Lighter calves bring more per pound because the buyer still gets to put on the cheapest gain. An 8-weight steer costs more per head but less per pound, and the gap is called the price slide.
Wildorado steers by weight, Oct 27, 2026
| Steers 400–499 lb | $419.17/cwt |
| Steers 500–599 lb | $409.43/cwt |
| Steers 600–699 lb | $359.64/cwt |
| Steers 700–799 lb | $317.29/cwt |
| Steers 800–899 lb | $330.00/cwt |
| Steers 900–999 lb | $318.00/cwt |
Source: USDA AMS report 3365 (PDF) · as of Oct 27, 2026
A buyer pricing a 550 lb calf is really pricing what it will be worth at 800 or 850 lb, minus the cost to get it there. When grass or wheat pasture is plentiful and feed is cheap, adding those pounds is profitable, so buyers bid more per pound for light calves. That's why the gap often widens in the fall when wheat pasture greens up.
When feed is expensive or pasture is short, the value of gain drops and the slide narrows. Heavier cattle that can go straight to a feedyard look relatively better.
Other things move the slide too: the futures price for feeder cattle, interest rates, the health risk of fresh-weaned calves, and lot size. Uniform truckload lots bring more.
The table below shows this week's head-weighted averages by weight at the Panhandle barns, so you can see the slide in real numbers. Per head, the heavier steer is still worth more. Per pound, the lighter one wins.
This is general market economics, not a forecast or advice. Prices are past sales reported by USDA, not a quote.
Official sources
Rules checked against these pages on Oct 18, 2026. Live numbers update with each data load. Information only: the agency decides. Not affiliated with USDA.