Eastern Cornbelt direct cattle trade — week of October 19, 2026
Feeder cattle sold ranch to feedlot, outside the auction ring, Oct 19–October 23, 2026. Covers Illinois, Indiana, MI, MN, OH, Kentucky.
Delivered — more
Compared to last week: Not enough comparable trades to test trends. Demand good.
USDA Market News reporter, week of October 19, 2026
Supply included: 100% Feeder Cattle (61% Steers, 39% Heifers). Feeder cattle supply over 600 lbs was 100%. Unless otherwise noted, Feeder Cattle prices FOB based on net weights after a 2-3% shrink or equivalent, with a 14-16 cent slide > 600 lbs.
Feeder steers — week of Oct 19
| Weight | Current head | Avg wt | Current $/cwt | vs last week | Forward $/cwt | Delivered $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700–799 lb | 59 | 788 lb | $336.50 | — | — | — |
| 800–899 lb | 480 | 851 lb | $321.00 | −4.00 | — | — |
| 900–999 lb | 287 | 922 lb | $313.25 | +10.25 | — | — |
Feeder heifers — week of Oct 19
| Weight | Current head | Avg wt | Current $/cwt | vs last week | Forward $/cwt | Delivered $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700–799 lb | 202 | 737 lb | $315.17 | +2.17 | $312.40325 hd · Jan, Nov | — |
Price trends (current F.O.B.)
Steers 700–799 lb Rising
- Latest (week of October 19, 2026)
- $336.50/cwt
- 4-week average
- $336.50
- 13-week average
- $322.25
- 4-week vs 13-week
- +4.4%
Sales in 2 of the last 13 weeks.
Steers 800–899 lb Steady
- Latest (week of October 19, 2026)
- $321.00/cwt
- 4-week average
- $321.67
- 13-week average
- $321.67
- 4-week vs 13-week
- 0.0%
Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.
Heifers 700–799 lb Steady
- Latest (week of October 19, 2026)
- $315.17/cwt
- 4-week average
- $316.14
- 13-week average
- $313.11
- 4-week vs 13-week
- +1.0%
Sales in 5 of the last 13 weeks.
Direction compares the 4-week average with the 13-week average: Rising +1% or more, Steady within ±1%, Easing −1% to −3%, Falling −3% or more. Weekly prices are head-weighted averages of Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 feeder cattle, regular lots.
The label describes recent prices; it is not a forecast. In our backtest of every barn since 2019 (about 35,000 barn-weeks), barns labeled Falling went on to beat other barns' average move over the next 13 weeks 61% of the time, and barns labeled Rising trailed it 56% of the time.
Last 52 weeks
Price history
Recent weeks
| Week of | F.O.B. head | Delivered head | Steers 800–899 | Steers 700–799 | Heifers 700–799 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19 | 1,353 | — | $321.00 | $336.50 | $315.17 |
| Oct 12 | 1,159 | — | $325.00 | — | $313.00 |
| Oct 5 | 1,011 | — | — | — | $326.00 |
| Sep 28 | 6,208 | — | $319.00 | — | $310.40 |
| Sep 21 | 900 | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 14 | 245 | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 7 | 485 | — | — | $308.00 | $301.00 |
| Aug 31 | 260 | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 17 | 576 | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 10 | 58 | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 3 | 140 | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 13 | 130 | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 29 | 65 | — | — | — | — |
Source: USDA AMS Market News, “Eastern Cornbelt Direct Cattle Report (IL/IN/MI/MN/OH/KY)” (AMS_3096). Direct trades are negotiated between sellers and buyers (often feedlots) and reported to USDA weekly; weights are estimates and prices carry the shrink and slide terms above.