SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Cattle prices have hit an all-time high, with some local ranchers getting roughly $3,000 for a 600-700 pound cow. This comes as grocery stores see consumers preferring beef over other meats.
Siouxland producers said they’re happy cattle prices are up, but so are the costs on everything else.
“The cattle market has been outstanding. I mean, it’s been the highest it’s ever been,” said Randy Kroksh, an Akron rancher.
“I’ve never dreamed I’d be so good,” said Mark Beitelspacher, owner of Beitelspacher Feed Lots.
Randy Kroksh has been a rancher for 40 years, and said the market has changed a lot since he began.
“I used to sell calves $500/$600 apiece. You know, a year ago we were selling calves for $2,000 a piece. Now, as of right now, we’re looking at the calf market, depending on the weight and stuff, but 600-700 pound calves are bringing anywhere from $2,500 to $2,800 bucks a piece,” said Kroksh.
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Kroksh raises the cattle, then sells them to feeders like Mark Beitelspacher, fattening up cows and then selling them to butchers.
“When I first started feeding cattle, I suppose about 35 years ago, we were lucky to get $0.72 a pound, and last week we had some cattle that were sold for $2.47 a pound, if that gives you an idea. But back in the day, we were paying, you know, $0.80 for our feeder cattle. Now we’re paying well over $3,” said Beitelspacher.
Cattle farmers said there are a couple of reasons for the high prices.
“I mean, we started with a lot of drought, not just around here, but like down south and to the west and everything. And ranchers had to sell cattle, and they basically just did not keep replacement heifers back, and they decided to keep their numbers down because they didn’t have the grass at the time. And then also the consumers are eating beef, they haven’t slowed down, even though prices have gone higher,” said Kroksh.
As of June 2025, the average price of ground beef is $6.12, which is up $0.76 from last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While farmers are getting more bang for their buck, producers are still dealing with high prices on everything else.
“A good cattle-bred cattle these days will sell anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000. And I mean, you’re looking at spending that money on bulls $5,000 to $10,000, versus when we were selling $500 to $600 calves, you could buy a bread cow for a thousand bucks, and you could buy a bull for $2,000 to $3,000. So expenses have drastically increased, too,” said Kroksh.
“Feeders are definitely higher, but it’s going to cost us less money to put the weight on,” said Beitelspacher.
According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, 86% of the corn and 79% of soybeans in Iowa have been rated good to excellent as of June.
Which, Beitelspacher said, keeps him optimistic.
“I haven’t seen feed costs this low for probably five to seven years, so that’s a plus for us for this. We’re paying these expensive dollars for these feeder cattle,” said Beitelspacher.
While cattle prices are the highest they’ve ever been this year, a report from the USDA expects prices to peak next year.
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