Fed cattle vs feeder cattle prices
The packer's check and the calf's check on one chart, so you can see who's having the better year. Two USDA prices on one chart: what packers paid for finished steers (the 5-area weekly average, live weight) and what sale barns near Hansford County paid for feeder steers by weight class. Under the chart is USDA's monthly Cattle on Feed count for Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and the U.S. Each number carries its own report date and links to the USDA report it came from.
What packers pay for finished steers, and what barns near Hansford County pay for feeder steers
- Fed steers, 5-area average, live$223.68 per cwt · last trade Oct 30, 2026 · 5,638 headUSDA LM_CT100, negotiated cash trade; weeks with no trade have no point
- Feeder steers, 800-899 lb, barns within 150 miles (6 barns)$346.40 per cwt · sale week of Oct 26, 2026 · 6 barns, 2,078 headHead-weighted average of the weekly USDA barn reports; barns and weeks with no lots are left out.
Both lines are dollars per hundredweight, but they are different sales: finished steers sold live to packers, and feeder steers sold by weight class at a sale barn. Weekly points, May 4, 2026 to Oct 26, 2026.
Texas feedlots (1,000+ head capacity) held 2,520,000 head on Oct 1, 2026; a year earlier, 2,570,000.
| State | On feed Oct 1, 2026 | Year earlier | Placed in September | Marketed in September |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,520 | 2,570 | 330 | 300 |
| Kansas | 2,380 | 2,410 | 420 | 350 |
| Oklahoma | 355 | 320 | 48 | 42 |
| United States | 11,372 | 11,418 | 1,777 | 1,524 |
Thousand head. Released Oct 23, 2026; NASS Cattle on Feed. Next release is on the NASS schedule.
Where these numbers come from
- Fed steers: USDA Livestock Mandatory Reporting, 5-area weekly weighted average, negotiated cash trade.
- Feeder steers: the weekly USDA Market News sale barn reports, head-weighted by Cownty across the barns in range.
- Cattle on Feed: USDA NASS, monthly, feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity.
More on the barn prices: all prices · packers and boxed beef · how to read a USDA sale barn report · what does cwt mean? · Market Monday.
Past trades as USDA reported them, not a quote or advice. Not affiliated with USDA.