Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, July 13, 2022

1,316 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $183.26/cwt +37.96 vs last sale · ≈ $1,607/hd at 877 lb · 319 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $189.20/cwt +18.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,466/hd at 775 lb · 286 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $184.28/cwt +29.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,552/hd at 842 lb · 176 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,316 1,186 0
Feeder cattle 1,169 855 0
Slaughter cattle 136 242 0
Replacement cattle 11 89 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparison is available as this is the first reported sale since May. Trade activity was active and demand was moderate to good. Today's run consisted of mostly yearling cattle coming off grass due to drought conditions, with a few light weight feeder calves mostly coming straight off the cows. The next available report will occur as receipts warrant.

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
285 285 11 262.00 $262.00 $747 —
380 380 21 240.00–241.00 $240.95 $916 +43.64
630 630 4 199.00 $199.00 $1,254 +17.00
693 693 12 192.00 $192.00 $1,331 +17.00
713–727 724 77 190.50–190.75 $190.69 $1,381 +27.47
760–779 775 286 184.00–190.75 $189.20 $1,466 +30.76
828–844 842 176 182.00–185.25 $184.28 $1,552 —
853–898 877 319 181.00–184.25 $183.26 $1,607 +37.96
914 914 120 182.25 $182.25 $1,666 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
676–693 687 18 185.50–187.00 $185.99 $1,278 +18.15
748 748 5 186.00 $186.00 $1,391 +27.66
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
750 750 5 172.00 $172.00 $1,290 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 5 240.00 $240.00 $691 —
302–344 331 10 226.00–233.00 $231.09 $765 —
385 385 2 232.50 $232.50 $895 —
1058 1058 11 127.75 $127.75 $1,352 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
674 674 11 166.00 $166.00 $1,119 +13.59
735 735 9 161.00 $161.00 $1,183 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
857 857 11 158.00 $158.00 $1,354 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270 1270 80-85% 1 93.00 $93.00 $1,181 —
1295 1295 80-85% 1 80.50 $80.50 $1,042 —
1245–1530 1324 80-85% 14 80.00–85.00 $82.71 $1,095 —
1370 1370 80-85% 1 61.00 $61.00 $836 -20.00
1255–1620 1414 80-85% 6 66.50–78.00 $71.52 $1,011 -0.34
1240–1560 1434 80-85% 39 71.00–79.50 $76.81 $1,101 +4.95
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965 965 85-90% 2 91.00 $91.00 $878 +45.85
908–1315 1047 85-90% 21 57.00–68.00 $61.79 $647 —
970–1120 1058 85-90% 4 40.00–52.50 $45.99 $487 —
965–1250 1106 85-90% 7 70.50–79.50 $74.49 $824 +8.95
1110–1235 1170 85-90% 16 74.00–80.00 $76.37 $894 +2.04
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1625 1625 75-80% 1 77.00 $77.00 $1,251 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–975 922 3 76.00–100.00 $89.38 $824 —
1030 1030 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,082 —
1565–1930 1807 7 90.00–103.00 $98.86 $1,786 —
1765–2010 1909 8 105.00–115.00 $109.12 $2,083 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1395 1395 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,250.00 $1,250.00
1380–1510 1430 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 1,110.00–1,185.00 $1,149.59

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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
1352 1352 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 3 1,285.00 $1,285.00 —
1400–1445 1423 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,300.00–1,425.00 $1,363.49 —

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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.