Iowa direct cattle trade — week of September 21, 2026
Feeder cattle sold ranch to feedlot, outside the auction ring, Sep 21–September 25, 2026. Covers Iowa.
F.O.B. 228 more
Prices here are delivered to the feedlot. Most direct trades in Iowa over the last 13 weeks were priced delivered (freight included) rather than F.O.B., so the cards, trends and charts use delivered prices. F.O.B. prices are in their own column.
Compared to last week: Not enough recent trades to test trends. Demand moderate to good.
USDA Market News reporter, week of September 21, 2026
Supply included: 100% Feeder Cattle (100% Steers). Feeder cattle supply over 600 lbs was 100%. Unless otherwise noted, Feeder Cattle prices FOB based on net weights after a 2% shrink or equivalent, with a 10 cent slide > 600 lbs.
Feeder steers — week of Sep 21
| Weight | Current head | Avg wt | Current $/cwt | vs last week | Forward $/cwt | F.O.B. $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800–899 lb | — | — | — | — | — | $335.00228 hd |
Price trends (current delivered)
Steers 700–799 lb Steady
- Latest (week of September 14, 2026)
- $345.00/cwt
- 4-week average
- $345.00
- 13-week average
- $345.00
- 4-week vs 13-week
- 0.0%
Sales in 1 of the last 13 weeks.
Heifers 700–799 lb Steady
- Latest (week of September 14, 2026)
- $331.00/cwt
- 4-week average
- $331.00
- 13-week average
- $331.00
- 4-week vs 13-week
- 0.0%
Sales in 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 | 228 | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 14 | — | 559 | — | $345.00 | $331.00 |
| Sep 7 | — | 300 | — | — | — |
| Aug 3 | — | 144 | — | — | — |
| Jun 8 | 58 | — | — | — | — |
| May 25 | 58 | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 6 | — | 190 | — | — | — |
| Mar 23 | 240 | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 16 | 240 | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 2 | 291 | — | — | — | — |
| Feb 2 | 70 | — | — | — | — |
| Jan 26 | 380 | — | — | — | — |
| Dec 8 | — | 80 | — | — | — |
Source: USDA AMS Market News, “Iowa Direct Cattle Report” (AMS_3455). 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.