The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Tue Oct 27, 2026

Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Tue, Oct 27

● 7 barns reportedEvery figure as filedNational wire →

← Oct 26Oct 27Oct 28 →

The market in a line

Tue, Oct 27

Choice cutout closed $2.78 higher at $372.22. 7 Kentucky barns reported 576 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 Tue, Oct 27, weighted by head. Spread of $21.39 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.

Barn	State	Average	Head
Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	404.75/cwt	69
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	396.09/cwt	44
Ledbetter Livestock Auction	KY	383.36/cwt	21

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Oct 27 USDA

Choice $372.22, $2.78 higher. Select $358.85, $1.29 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $13.37. 120 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

671 head traded Oct 21–Oct 27.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	361.31	432
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	225.66	239

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 8.00 higher. Strong demand for feeders. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady.
Upton Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday feeder steers sold unevenly steady. Feeder heifer 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 2.00 higher. There was good demand for slaughter classes.
Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday the feeder market was spotty with an average quality offering. Feeder steers 500-650 lbs were mostly steady with a moderate supply, while the yearling steers 850 lbs and over were sharply higher with a good supply and good demand.
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last week feeder steers sold 4.00 to 8.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 6.00 higher. Strong demand for feeder classes. Slaughter cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower.
Ledbetter Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Tuesday: Feeder steers and heifers steady, Feeder steers and heifers sold with moderate demand. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady, Moderate demand for slaughter classes.
Flemingsburg Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	241.16/cwt	$2.32 lower	575
Boner (85% lean)	248.81/cwt	$1.32 lower	1,608
Cutter (90% lean)	252.76/cwt	$0.88 lower	3,103
Premium White	264.75/cwt	$3.66 higher	892
Bull (92% lean)	311.92/cwt	$3.87 lower	379

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.