Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 7, 2020

1,612 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Sterling Livestock Commission report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $140.86/cwt ≈ $814/hd at 578 lb · 143 head

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $151.94/cwt ≈ $948/hd at 624 lb · 135 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $159.77/cwt ≈ $845/hd at 529 lb · 120 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,612	730	1,807
Feeder cattle	1,612	—	1,807

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 500 lbs traded 7.00 lower. Steers over 500 lbs traded 1.00 to 4.50 higher. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs traded steady to 1.00 higher, while those over 550 lbs were 1.50 to 4.00 lower. Replacement cattle were too thinly tested to quote. Slaughter cattle were not quoted due to reporter availability. Trade activity and demand were moderate. The next available report will be Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
401–449	431	34	177.00–182.50	$179.31	$773
450–483	473	68	166.00–177.00	$170.71	$807
505–545	529	120	156.00–166.00	$159.77	$845
552–574	563	52	153.00–159.00	$155.43	$875
601–639	624	135	150.00–153.50	$151.94	$948
653–697	676	76	147.00–157.50	$150.48	$1,017
700–722	712	16	140.50–146.00	$143.21	$1,020
787–788	787	12	141.00	$141.00	$1,110
818–838	829	7	135.00–137.00	$135.85	$1,126

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
337–349	342	9	175.00–182.00	$178.17	$609
409–447	430	29	172.00–174.00	$173.46	$746
501–549	524	43	151.00–155.00	$152.94	$801
561–598	583	88	149.00–152.00	$151.25	$882
639–647	643	19	147.25–148.00	$147.59	$949

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
389	389	8	159.00	$159.00	$619
422–434	427	15	152.50–155.00	$153.98	$657
457–482	468	49	144.00–148.50	$145.79	$682
504–546	521	113	142.00–149.00	$144.57	$753
553–599	578	143	138.00–144.50	$140.86	$814
605–649	636	24	135.50–138.50	$137.46	$874
650–670	658	27	132.00–139.00	$135.67	$893
816–824	819	11	122.00–124.50	$122.91	$1,007
975	975	9	127.50	$127.50	$1,243

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
329–349	341	10	153.00–161.00	$157.91	$538
361–383	378	16	150.00–153.00	$152.28	$576
408–438	424	27	142.00–150.00	$147.39	$625
455–498	465	68	138.00–143.00	$141.72	$659
536–542	540	22	136.50–141.50	$139.34	$752
551–594	577	42	135.50–137.50	$136.03	$785
623–640	627	25	126.00–134.00	$128.43	$805
711–745	720	11	123.50	$123.50	$889

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
366	366	8	144.00	$144.00	$527

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.