The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Wed Aug 19, 2026

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Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Wed, Aug 19
● 6 barns reportedEvery figure as filed
← Aug 18Aug 19Aug 20 →

The market in a line

Wed, Aug 19
Choice cutout closed $3.84 higher at $394.99. 6 Kentucky barns reported 372 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Kentucky, week of Aug 17 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 lb481.37/cwt$34.43 lower10413
400-499 lb442.91/cwt$32.67 lower21615
500-599 lb402.97/cwt$25.43 lower34518
600-699 lb378.82/cwt$7.07 lower46215
700-799 lb338.96/cwt$22.01 lower32712
800-899 lb338.59/cwt$2.61 lower2749

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 19, weighted by head. Spread of $12.06 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
Russell Springs Livestock AuctionKY398.82/cwt22
Campbellsville Livestock AuctionKY386.76/cwt28

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Aug 19 USDA
Choice $394.99, $3.84 higher. Select $364.17, $2.12 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $30.82. 87 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA
23,926 head traded Aug 13–Aug 19.
RegionBasisPriceHead
Iowa-MinnesotaDressed Delivered361.962,705
Iowa-MinnesotaLive Delivered230.5826
Iowa-MinnesotaLive FOB226.343,966
KansasDressed Delivered360.00156
KansasLive FOB228.00117
NebraskaDressed Delivered361.1910,361

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Today's offering was much smaller in number and lacked the quality of last week's sale which limited trends. Negative market pressure in recent days softened demand across all classes of feeders. Slaughter cows sold 6.00-8.00 lower and no test on slaughter bulls.

Russell Springs Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers under 600lbs sold 5.00 to 7.00 lower. Feeder steers and heifers over 600lbs sold 10.00 to 12.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 10.00 to 12.00 lower.

Albany Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Wednesday both the feeder and slaughter markets were lower with an average quality offering. Feeder steers and heifers were 6.00 to 10.00 lower or greater in spots with a moderate supply and moderate demand.

Mount Sterling Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Wednesday: Feeder steers mostly steady, Feeder heifers 10.00-15.00 lower, Moderate demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows and bulls 8.00-10.00 lower, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.

Owenton Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA
ClassPriceDirectionHead
Breaker (75% lean)308.63/cwt$2.15 higher459
Boner (85% lean)326.83/cwt$1.42 lower1,620
Cutter (90% lean)324.93/cwt$8.53 lower3,086
Premium White320.82/cwt$2.10 lower1,588
Bull (92% lean)370.02/cwt$1.30 higher470

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.