Southern Livestock market report — October 20, 2026

Oak Park, GA · Tuesday sale · USDA report published 10/21/2026 · Sale days

Head sold

900

Last week 721 (+179)
Last year 810

5-wt steers (500–599 lb)

$394.45 /cwt

$2,055 per head · 5 hd
vs last week +16.39

7-wt steers (700–799 lb)

— /cwt

None sold in this weight at the latest sale

Compared to a week ago: Slaughter cows and bulls steady, feeder steers and bulls steady, feeder heifers 7.00 higher, steer and bull calves unevenly steady, heifer calves 5.00 higher, replacements steady.
USDA Market News reporter, October 20, 2026

Feeder steers — Oct 20

Steers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 13. Last year = sale of Oct 21. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	No. 2 $/cwt
400–499 lb	8	431 lb	$433.71	$1,869	+19.63	−26.29	$395.68 (24 hd)
500–599 lb	5	521 lb	$394.45	$2,055	+16.39	−24.84	$354.54 (11 hd)
600–699 lb	2	665 lb	$330.00†	$2,194	−9.94	−49.98	$326.25 (12 hd)
700–799 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$307.00 (3 hd)†

Feeder heifers — Oct 20

Heifers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 13. Last year = sale of Oct 21. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$406.96 (14 hd)
400–499 lb	39	438 lb	$377.55	$1,654	+0.85	−17.35	$350.21 (14 hd)
500–599 lb	42	563 lb	$324.45	$1,827	−4.55	−22.26	$309.75 (7 hd)
600–699 lb	22	654 lb	$299.88	$1,961	+1.77	−39.79	$290.89 (11 hd)
700–799 lb	7	731 lb	$271.58	$1,985	−1.32	—	—

Slaughter cows — Oct 20

Grade	Dressing	Head	Avg wt	Avg $/cwt	Range $/cwt
Boner 80-85%	High	10	1,394 lb	$163.47	$160.00–$170.00
Boner 80-85%	Average	10	1,283 lb	$153.46	$146.00–$159.00
Boner 80-85%	Low	7	1,402 lb	$138.76	$132.00–$144.00
Breaker 75-80%	High	2	1,530 lb	$155.00	$155.00–$155.00
Breaker 75-80%	Average	2	1,550 lb	$138.48	$138.00–$139.00
Breaker 75-80%	Low	3	1,655 lb	$135.69	$135.00–$136.00
Lean 85-90%	High	3	1,192 lb	$154.26	$150.00–$158.00
Lean 85-90%	Average	19	1,044 lb	$138.96	$135.00–$144.00
Lean 85-90%	Low	15	1,008 lb	$127.54	$118.00–$134.00

Price trends

Steers 500–599 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $394.45/cwt
4-week average: $387.76
13-week average: $387.11
4-week vs 13-week: +0.2%

52-wk low $378.06high $488.78

Sales in 8 of the last 13 weeks.

Steers 700–799 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 12, 2026): $338.00/cwt
4-week average: $324.95
13-week average: $326.13
4-week vs 13-week: −0.4%

52-wk low $291.28high $377.50

Sales in 7 of the last 13 weeks.

Heifers 500–599 lb Falling

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $324.45/cwt
4-week average: $330.42
13-week average: $348.52
4-week vs 13-week: −5.2%

52-wk low $323.44high $447.05

Sales in 11 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

Weekly average $/cwt4-week average

Price history since 2019

Weekly average $/cwt

When to sell: the seasonal pattern

5-weight steers

For 500–599 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Mar and Feb and lowest in Nov and Oct.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−0.5%	57%	7
Feb	+6.1%	100%	7
Mar	+7.1%	100%	7
Apr	+5.5%	86%	7
May	+4.2%	71%	7
Jun	+3.2%	86%	7
Jul	+2.3%	86%	7
Aug	−2.6%	43%	7
Sep	−3.5%	17%	6
Oct	−6.3%	0%	6
Nov	−6.3%	0%	7
Dec	−3.8%	14%	7

7-weight steers

For 700–799 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Feb and Apr and lowest in Nov and Dec.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−0.2%	50%	6
Feb	+3.2%	67%	6
Mar	+1.1%	83%	6
Apr	+3.0%	71%	7
May	+0.7%	43%	7
Jun	−0.4%	43%	7
Jul	+2.0%	67%	6
Aug	+1.8%	57%	7
Sep	+2.0%	80%	5
Oct	−2.3%	20%	5
Nov	−4.1%	20%	5
Dec	−3.5%	20%	5

Recent sales

Last 13 weeks. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price. Download the weekly history as CSV.
Sale	Head sold	Steers 500–599 $/cwt	Steers 700–799 $/cwt	Heifers 500–599 $/cwt
Tue Oct 20	900	$394.45	—	$324.45
Tue Oct 13	721	$378.06	$338.00	$329.00
Tue Oct 6	652	$394.91	$307.48	$340.57
Tue Sep 29	635	$383.62	—	$327.65
Tue Sep 22	678	$379.77	$329.36	$331.52
Tue Sep 15	797	$386.29	$332.06	$338.09
Tue Sep 8	590	$380.00†	$320.49†	$330.47
Tue Sep 1	725	—	$301.25	$332.52
Tue Aug 25	546	—	—	—
Tue Aug 18	414	—	—	—
Tue Aug 11	563	—	—	$407.50
Tue Aug 4	517	$399.74	—	$388.00†
Tue Jul 28	587	—	—	$384.00
Tue Jul 21	692	—	$354.27	$376.00†

Nearby barns this week

Straight-line distance between towns. Barns tagged unweaned show unweaned-calf prices. Every Georgia sale this week.
Barn	Distance	Sale	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799
Pulaski County Stockyard, Hawkinsville	68 mi	Oct 20	—	$336.00
Turner County Stockyard, Ashburn	90 mi	Oct 21	$384.73	$331.49
Duvall Livestock, Greensboro	97 mi	Oct 19	$346.94	$303.35
Wilkes County Stockyard, Washington	98 mi	Oct 20	$352.50†	—
Jackson Regional Stockyard, Jackson	115 mi	Oct 21	$338.09	—
Northeast Georgia Livestock, Athens	126 mi	Oct 21	$403.32†	$307.50†

Sale days

Sale	Latest report	Head	Sales in 52 weeks	USDA report
Tuesday	October 20, 2026	900	48	AMS_1934

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “Southern Livestock - Oak Park, GA” (AMS_1934). See something wrong? Report a correction. Feeder prices are Medium and Large frame No. 1 and 1–2 cattle, $/cwt, grouped into 100-lb bands by average weight and weighted by head count. Value-added, unweaned and No. 2 lots are shown in their own columns; other lot types (fancy, fleshy, thin-fleshed, spayed, replacement) are left out. $/head = $/cwt × average weight ÷ 100.