The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Tue Aug 11, 2026

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Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Tue, Aug 11
● 8 barns reportedEvery figure as filed
← Aug 10Aug 11Aug 12 →

The market in a line

Tue, Aug 11
Choice cutout held near $371.31. 8 Kentucky barns reported 501 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Kentucky, week of Aug 10 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 lb515.80/cwt$6.66 higher9718
400-499 lb475.58/cwt$13.51 higher31821
500-599 lb428.40/cwt$4.13 higher59819
600-699 lb385.89/cwt$13.47 lower1,29121
700-799 lb360.97/cwt$3.65 lower1,12720
800-899 lb341.20/cwt$8.58 lower93415

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA
Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Tue, Aug 11, weighted by head. Spread of $56.53 between the top and bottom of 4 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
Flemingsburg Livestock AuctionKY449.47/cwt24
Springfield Livestock Auction - KentuckyKY439.13/cwt43
Guthrie Livestock AuctionKY412.77/cwt28
Upton Livestock AuctionKY392.94/cwt20

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Aug 11 USDA
Choice $371.31, $0.11 lower. Select $349.80, $1.04 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $21.51. 124 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
48,598 head traded Aug 1–Aug 7.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered375.393,154
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered239.181,090
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB235.326,326
KansasDressed Delivered370.0039
KansasLive FOB234.943,813
NebraskaDressed Delivered370.3914,747

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last Tuesday the feeder market was stronger with a good quality but mostly yearling offering. Feeder steers 400 lbs and under appeared stronger with a lite test, while the 450-600 lbs steers were 5.00 to 10.00 higher with a moderate supply and good demand for weaned calves.

Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday: Feeder steers sharply higher, Feeder and yearling heifers 5.00-8.00 higher, Good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows 2.00-4.00 lower, Slaughter bulls steady, Good demand for slaughter classes.

Flemingsburg Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers sold mostly steady. Feeder heifers sold steady to 3.00 higher. There was good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. There was good demand for slaughter classes.

Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and feeder heifers sold Steady to 5.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher.

Upton Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week feeder steers sold steady to 4.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 6.00 higher. Good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows and bulls sold firm on a light test.

Ledbetter Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)315.15/cwt$1.17 higher324
Boner (85% lean)334.80/cwt$3.60 higher1,210
Cutter (90% lean)337.79/cwt$6.54 higher2,247
Premium White324.86/cwt$0.28 higher1,385
Bull (92% lean)372.24/cwt$1.93 lower478

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.