The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Tue Oct 20, 2026

Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Tue, Oct 20

● 7 barns reportedEvery figure as filedNational wire →

← Oct 19Oct 20Oct 21 →

The market in a line

Tue, Oct 20

Choice cutout closed $1.72 higher at $373.30. 7 Kentucky barns reported 530 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Kentucky, week of Oct 19 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.

Weight	Price	vs prior week	Head	Barns
300-399 lb	524.04/cwt	$12.74 higher	224	18
400-499 lb	449.83/cwt	$10.36 higher	463	20
500-599 lb	399.07/cwt	$10.41 higher	1,006	21
600-699 lb	363.63/cwt	$2.03 higher	1,037	21
700-799 lb	345.26/cwt	$4.85 lower	685	17
800-899 lb	336.45/cwt	$3.84 higher	922	16

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, Oct 20, weighted by head. Spread of $29.05 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.

Barn	State	Average	Head
Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	400.80/cwt	71
Flemingsburg Livestock Auction	KY	384.05/cwt	35
Ledbetter Livestock Auction	KY	376.87/cwt	20
Upton Livestock Auction	KY	371.75/cwt	40

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Oct 20 USDA

Choice $373.30, $1.72 higher. Select $361.54, $1.63 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $11.76. 98 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

24,753 head traded Oct 10–Oct 16.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	353.40	3,231
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed FOB	350.84	679
Iowa-Minnesota	Live Delivered	225.48	73
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	223.03	5,858
Nebraska	Dressed Delivered	351.23	9,484
Nebraska	Dressed FOB	354.00	639

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers sold mostly steady. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 8.00 higher. There was good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 3.00 lower. No test on slaughter bulls due to no comparable receipts from last weeks sale.
Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday the feeder market was spotty with an average quality of mostly yearling cattle. Feeder steers and heifers 300-650 lbs were unevenly steady bouncing from 3.00 higher to 3.00 lower with a moderate supply and good demand for quality cattle.
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold steady.
Upton Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday: Feeder steers steady, Feeder heifers 3.00-6.00 higher, Moderate to good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows and bulls steady, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.
Flemingsburg Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week feeder steers and heifers under 500lbs sold sharply higher. Feeder steers over 500lbs sold 2.00 to 6.00 higher and heifers over 500lbs sold steady to 4.00 higher. Good quality offering of new crop calves with strong demand. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 lower.
Ledbetter Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	244.60/cwt	$8.63 lower	527
Boner (85% lean)	256.04/cwt	$1.41 lower	1,765
Cutter (90% lean)	259.28/cwt	$0.33 higher	3,630
Premium White	276.61/cwt	$7.86 higher	1,400
Bull (92% lean)	320.39/cwt	$0.63 higher	436

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.