Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 28, 2020

2,074 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $140.90/cwt -1.58 vs last sale · ≈ $864/hd at 613 lb · 303 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $139.90/cwt -1.40 vs last sale · ≈ $951/hd at 680 lb · 149 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $128.66/cwt -6.85 vs last sale · ≈ $673/hd at 523 lb · 135 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,074 1,102 0
Feeder cattle 2,051 1,046 0
Replacement cattle 23 56 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600 lbs traded steady to 5.00 higher, while those over 600 lbs traded 12.50 higher on limited comparable trades. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded 5.00 to 11.00 lower, while those over 600 lbs traded steady to 3.00 lower. Replacement cattle traded 75.00 to 100.00 per head higher on a thin test. Slaughter cattle were not reported due to reporter availability. Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. The next available report will be Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417–438 432 24 170.00–179.50 $173.89 $751 -0.80
461–493 476 67 165.00–177.50 $171.51 $816 +4.85
503–529 516 128 155.00–162.50 $157.74 $814 -0.39
553–592 573 90 143.50–152.00 $145.90 $836 +0.64
604–633 unweaned 613 303 135.00–145.50 $140.90 $864 —
668–696 unweaned 679 113 132.00–139.50 $135.44 $920 —
663–689 683 36 150.50–155.00 $153.91 $1,051 +12.61
722–732 725 102 150.00–154.50 $153.16 $1,110 —
758–798 773 17 146.00–152.00 $147.23 $1,138 —
806–841 821 40 149.50–151.25 $150.54 $1,236 —
885 885 10 146.50 $146.50 $1,297 —
904–942 923 10 141.00–144.50 $142.71 $1,317 —
1199 1199 5 110.00 $110.00 $1,319 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 20 176.00 $176.00 $692 —
450–475 469 11 158.00–162.00 $159.80 $749 —
525–545 540 57 144.00–150.75 $149.40 $807 +4.24
553–594 570 72 138.00–142.50 $140.80 $803 -0.11
636 unweaned 636 16 130.00 $130.00 $827 —
656–694 683 77 137.50–142.50 $139.26 $951 +4.43
703–735 705 18 130.25–140.00 $130.81 $922 —
886 886 9 138.50 $138.50 $1,227 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
491–497 495 22 141.00–148.50 $145.72 $721 —
565 565 8 132.00 $132.00 $746 —
624–644 641 30 121.00–123.00 $121.66 $780 —
652–692 668 49 125.00–131.00 $129.15 $863 —
746 746 9 122.00 $122.00 $910 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 5 117.00 $117.00 $760 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390–395 392 9 140.00–149.00 $143.03 $561 -7.97
453–483 478 31 129.50–135.00 $130.99 $626 -9.39
501–540 523 135 125.00–131.00 $128.66 $673 -6.85
557–594 582 64 122.00–126.50 $124.44 $724 -5.53
643 unweaned 643 20 121.50 $121.50 $781 —
648 648 6 125.00 $125.00 $810 -2.28
673–677 unweaned 675 8 118.50–120.00 $119.44 $806 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409–448 426 9 138.00–141.00 $139.40 $594 -11.11
465–482 477 38 138.00 $138.00 $658 -6.50
506–528 518 57 135.00–136.50 $135.24 $701 -8.49
553–586 574 56 128.50–130.00 $129.27 $742 -5.29
600–649 unweaned 642 38 126.00–128.50 $128.13 $823 —
686 unweaned 686 18 126.50 $126.50 $868 —
753 753 4 125.00 $125.00 $941 —
868 868 4 122.00 $122.00 $1,059 —
920–949 932 20 120.00–122.50 $121.48 $1,132 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
426 426 10 124.00 $124.00 $528 —
518–545 540 36 110.00–122.00 $112.81 $609 —
622–628 624 32 113.00–119.00 $115.43 $720 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1225–1303 1287 Aged (>8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 14 710.00–810.00 $774.64
1290–1299 1298 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 9 835.00–960.00 $946.20

↑ Back to top

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.