The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Wed Aug 5, 2026

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Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Wed, Aug 5
● 6 barns reportedEvery figure as filed
← Aug 4Aug 5Aug 6 →

The market in a line

Wed, Aug 5
Choice cutout closed $1.68 lower at $367.97. 6 Kentucky barns reported 407 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Kentucky, 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 lb509.14/cwt$11.91 higher11318
400-499 lb462.07/cwt$12.30 higher23719
500-599 lb424.27/cwt$13.11 higher56320
600-699 lb399.36/cwt$5.02 lower87520
700-799 lb364.62/cwt$5.79 higher75520
800-899 lb349.78/cwt$17.77 higher1,06513

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 5, weighted by head. Spread of $21.43 between the top and bottom of 3 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
Russell Springs Livestock AuctionKY432.66/cwt62
Owenton Livestock AuctionKY428.98/cwt21
Campbellsville Livestock AuctionKY411.22/cwt28

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Aug 5 USDA
Choice $367.97, $1.68 lower. Select $348.06, $1.56 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $19.91. 109 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
30,529 head traded Jul 30–Aug 5.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered373.722,639
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed FOB365.0070
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered235.821,542
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB234.227,582
KansasDressed Delivered370.0039
KansasLive FOB232.881,441

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers sold 6.00 to 10.00 higher on a limited comparison. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.

Albany Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Wednesday: Feeder steers sold 6.00-7.00 higher. Feeder heifers traded 4.00-6.00 higher. There was stronger demand across all classes of feeder cattle. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-5.00 higher and slaughter bulls were 2.00-4.00 higher on a light test.

Russell Springs Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Wednesday the feeder market was stronger with a good quality offering. Feeder steers and heifers 300-800 lbs were 6.00 to 10.00 higher or greater in spots with a moderate supply and good demand for quality cattle.

Mount Sterling Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers sharply higher on limited comparison, Good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows and bulls 5.00-8.00 higher, Good demand for slaughter classes.

Owenton Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)319.67/cwt$3.57 higher382
Boner (85% lean)334.53/cwt$2.41 lower1,556
Cutter (90% lean)332.70/cwt$5.57 lower2,919
Premium White327.74/cwt$0.50 lower2,087
Bull (92% lean)376.94/cwt$0.98 higher358

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 Kentucky 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.