The Morning Wire / Tue Sep 22, 2026

The Morning Wire

The trading day in one page — Tue, Sep 22

● Written from USDA reportsEvery figure as filed

← Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23 →

Summary

Tue, Sep 22

Choice cutout closed $2.54 higher at $378.89. 55 barns across 22 states reported 3,659 priced lots.

Feeder steers

National, week of Sep 21 USDA

Weighted across every reported lot, by weight class. Weekly rather than daily — one day's barns are too thin a base for a national figure.

Weight	Price	vs prior week	Head	Barns
300-399 lb	514.02/cwt	$15.72 higher	3,710	163
400-499 lb	460.87/cwt	$10.00 higher	9,597	174
500-599 lb	405.41/cwt	$2.05 higher	12,027	175
600-699 lb	363.62/cwt	$0.35 higher	10,899	172
700-799 lb	346.74/cwt	$2.57 higher	10,789	159
800-899 lb	335.03/cwt	$0.26 higher	10,844	119

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, Sep 22, weighted by head. Spread of $90.32 between the top and bottom of 20 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
Brookhaven Livestock Auction	MS	460.54/cwt	36
Winter Livestock - Riverton, WY	WY	439.14/cwt	91
Kingsville Livestock Auction	MO	423.28/cwt	112
Interstate Regional Stockyards	MO	418.89/cwt	62
Producers Livestock Marketing - Salina, UT	UT	413.21/cwt	213
Ozarks Regional Stockyards	MO	406.40/cwt	314
Beaver Livestock Auction	OK	405.68/cwt	523
Buckhannon Stockyards	WV	403.07/cwt	99
Four State Stockyards	MO	401.38/cwt	127
Virginia Cattle Company	VA	400.85/cwt	23
Springfield Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	397.98/cwt	56
Knoxville Livestock Auction - Knoxville, TN	TN	396.44/cwt	28
OKC West Livestock Market	OK	391.95/cwt	335
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky	KY	390.20/cwt	43
Townsend Livestock Market	FL	382.72/cwt	36
Thomasville	GA	376.52/cwt	33
Carnesville	GA	372.74/cwt	23
McAlester Union Stockyards	OK	372.39/cwt	83
Winona Livestock Auction	MS	371.19/cwt	24
Lineville Stockyards	AL	370.22/cwt	33

Boxed beef

PM close · Sep 22 USDA

Choice $378.89, $2.54 higher. Select $357.85, $2.08 higher. The Choice–Select spread stands at $21.04. 106 loads traded.

Fed cattle

Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

24,714 head traded Sep 15–Sep 21.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	350.21	3,357
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed FOB	348.00	76
Iowa-Minnesota	Live Delivered	222.17	329
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	221.64	5,693
Nebraska	Dressed Delivered	350.02	10,488
Nebraska	Dressed FOB	350.00	222

At the barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

One barn per state, largest first — more states file than fit here. Your own state is linked below.

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 5.00-10.00 lower. Feeder heifers steady to 5.00 lower. The primary factor influencing the steer market today was a lack of quality, as the majority of offering consisted of summertime feeders.
OKC West Livestock Market · Oklahoma

Compared to last week, feeder steers and heifer were steady to weak. Steer and heifer calves weighing 500-699 lbs were steady to 10.00 lower. PeeWee Calves under 500 lbs. were sharply higher. Demand was good but softened throughout the day.
Ozarks Regional Stockyards · Missouri

Compared to last week, Feeder Steers unevenly steady with 600lbs to 750lbs 5.00 lower. Feeder Heifers mostly steady to 10.00 higher. Feeder Bulls 10.00 to 15.00 higher. Slaughter Cows mostly steady to 2.00 lower on a lighter test of market. Slaughter Bulls 2.00 to 5.00 lower.
Athens Regional Stockyard - Athens, TN · Tennessee

Compared to last Tuesday the feeder market was mostly stronger with a good quality offering. Feeder steers 400-600 lbs were 7.00 to 10.00 higher or greater in spots with a good supply and strong demand, while the yearling steers were unevenly steady bouncing from 3.00 higher to 3.00 lower across the…
Lexington Livestock Auction - Kentucky · Kentucky

Compared to last report feeder cattle sold unevenly steady on calves and yearlings. While breaker and boning slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 7.00 higher, with lean cows selling steady to 3.00 lower on a light test, while average yielding slaughter bulls sold 3.00 lower, high yielding bull sold 5.00 high…
Producers Livestock Marketing - Salina, UT · Utah

Compared to last week: Steer and heifer calves traded unevenly steady on like kinds. Not enough comparable sales on feeder steers or heifers for a market trend. Trading activity was moderate on moderate buyer demand.
Lonestar Stockyards · Texas

Compared to last Tuesday sale on a calf and yearling special along with weigh up cows and bulls. Slaughter cows instances 10.00 higher, slaughter bulls steady instances 2.00 lower along with mostly feeder cows.
Winter Livestock - Riverton, WY · Wyoming

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 5.00 lower. Replacement cows sold steady. Feeder cattle sold unevenly steady.
Letohatchee Stockyards · Alabama

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	286.03/cwt	$13.12 higher	884
Boner (85% lean)	282.99/cwt	$3.22 lower	2,440
Cutter (90% lean)	285.66/cwt	$1.62 lower	3,871
Premium White	296.34/cwt	$7.25 lower	1,866
Bull (92% lean)	332.24/cwt	$3.84 lower	456

Reports published

See every report →

103 USDA reports carried this date — sale barns, state summaries, video and board sales, grain, hay and the national desks.

Source: USDA AMS. 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.