Cattle Prices Remain Historically Strong as Herd Rebuilding Nears In this outlook, we examine where we are in the current cattle cycle, an important indicator of how long high prices might last and share our price projections along with what the sector can expect in 2026 and beyond
2026 Market Outlook Shows More High Prices – Don’t Risk Losing Them Price volatility has done a whammy on cattle markets recently, causing major swings in feeder cattle and fed cattle markets The outlook for 2026 markets still looks strong, but prices will likely face as much or more volatility, which puts added pressure on managing financial risk
Smaller Cattle Herd Creates Market Volatility The combination of fewer beef cows and a declining calf crop means the 2026 calf crop will likely continue to trend downward because there are fewer calves available for the breeding herd, even if more heifers are kept for breeding purposes
Cattle Beef - Market Outlook | Economic Research Service Beef Cattle: The 2026 beef production outlook is forecast to be lower by 20 million pounds from last month to 25 790 billion pounds Upon updating the first quarter forecast with price data through March, cattle prices in the outlying quarters are unchanged
2026 beef outlook: Tight supplies, highest demand since 1983 Zimmerman estimated that fed cattle prices in 2025 will average $224 per cwt For 2026, he projected an increase to $235 to $240 per cwt On the feeder cattle and calf side, he expects prices to rise about 10% year over year compared to 2025
CattleFax Provides Optimistic 2026 Price Outlook at CattleCon Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax, says fed cattle cash prices may exceed last year’s but the average will be similar to 2025 2026 could be another record breaking year for cattle prices That’s according to the CattleFax’s 2026 Outlook released during CattleCon in Nashville, Tenn
National Beef Wire | Cattle Prices CLARA LIVE: Tina Livestock Market (Tina, MO) posted their 2nd-highest 10-weight price in barn history on April 27, 2026, with 226 head averaging 1,085 pounds selling for $301 50
How Much Does a Cow Cost in 2026? Beef Dairy Cattle Price Guide This guide breaks down average cow prices in 2026, explains how auction pricing works, shows realistic per-head price examples, and walks through ROI math so you can estimate what cattle may actually cost—and what they might return