two weeks ago, Replacement cows mostly steady, Feeder steers limited comparable sale, Feeder heifers unevenly steady, Feeder bulls mostly steady.
Upson County Livestock · Georgia

Compared to last week: Steers over 650 lbs. steady, steers under 650 lbs. traded 2.00-4.00 higher mid-day with good quality. Most calves under 650 lbs. traded 7.00-9.00 lower after mid-day with quality being plain to average, un-weaned calves under 400 lbs. 8.00-10.00 higher.
Tulsa Stockyards Inc. · Oklahoma

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	248.99/cwt	$1.58 higher	613
Boner (85% lean)	260.49/cwt	$0.65 lower	1,944
Cutter (90% lean)	265.42/cwt	$0.35 lower	3,123
Premium White	277.11/cwt	$1.75 higher	1,158
Bull (92% lean)	319.79/cwt	$1.34 lower	358

What published

See every report →

128 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.