Cattle prices jump 36% despite Q4 drop
- ZISK
- Jan 26
- 1 min read
Cattle prices advanced for a third consecutive year in 2025. Prices for all classes of cattle moved higher, setting frequent records for most of the first three quarters of the year before experiencing a sharp correction in the fourth quarter. Cattle prices recovered in December to end the year and set the stage for markets in 2026. Table 1 summarizes 2025 prices for calves, feeders, fed cattle and cull cows.
Oklahoma auction prices for 500-pound steer calves picked up from year-end highs in 2024 and increased even more sharply in 2025. Prices started the year at $353.45/cwt. and ended at $480.48/cwt., a 35.9 percent increase for the year. By the end of December, these calf prices had fully recovered from the fourth quarter correction, when prices were at $479.89/cwt, and by mid-October, dropped to $413.71/cwt. at the end of November, a 13.7 percent drop, before recovering to a new high in December.
Derrell Peel
December 31, 2025
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