The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Mon Oct 26, 2026

Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Mon, Oct 26

● 7 barns reportedEvery figure as filedNational wire →

← Oct 24Oct 26Oct 27 →

The market in a line

Mon, Oct 26

Choice cutout closed $3.65 higher at $369.44. 7 Kentucky barns reported 644 priced lots.

Feeder steers

Kentucky, week of Oct 26 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	508.16/cwt	$15.88 lower	155	16
400-499 lb	442.12/cwt	$7.71 lower	330	18
500-599 lb	394.73/cwt	$4.34 lower	749	18
600-699 lb	371.43/cwt	$7.80 higher	885	18
700-799 lb	345.16/cwt	$0.10 lower	705	18
800-899 lb	336.23/cwt	$0.22 lower	987	13

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA

Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Mon, Oct 26, weighted by head. Spread of $47.27 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
Harned Livestock Auction	KY	413.22/cwt	56
Paris Livestock Auction	KY	406.11/cwt	43
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	388.88/cwt	46
Glasgow Livestock Auction	KY	365.95/cwt	21

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Oct 26 USDA

Choice $369.44, $3.65 higher. Select $357.56, $4.87 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $11.88. 89 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

391 head traded Oct 17–Oct 23.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	354.50	152
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	225.66	239

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600 lbs sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher. Feeder steers over 600 lbs sold steady to 2.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold mostly steady. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady. Slaughter bulls sold steady
Harned Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Monday feeder steers sold evenly steady. Feeder heifers under 500 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher. Feeder heifers over 500 lbs sold 2.00 to 4.00 lower. There was good demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 1.00 to 3.00 higher.
Paris Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Monday the feeder market was spotty with an average quality offering. Feeder steers 400-600 lbs were steady to 5.00 lower or greater in spots with a good supply and spotty demand, while the yearling steers appeared 5.00 to 7.00 higher with a moderate supply and limited head to head…
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers sold mostly steady on a light test. Feeder heifers traded 6.00-8.00 lower. There were several plain quality calves in today's offering. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher and slaughter bulls were steady.
Cattleman's Livestock Auction - Bowling Green · Kentucky

Compared to last Monday: Feeder steers and heifers steady to 5.00-higher, moderate to good demand for feeder and yearling classes. Slaughter cows steady, No test on slaughter bulls, Moderate demand for slaughter cows.
Stanford Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last week feeder classes sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher with strong demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady with good demand.
Owensboro Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	243.48/cwt	$2.44 lower	628
Boner (85% lean)	250.13/cwt	$1.17 lower	1,980
Cutter (90% lean)	253.64/cwt	$1.94 lower	4,027
Premium White	261.10/cwt	$3.64 lower	1,492
Bull (92% lean)	315.79/cwt	$2.96 lower	474

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.