The Morning Wire / Kentucky / Thu Oct 29, 2026

Kentucky cattle market

The trading day in one page — Thu, Oct 29

● 3 barns reportedEvery figure as filedNational wire →

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The market in a line

Thu, Oct 29

Choice cutout closed $1.72 lower at $367.28. 3 Kentucky barns reported 343 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 Thu, Oct 29, weighted by head. Spread of $15.21 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
Paris Livestock Auction	KY	399.53/cwt	116
Stanford Livestock Auction	KY	388.11/cwt	56
Guthrie Livestock Auction	KY	384.32/cwt	25

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Oct 29 USDA

Choice $367.28, $1.72 lower. Select $351.63, $3.62 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $15.65. 101 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

17,855 head traded Oct 23–Oct 29.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	356.39	2,210
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed FOB	355.00	256
Iowa-Minnesota	Live Delivered	224.25	42
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	223.81	6,750
Nebraska	Dressed Delivered	350.74	5,400
Nebraska	Dressed FOB	352.57	1,130

At the Kentucky barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last Thursday feeder steers sold mostly steady and feeder heifers were 3.00 to 5.00 lower with a good supply and good demand for quality cattle, while off colored and heavy conditioned calves received heavy discounts.
Paris Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 400 lbs sharply lower, over 400 lbs 5.00-10.00 lower, Limited comparison on yearlings, Feeder heifers under 400 lbs sharply lower, over 400 lbs 5.00-10.00 lower, Limited comparison on yearlings, Moderate demand for feeder and yearling classes.
Stanford Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Compared to last Thursday: Feeder steers under 700 lbs. sold 6.00-8.00 higher and those over 700 lbs. were steady to 3.00 lower on a light test. Feeder heifers traded 7.00-9.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 lower and slaughter bulls were 2.00-4.00 higher.
Guthrie Livestock Auction · Kentucky

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	251.86/cwt	$7.57 higher	534
Boner (85% lean)	246.89/cwt	$4.42 lower	1,732
Cutter (90% lean)	250.79/cwt	$3.98 lower	3,756
Premium White	262.84/cwt	$1.79 lower	1,273
Bull (92% lean)	304.92/cwt	$4.97 lower	317

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.