The Morning Wire / Arkansas / Thu Aug 6, 2026

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Arkansas cattle market

The trading day in one page — Thu, Aug 6
● 3 barns reportedEvery figure as filed
← Aug 5Aug 6Aug 7 →

The market in a line

Thu, Aug 6
Choice cutout closed $4.11 lower at $363.86. 3 Arkansas barns reported 207 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Arkansas, 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 state figure. Watch the barn count: a weight class carried by one or two barns is a thin figure, not a market.
WeightPricevs prior weekHeadBarns
300-399 lb508.38/cwt$15.88 higher1298
400-499 lb450.18/cwt$10.51 higher2298
500-599 lb404.05/cwt$5.90 higher2998
600-699 lb384.50/cwt$36.91 higher2778
700-799 lb358.94/cwt$25.22 higher878
800-899 lb271.36/cwt$72.41 lower115

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 6, weighted by head. Spread of $21.94 between the top and bottom of 2 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
Benton County Sale BarnAR409.14/cwt58
Hope Livestock Auction Inc.AR387.20/cwt29

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Aug 6 USDA
Choice $363.86, $4.11 lower. Select $349.78, $1.72 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $14.08. 118 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
49,995 head traded Jul 31–Aug 6.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered375.393,154
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered236.932,071
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB234.938,405
KansasDressed Delivered370.0039
KansasLive FOB234.445,017
NebraskaDressed Delivered370.2114,682

At the Arkansas barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Comparted to last week: Feeder steers sold mixed under 450lbs 2.00-5.00 lower, 450-500lbs 5.00-10.00 higher, 500-600lbs 10.00-15.00 lower, over 600 15.00-20.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 15.00-20.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 5.00-7.00 lower.

Benton County Sale Barn · Arkansas

Compared to last week: On a light test, Feeder steers under 400 lbs sold 7.00 higher, over 400 lbs sold 4.00-15.00, mostly 9.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 400 lbs sold 4.00 higher, 400-600 lbs sold 6.00-7.00 lower, over 600 lbs sold steady.

I-40 Livestock Auction · Arkansas

Compared to last week: Feeder steers traded 5.00- 10.00 higher, while feeder heifers traded 10.00- 20.00 higher. Slaughter cattle sold unevenly steady.

Hope Livestock Auction Inc. · Arkansas

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)314.18/cwt$5.49 lower287
Boner (85% lean)329.05/cwt$5.48 lower1,699
Cutter (90% lean)330.32/cwt$2.38 lower3,110
Premium White325.83/cwt$1.91 lower2,076
Bull (92% lean)375.25/cwt$1.68 lower376

What published

See every report →
Every USDA report carried this date is listed in the archive.
Source: USDA AMS. Feeder prices and barn comment are Arkansas only; boxed beef, fed cattle and the cow market are national, because those markets are. 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.