Fed cattle prices in the Western Cornbelt
What packers paid for fed steers and heifers in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, on negotiated cash deals, from USDA’s LM_CT154 report. In the week of Oct 19, 2026, cattle sold live, FOB the feedlot brought $226.66 per hundredweight, on 6,142 head.
- Week
- Oct 19, 2026
- Live, FOB
- $226.66 +$3.49
- Dressed, delivered
- $362.31 +$9.70
- Average weight
- 1,526 lb
- Dressing
- 63.4%
Is this price high or low? · On the low side
Higher than on 13 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 $237.82; the latest price is −4.7% against that. Over the past year 53 weeks had a price, averaging $236.47, from $209.04 (week of Nov 24, 2025) to $263.13 (week of May 11, 2026). In a usual year (2020–2025) it runs highest in July (+3.2%) and lowest in January (−7.9%).
USDA’s note on the week (Oct 26, 2026): “In Nebraska, negotiated cash trade was moderate on good demand Friday. For the week, live purchases were 1.50-3.00 higher from 228.00-228.50, and dressed purchases were 3.00-8.00 higher from 355.00-365.00 mostly 358.00. In the Western Cornbelt, negotiated cash trade was moderate on good demand Friday. For the week, live purchases were 3.00 higher from 225.00-228.00, mostly 227.00, and dressed purchases were 15.00 higher from 355.00-365.00 mostly 365.00.”
The latest week, by selling basis All steers and heifers, negotiated cash
| Basis | Average | Range | Change | Head | Weight | Dressing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live, FOB the feedlot | $226.66 | $224.00–$228.00 | +$3.49 | 6,142 | 1,526 lb | 63.4% |
| Live, delivered | $226.30 | $225.00–$227.00 | +$3.64 | 208 | 1,478 lb | 63.6% |
| Dressed, FOB the feedlot | $355.00 | $355.00–$355.00 | +$4.72 | 40 | 866 lb | 63.0% |
| Dressed, delivered | $362.31 | $353.00–$365.00 | +$9.70 | 3,588 | 992 lb | 63.3% |
Sell live or in the beef? At Western Cornbelt’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 | 232.51 | 241.98 | 238.71 | 246.47 | 259.12 | 257.82 | 244.24 | 227.81 | 220.66 | 221.32 | · | · | 239.07 |
| 2025 | 204.81 | 205.28 | 207.23 | 212.62 | 225.85 | 236.36 | 238.03 | 243.59 | 238.95 | 236.47 | 225.19 | 223.53 | 224.83 |
| 2024 | 174.43 | 180.47 | 187.13 | 186.19 | 187.98 | 193.01 | 197.22 | 191.51 | 183.92 | 188.29 | 187.02 | 192.52 | 187.47 |
| 2023 | 157.53 | 160.69 | 165.00 | 176.61 | 178.41 | 187.07 | 184.86 | 187.17 | 184.60 | 184.54 | 180.03 | 171.19 | 176.47 |
| 2022 | 138.88 | 141.84 | 140.54 | 142.50 | 144.07 | 144.41 | 146.28 | 146.26 | 144.93 | 148.53 | 154.08 | 156.46 | 145.73 |
| 2021 | 109.53 | 113.21 | 114.13 | 121.82 | 119.27 | 121.84 | 124.48 | 125.88 | 125.30 | 123.17 | 131.86 | 139.01 | 122.46 |
| 2020 | 124.72 | 120.52 | 112.74 | 101.24 | 108.75 | 105.67 | 98.66 | 104.84 | 103.78 | 106.75 | 107.55 | 107.35 | 108.55 |
Its usual year The median over 2020–2025
- Jan−7.9%
- Feb−5.6%
- Mar−5.0%
- Apr−1.5%
- May+0.2%
- Jun+1.2%
- Jul+3.2%
- Aug+2.5%
- Sep+0.9%
- Oct+1.3%
- Nov+1.1%
- Dec+1.1%
Week by week The last 12
| Week | Live | Head | Dressed | Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2026 | $226.66 | 6,142 | $362.31 | 3,588 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $223.17 | 22,925 | $352.61 | 6,967 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $219.42 | 18,634 | $346.84 | 3,925 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $219.38 | 20,348 | $347.57 | 5,528 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $219.94 | 8,772 | $349.47 | 4,089 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $221.57 | 11,148 | $350.13 | 10,435 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | $222.25 | 12,871 | $350.97 | 7,649 |
| Aug 31, 2026 | $218.66 | 12,083 | $345.92 | 7,040 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | $218.79 | 14,376 | $346.83 | 7,317 |
| Aug 17, 2026 | $224.79 | 20,454 | $354.55 | 7,028 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $228.64 | 7,063 | $367.72 | 5,466 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $235.46 | 18,327 | $372.37 | 8,374 |
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 |
| Eastern Cornbelt | $223.30 | — | 1,034 |
| Northern Plains | $227.31 | $355.48 | 5,523 |
| 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.