Feeder steer prices

In USDA AMS livestock auction reports, STEERS under the FEEDER CATTLE category are young castrated males sold to be finished — not heifers, not bulls, and not slaughter cattle. Most lots are priced per hundredweight (cwt) on actual weight. This page is a national snapshot by weight band.

Steers vs heifers and bulls

Filter feeder steers with class=STEERS and category=FEEDER CATTLE. Class separates steers from heifers and bulls; category keeps you in the feeder market. At a similar weight, steers often print a higher $/cwt than heifers or feeder bulls of the same grade. Same week, same grade, 500–599 lb band: steers averaged $428.84/cwt (151 auctions, 22,429 head) versus heifers at $373.78/cwt (159 auctions, 14,801 head).

Why lighter bands print a higher $/cwt

Lighter calves have more gain left, so buyers often pay more per hundredweight and less per head. Compare inside one weight band, then check grade and comments (Fancy, Unweaned, Value Added) before treating two numbers as the same market.

National snapshot by weight band (Nov 2–6, 2026)

Medium and Large 1 feeder steers, priced per cwt. Averages are head-weighted across every matching lot we ingested that week. The lot range is the low and high lot average in that band.

Weight	Auctions	Head	Avg $/cwt	Lot range
400–499 lb	143	10,286	$487.83	$315.00–$582.00
500–599 lb	151	22,429	$428.84	$285.00–$505.00
600–699 lb	150	15,335	$379.81	$285.00–$433.00
700–799 lb	117	5,396	$340.51	$250.00–$380.02
800–899 lb	69	4,420	$323.75	$89.60–$346.22

This page is a dated snapshot from USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News auction reports (public); the API has current lots.

Worked example from a real sale

From Lexington Livestock Market (Lexington, NE) on Nov 6, 2026, one feeder steer lot in our API:

{ "auction_name": "Lexington Livestock Market",
  "state": "NE", "report_date": "2026-11-06",
  "category": "FEEDER CATTLE", "class_name": "STEERS",
  "grade": "Medium and Large 1", "head_count": 402,
  "weight_avg": 631, "price_avg": 404.64,
  "unit": "Per Cwt / Actual Wt", "comments": "Unweaned" }

Reading it: 402 unweaned Medium and Large 1 steers, about 631 lb average, sold at about $404.64 per cwt. Rough lot value: (631 ÷ 100) × 404.64 × 402 ≈ $1,026,400. Source: USDA AMS; we are not affiliated with USDA.

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: kl_free_demo_2026" \
  "https://api.kossinlabs.com/v1/prices?class=STEERS&category=FEEDER%20CATTLE&weight_min=500&weight_max=600&limit=5"

Pull more feeder steer lots as JSON

Free demo key (no sign-up): kl_free_demo_2026. Docs: api.kossinlabs.com. Product page: cattle auction prices API. Starter is $29/mo for higher limits — subscribe. 30-day money-back guarantee.

For what feeder cattle means as a category, see feeder cattle prices. For lighter feeders bought to graze (often called stockers), see stocker cattle prices. For heifer vs steer $/cwt, see heifer prices. For feeder vs slaughter bulls, see bull prices. For the same steer type by state, see cattle prices by state — starting with Wyoming and South Dakota. For the cwt math, see cattle price per cwt. For PDF layout, see how to read cattle auction reports.

Barn pages with the latest sale by weight: Joplin Regional Stockyards, Oklahoma National Stockyards, OKC West Livestock Auction, Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction, Mobridge Livestock Exchange, Ogallala Livestock Auction, Hub City Livestock Auction, Billings Livestock Commission, Valentine Livestock Auction, Winter Livestock, Torrington Livestock Auction, St. Onge Livestock Auction, Herreid Livestock Market, Stockmen's Livestock Exchange, Lexington Livestock Market.