Buckhannon Stockyards Livestock Auction market report — October 21, 2026

Buckhannon, WV · Wednesday sale · USDA report published 10/21/2026 · Sale days

Head sold

Last week 28 (+62)
Last year 24

5-wt steers (500–599 lb)

$371.73 /cwt

$1,989 per head · 6 hd
vs last week +31.73

7-wt steers (700–799 lb)

— /cwt

None sold in this weight at the latest sale

Average attendance this week, very similar head run compared to last week and trade active throughout. Feeders trending somewhat higher for all types, following a stronger board this week as well. Slaughter Cattle: Boner Cows higher by $3.75 per cwt while demand lower for Breaking Cows; Bulls sold steady to slightly lower. Heiferettes $205.00-$240.00 per hundred.
USDA Market News reporter, October 21, 2026

Feeder steers — Oct 21

Steers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 14. Last year = sale of Oct 22. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year
400–499 lb	2	475 lb	$390.00†	$1,852	−10.00	−9.90
500–599 lb	6	535 lb	$371.73	$1,989	+31.73	+54.65

Feeder heifers — Oct 21

Heifers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 14. Last year = sale of Oct 22. 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
300–399 lb	1	300 lb	$340.00†	$1,020	−32.50	−28.43	$305.00 (2 hd)†
400–499 lb	9	463 lb	$354.93	$1,643	+12.54	−17.03	$270.00 (1 hd)†
500–599 lb	9	517 lb	$329.44	$1,702	+49.44	+17.14	—
600–699 lb	3	620 lb	$295.00†	$1,829	+32.69	—	—

Slaughter cows — Oct 21

Grade	Dressing	Head	Avg wt	Avg $/cwt	Range $/cwt
Boner 80-85%	Average	13	1,270 lb	$117.99	$112.00–$123.00
Boner 80-85%	Low	2	1,418 lb	$109.00	$109.00–$109.00
Breaker 75-80%	Average	5	1,407 lb	$120.27	$116.00–$124.00
Lean 85-90%	Average	5	1,213 lb	$101.54	$95.00–$106.00
Lean 85-90%	Low	2	883 lb	$72.90	$66.00–$80.00

Price trends

Steers 500–599 lb Rising

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $371.73/cwt
4-week average: $365.04
13-week average: $358.36
4-week vs 13-week: +1.9%

52-wk low $315.00high $500.00

Sales in 7 of the last 13 weeks.

Steers 700–799 lb Falling

Latest (week of September 28, 2026): $290.00/cwt
4-week average: $285.00
13-week average: $332.55
4-week vs 13-week: −14.3%

52-wk low $280.00high $412.47

Sales in 4 of the last 13 weeks.

Heifers 500–599 lb Easing

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $329.44/cwt
4-week average: $300.99
13-week average: $308.94
4-week vs 13-week: −2.6%

52-wk low $274.00high $400.00

Sales in 8 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 Jul 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	−6.0%	25%	4
Feb	+9.0%	100%	3
Mar	+13.3%	100%	5
Apr	+8.1%	80%	5
May	+8.8%	100%	5
Jun	−0.3%	60%	5
Jul	−9.5%	0%	3
Aug	0.0%	40%	5
Sep	−3.0%	20%	5
Oct	−7.5%	0%	5
Nov	−5.8%	0%	5
Dec	−1.2%	33%	3

7-weight steers

Not enough history yet for a seasonal pattern.

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
Wed Oct 21	90	$371.73	—	$329.44
Wed Oct 14	113	$340.00†	—	$280.00†
Wed Oct 7	97	$345.95	—	$285.00
Wed Sep 30	51	$402.50†	$290.00†	$309.51
Wed Sep 23	40	—	—	$320.00†
Wed Sep 9	56	$340.00	$280.00†	—
Wed Sep 2	41	—	—	$298.75†
Wed Aug 26	81	$338.33†	—	$317.77
Wed Aug 19	87	$370.00†	$347.72†	$331.03†
Wed Aug 12	47	—	—	—

Special and graded sales

The last 12 months of this barn's special and graded sales, $/cwt, Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 regular lots (value-added lots where a sale has only those). A sale counts in the weekly trend only when it is a regular feeder sale: a plain special where feeder steers and heifers are most of the head. Graded, replacement, cow-and-pair, preconditioned and Holstein sales stay out.
Sale	Type	Head	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799	Heifers 500–599	In trend
Oct 6, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	642	$409.18	$311.10	$335.96	No
Sep 22, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	658	$406.69	—	$328.53	No
Sep 15, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,075	$363.81	$285.00	$323.57	No
Aug 25, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	286	$352.85	$340.80	$337.94	No
Jul 28, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	165	$460.00	$363.00	—	No
Apr 14, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	451	$497.10	$397.50	$417.09	No
Mar 24, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	520	$439.75	$362.19	$384.94	No
Dec 2, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	337	$349.35	$315.00	$318.05	No
Oct 7, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	706	$371.88	$310.00	$349.01	No
Sep 23, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	512	$425.17	$349.26	$388.68	No

Nearby barns this week

Straight-line distance between towns. Barns tagged unweaned show unweaned-calf prices. Every West Virginia sale this week.
Barn	Distance	Sale	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799
Weston Livestock Marketing, Weston	13 mi	Oct 17	$387.58	$315.03†
Preston Farmers Market, Terra Alta	48 mi	Oct 23	$375.00†	$310.00†
Jackson County Regional Livestock Market, Ripley	80 mi	Oct 17	$394.97	—

Sale days

Sale	Latest report	Head	Sales in 52 weeks	USDA report
Wednesday	October 21, 2026	90	30	AMS_1872
Special Graded Sale graded	October 6, 2026	642	10	AMS_1884

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “Buckhannon Stockyards Livestock Auction - Buckhannon, WV” (AMS_1872); “Buckhannon Stockyards Special Graded Sale - Buckhannon, WV” (AMS_1884). 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.