Fed cattle prices in the Northern Plains
What packers paid for fed steers and heifers in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota, on negotiated cash deals, from USDA’s LM_CT154 report. In the week of Oct 19, 2026, cattle sold live, FOB the feedlot brought $227.31 per hundredweight, on 4,210 head.
- Week
- Oct 19, 2026
- Live, FOB
- $227.31 +$2.59
- Dressed, delivered
- $355.48 +$5.02
- Average weight
- 1,663 lb
- Dressing
- 63.2%
Is this price high or low? · On the low side
Higher than on 15 of the other 52 weeks it traded in the past year.
Lowest of the yearHighest of the year
A year earlier (week of Oct 20, 2025) it was $238.24; the latest price is −4.6% against that. Over the past year 53 weeks had a price, averaging $236.44, from $209.10 (week of Nov 24, 2025) to $263.03 (week of May 11, 2026). In a usual year (2020–2025) it runs highest in July (+3.1%) and lowest in January (−8.3%).
The latest week, by selling basis All steers and heifers, negotiated cash
| Basis | Average | Range | Change | Head | Weight | Dressing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live, FOB the feedlot | $227.31 | $225.00–$228.00 | +$2.59 | 4,210 | 1,663 lb | 63.2% |
| Dressed, delivered | $355.48 | $355.00–$365.00 | +$5.02 | 1,313 | 962 lb | 62.1% |
Sell live or in the beef? At Northern Plains’s prices
A pen can sell live, on its live weight, or in the beef, on its carcass weight. Which pays more depends on how the cattle dress. Enter your numbers; the prices start at this week’s.
Enter the weight, dressing percentage and prices to compare.
Live is FOB the feedlot and dressed is delivered to the plant, so the freight and shrink sit differently on each side. It’s a price comparison, not a bid.
Live, every week on record Jan 6, 2020 to Oct 26, 2026
- Live
- Live, FOB, dollars per hundredweight
Dressed, every week on record Jan 6, 2020 to Oct 26, 2026
- Dressed
- Dressed, delivered, dollars per hundredweight
Gaps are stretches of three weeks or more with no published price. On record since the week of Dec 30, 2019: 356 weeks with a price.
Average by month Live, FOB the feedlot, $ per cwt
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 232.34 | 242.78 | 237.74 | 246.41 | 258.57 | 257.36 | 243.66 | 228.86 | 220.57 | 222.90 | · | · | 239.12 |
| 2025 | 203.71 | 204.57 | 205.58 | 211.63 | 226.12 | 237.64 | 239.14 | 244.30 | 240.73 | 236.21 | 224.51 | 223.83 | 224.83 |
| 2024 | 173.88 | 180.48 | 187.44 | 185.78 | 188.69 | 191.93 | 197.63 | 191.34 | 184.04 | 188.08 | 186.76 | 193.25 | 187.44 |
| 2023 | 156.78 | 160.36 | 164.52 | 175.63 | 177.65 | 185.95 | 185.28 | 186.60 | 184.53 | 184.89 | 179.98 | 171.18 | 176.11 |
| 2022 | 138.48 | 140.59 | 139.08 | 141.27 | 142.37 | 142.89 | 142.49 | 144.04 | 143.50 | 147.79 | 153.55 | 155.94 | 144.33 |
| 2021 | 108.98 | 112.59 | 113.85 | 121.66 | 119.25 | 121.29 | 123.07 | 123.86 | 124.09 | 123.18 | 131.78 | 138.39 | 121.83 |
| 2020 | 123.58 | 119.41 | 110.40 | 102.77 | 107.29 | 106.47 | 96.45 | 103.79 | 102.80 | 106.03 | 106.65 | 108.07 | 107.81 |
Its usual year The median over 2020–2025
- Jan−8.3%
- Feb−5.7%
- Mar−5.1%
- Apr−1.5%
- May±0.0%
- Jun+1.0%
- Jul+3.1%
- Aug+1.9%
- Sep+0.6%
- Oct+1.7%
- Nov+1.0%
- Dec+1.7%
Week by week The last 12
| Week | Live | Head | Dressed | Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2026 | $227.31 | 4,210 | $355.48 | 1,313 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $224.72 | 6,362 | $350.46 | 2,765 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $220.37 | 4,932 | $345.18 | 2,045 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $219.01 | 4,517 | $345.00 | 1,937 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $219.41 | 4,128 | $345.71 | 623 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $221.59 | 3,335 | $350.12 | 1,601 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | $222.99 | 4,153 | $349.79 | 3,077 |
| Aug 31, 2026 | $218.42 | 4,051 | $342.28 | 701 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | $219.19 | 1,823 | $344.81 | 1,621 |
| Aug 17, 2026 | $224.86 | 2,976 | $354.83 | 1,700 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $226.00 | 1,600 | $362.85 | 1,264 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $235.02 | 4,398 | $370.82 | 1,112 |
Every week, with every class, basis and grade, is in the CSV downloads.
The other regions this week
| Region | Live | Dressed | Head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-area | $227.35 | $360.29 | 19,892 |
| Nebraska | $228.33 | $358.86 | 9,954 |
| Western Cornbelt | $226.66 | $362.31 | 9,978 |
| Eastern Cornbelt | $223.30 | — | 1,034 |
| Northeast | $221.41 | — | 534 |
About these numbers
Prices are USDA’s, from Livestock Mandatory Reporting’s LM_CT154 report: negotiated cash purchases of slaughter cattle, in dollars per hundredweight, live (live weight, FOB the feedlot) or dressed (carcass weight, delivered to the plant). A weekly report dated on a Monday covers the week before it, Monday to Sunday. A week without enough trades has no price, never zero.
The fed cattle board has every region, the 5-area daily report and the history as CSV downloads. Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.