Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 9, 2020

2,936 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $155.32/cwt +3.13 vs last sale · ≈ $741/hd at 477 lb · 260 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $143.12/cwt -0.41 vs last sale · ≈ $967/hd at 676 lb · 190 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $165.01/cwt -0.85 vs last sale · ≈ $941/hd at 570 lb · 181 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,936 2,000 1,438
Feeder cattle 2,915 1,993 1,438
Replacement cattle 21 7 0

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600 lbs traded steady to 5.50 higher. Steers over 600 lbs traded mostly steady to 5.50 lower. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded steady to 4.50 higher, while those over 600 lbs did not have have enough comparisons to accurately trend. Trade activity and demand were moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
362–372 368 28 201.00–207.00 $205.65 $757
412–445 422 40 185.00–187.00 $186.37 $786
465–495 478 152 175.50–185.00 $178.69 $854 +1.34
501–536 516 159 169.00–180.00 $175.04 $903 +5.55
557–583 570 181 160.00–169.00 $165.01 $941 -0.85
605–633 618 154 153.00–159.00 $156.09 $965 +0.17
630 fancy 630 5 174.00 $174.00 $1,096
940 940 31 129.00 $129.00 $1,213 -5.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–392 377 18 178.00–189.00 $182.26 $687 +4.53
406–445 429 31 171.00–177.00 $174.71 $750
460–498 480 29 169.00–174.00 $171.72 $824 +3.48
509–539 519 28 156.00–167.00 $163.13 $847 -0.08
574–592 584 64 151.00–158.00 $155.66 $909 -1.60
602 unweaned 602 9 136.00 $136.00 $819
618–639 633 35 144.00–147.00 $144.65 $916 -1.80
669–676 unweaned 673 22 136.00–137.00 $136.59 $919
650–686 676 168 142.00–146.00 $143.98 $973 +0.45
712 unweaned 712 8 132.00 $132.00 $940
700–730 717 27 141.50–143.00 $142.30 $1,020
751–792 785 118 135.00–139.00 $138.79 $1,090 +1.78
800–806 804 18 131.00–135.00 $132.94 $1,069
858–885 874 87 132.00–134.00 $133.21 $1,164
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
462 462 6 142.00 $142.00 $656
572 572 7 137.00 $137.00 $784
662–694 684 10 119.00–120.00 $119.29 $816
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356 356 6 172.50 $172.50 $614 +12.50
550–587 580 12 142.00–149.00 $147.51 $856 +3.08

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357–392 366 33 163.00–164.00 $163.32 $598
400–439 423 36 158.00–165.00 $162.93 $689 +4.49
451–499 477 260 150.00–161.00 $155.32 $741 +3.13
504–532 520 102 147.50–149.00 $148.63 $773 -0.60
550–578 562 136 141.00–147.25 $143.87 $809 +0.53
603–645 621 38 135.00–138.00 $136.02 $845 -0.44
654–679 669 35 130.00–133.00 $131.35 $879 -0.89
742 742 86 130.00 $130.00 $965 +1.73
752 752 23 129.75 $129.75 $976
813–836 830 33 127.00–129.00 $127.53 $1,058
1118–1140 1122 10 114.00–118.50 $117.59 $1,319
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
362–383 368 23 157.00–161.00 $158.86 $585 +9.83
400–449 421 56 148.00–154.00 $151.99 $640 +3.08
477–498 480 41 147.00–148.00 $147.25 $707 +4.80
503–548 526 110 136.50–144.50 $141.77 $746 +0.33
552–579 561 31 132.00–139.50 $135.24 $759 -2.69
614–646 630 22 130.00–133.50 $132.88 $837 +1.91
653–691 675 40 125.00–128.00 $127.26 $859 +2.71
726 726 9 122.00 $122.00 $886
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
543 543 6 130.00 $130.00 $706 -3.00
594 594 9 126.00 $126.00 $748 -6.05
605–639 629 18 116.00–124.00 $121.75 $766

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
918–1490 1152 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 16 560.00–750.00 $646.44
1065–1255 1192 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 825.00–950.00 $862.24

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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.