Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 4, 2022

1,186 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $170.57/cwt +16.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,286/hd at 754 lb · 90 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $173.66/cwt ≈ $905/hd at 521 lb · 72 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.31/cwt +3.70 vs last sale · ≈ $975/hd at 566 lb · 67 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,186 1,175 1,051
Feeder cattle 855 1,051 1,020
Slaughter cattle 242 79 0
Replacement cattle 89 45 31

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: No trend is available as this is the first reported sale in a month. Trade and activity were moderate to good. Today's run consisted of mostly weaned calves and yearling cattle with at least two rounds of vaccinations. The next available report will be Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

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
360–368 365 3 196.00–200.00 $197.31 $720 —
429 429 9 197.50 $197.50 $847 —
470–486 484 8 194.00–198.00 $197.51 $956 -13.48
512 512 8 196.00 $196.00 $1,004 -10.39
562 562 16 198.50 $198.50 $1,116 -8.79
613 613 24 182.00 $182.00 $1,116 -21.29
679 679 9 175.00 $175.00 $1,188 -11.58
701–729 723 39 163.00–164.00 $163.22 $1,180 -3.02
751 value added 751 75 173.00 $173.00 $1,299 —
750–778 767 15 156.00–160.00 $158.44 $1,215 +4.44
801 801 7 154.50 $154.50 $1,238 +3.19
875–883 881 5 145.00–146.00 $145.30 $1,280 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357 unweaned 357 8 182.50 $182.50 $652 —
435–438 436 14 194.00–196.00 $195.14 $851 -4.66
485–489 486 17 187.00–192.50 $191.20 $929 -5.76
520–544 537 31 186.00–188.50 $188.34 $1,011 -1.66
559–598 581 9 179.50–180.00 $179.79 $1,045 -2.70
620 620 34 178.50 $178.50 $1,107 +6.77
655–697 684 40 164.00–173.00 $167.84 $1,148 —
705–720 718 6 155.00–159.00 $158.34 $1,137 -0.08

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
453–468 463 36 174.00–178.50 $177.49 $822 -2.17
507–535 521 72 173.00–174.50 $173.66 $905 —
552–590 566 67 167.00–176.00 $172.31 $975 +3.70
613–639 632 7 157.00–160.00 $157.83 $997 -4.20
655–671 665 17 154.00–158.00 $155.39 $1,033 -3.61
721–745 734 46 145.00–151.00 $149.13 $1,095 +1.10
776 776 8 145.50 $145.50 $1,129 +2.00
801–823 811 16 141.50–142.25 $141.92 $1,151 +7.11
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–444 429 9 172.00–176.00 $174.49 $749 -4.25
488 488 18 168.00 $168.00 $820 -7.80
512–530 520 14 159.00–166.00 $160.87 $837 -10.69
550–590 578 28 154.00–163.00 $159.72 $923 +4.58
608–640 623 11 152.00–155.00 $154.09 $960 +0.09
671–695 686 56 146.00–154.00 $152.41 $1,046 +8.76

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1640 1359 80-85% 11 75.00–83.00 $79.56 $1,081 +1.56
1190–1580 1369 80-85% 83 75.00–86.00 $81.00 $1,109 +3.00
1345–1505 1427 80-85% 6 67.00–74.50 $71.86 $1,025 -12.11
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1005 978 85-90% 7 40.50–47.50 $45.15 $442 —
765–1415 1136 85-90% 37 56.00–69.50 $65.54 $745 -10.93
1100–1233 1144 85-90% 16 71.00–84.00 $78.38 $897 +1.91
875–1375 1154 85-90% 24 70.00–81.00 $74.33 $858 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1600–1892 1779 75-80% 23 77.50–87.50 $85.40 $1,519 +1.40

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415–1790 1615 4 87.00–94.50 $90.37 $1,459 —
1580–2105 1876 7 96.00–103.00 $101.00 $1,895 +9.27

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1161–1389 1275 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 14 1,100.00–1,225.00 $1,156.91
1205–1380 1311 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 13 1,075.00–1,200.00 $1,123.98
1320–1480 1389 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 875.00–1,050.00 $975.13
1345–1805 1471 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 19 1,050.00–1,325.00 $1,153.34

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1035 1035 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 1,250.00 $1,250.00 —
1452 1452 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 9 1,375.00 $1,375.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
947 947 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 1,775.00 $1,775.00 —
1985 1985 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,750.00 $1,750.00 —

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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.