CME Group feeder and live cattle futures · $ per cwt (100 lb) · Updated every 15 min
Feeder cattle Oct '26
$352.60
$ / cwt · GF
▲ +$2.70 (+0.77%)
Last trade
Live cattle Oct '26
$230.10
$ / cwt · LE
▲ +$0.125 (+0.05%)
Last trade
Live cattle last traded near $230.10 · feeders near $352.60 · $/cwt · as of Oct 27, 1:05 p.m. CT · Yahoo Finance, delayed, updated every 15 min in session.
Loading prices
Feeder cattle are calves headed to the feedlot; live cattle are finished cattle ready to sell. The settle is the exchange’s official closing price for the day. See what cattle brought at sale barns.
Data: CME Group futures via Yahoo Finance, delayed 10 to 25 min. Sources at the bottom of the page.
Cattle futures trade on the CME in two contracts: live cattle (LE): finished, market-ready animals around 1,400 lb, and feeder cattle (GF): weaned calves headed to the feedlot.
Feeder vs live, and what moves cattle
Both are quoted in dollars per hundredweight ($/cwt). Feeder prices lead, because today's feeder is the feedlot's raw material and the live contract is the finished product; the feeder/live ratio shows where value sits between cow-calf producers and feedlots. Cattle prices move on the USDA Cattle on Feed and Inventory reports, beef demand and the boxed-beef cutout, slaughter pace, and corn feed costs, not the monthly WASDE. Compare with live corn futures (feed cost) and check what's priced in for grain reports. Prices below are fetched about every 15 minutes, about 10 to 25 minutes behind the exchange.
Live CattleLE=F · $/cwt
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52-Week Range
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Feeder CattleGF=F · $/cwt
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52-Week Range
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Feeder / live ratiofeeder ÷ live
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Loads with live prices.
Cash side · USDA reports$/cwt
Fed steers, 5-area weekly
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Boxed beef cutout, Choice
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What these are · Fed steers: USDA AMS 5-area weekly weighted average for steers sold live, all grades (LM_CT150). Cutout: the USDA value of a Choice carcass, 600 to 900 lb, from boxed beef sales (LM_XB403, afternoon), per cwt of carcass, not live weight. Each is dated by its own report. These are cash prices, not futures.
Selling feeders? Sale barn prices near you: steers and heifers by weight class at USDA-reported auctions.
Forward curve, every live cattle contractCarry or discount from the nearby out
Forward curve · live cattle-
Deferred contracts not available right now.
Carry analysis loads with price data.
Method · Each live cattle contract from this month on, the settle after the close, the latest delayed trade in session, in $/cwt (hundredweight, 100 lb live), five contracts in all, this month first. The per-month figure is the peak contract minus the first, divided by the months between them. A futures curve, not a cash forecast. · Sources · CME live cattle futures via Yahoo Finance, delayed. · Reviewed by Sigurd Lindquist, CCA
Fund positioning (CFTC)What managed money holds in live and feeder cattle
Managed money positioning · cattle
Live Cattle (LE)
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net contracts
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Feeder Cattle (GF)
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net contracts
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Source: CFTC Disaggregated Commitments of Traders, futures-only, released Fridays 3:30 PM ET · CFTC ↗
Seasonal price tendencyWhat weekly closes did by month over recent years
Cattle seasonal price tendencyLive cattle, continuous series · current month highlighted
Weekly closes by calendar month, scaled 0–100 (0 = weakest month, 100 = strongest). Continuous front-month, not roll-adjusted, over a short window: a description of these years, not a forecast.
Cost-of-gain calculatorWhat sale price covers your feeder, feed and yardage
Cattle feeding cost-of-gain calculator
What sale price do you need to break even? Enter your feeder cost, finished weight, and cost of gain. Feeder and fed-cattle prices are pre-filled from today's delayed board quotes. The feeder price is the front feeder futures, which settles to the CME Feeder Cattle Index for 700–899 lb steers (default weight 800 lb); lighter calves usually bring more per cwt, so adjust for yours. The sale price comes from the live cattle contract nearest the month your cattle would finish, assuming 3.5 lb/day average gain. Cost of gain typically runs $0.90–$1.30/lb (feed, yardage, interest, death loss).
Breakeven sale price
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Purchase cost-
Pounds of gain-
Feeding cost-
Total cost / head-
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Decision-support only, not a guarantee. Real returns depend on actual cost of gain, death loss, basis, yield grade, interest, and the sale-month board, which all move. Use it to compare scenarios, then confirm with your own closeouts.
The live price above shows the CME front-month live cattle contract (LE), refreshed every 15 minutes during the trading day, quoted in dollars per hundredweight ($/cwt).
What is the difference between live cattle and feeder cattle futures?
Feeder cattle (GF) are calves headed into feedlots: the contract settles to the CME Feeder Cattle Index, a 7-day average price of 700–899 lb feeder steers; live cattle (LE) are finished, market-ready animals around 1,400 lb. Feeder prices lead, since today's feeder is the feedlot's raw material and live cattle is the finished product. Both are quoted in dollars per hundredweight.
What is the feeder-to-live cattle ratio?
The feeder/live ratio is the feeder cattle price divided by the live cattle price. A high ratio means feeders are expensive relative to fed cattle, squeezing feedlot margins; a low ratio means cheaper feeders and better potential feeding margins. It's a quick read on where value sits between cow-calf producers and feedlots.
How do I calculate a cattle feeding breakeven and cost of gain?
Purchase cost = feeder weight × purchase price ÷ 100. Pounds of gain = finished weight − feeder weight. Feeding cost = pounds of gain × cost of gain ($/lb, typically $0.90–$1.30 covering feed, yardage, interest, and death loss). Breakeven sale price ($/cwt) = (purchase cost + feeding cost) ÷ finished weight × 100. The calculator above does this and compares it to the live cattle board.
What moves cattle futures prices?
Cattle futures move on the USDA Cattle on Feed and Cattle Inventory reports, beef demand and the boxed beef cutout, slaughter pace and packer margins, corn and feed costs, and weather or drought affecting herd size. Unlike grain, the monthly WASDE is not the primary catalyst.
When is the USDA Cattle on Feed report?
USDA releases Cattle on Feed monthly, typically on the third or fourth Friday at 2:00 PM CT, covering feedlots with 1,000+ head capacity. The USDA Cattle inventory report, released in January and again in July (USDA skipped the July report in 2024 only), sizes the whole herd. These, not WASDE, are the cattle market's scheduled movers.
CCA · cattle, dairy & grain producers nationwide. Questions, corrections, partnership? sig@agsist.com · About AGSIST
Prices from Yahoo Finance via GitHub Actions (delayed ~15 min): the exchange settle after the close, the latest delayed trade in session. 5-year percentile from Yahoo weekly closes of the continuous front-month LE=F and GF=F series (not roll-adjusted). Quoted in $/cwt. Decision-support only, not financial advice. Verify with your broker before making marketing decisions.