Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 7, 2022

1,489 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $211.30/cwt ≈ $1,123/hd at 532 lb · 128 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $178.28/cwt ≈ $1,635/hd at 917 lb · 85 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $185.41/cwt +8.36 vs last sale · ≈ $944/hd at 509 lb · 70 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,489 531 1,372
Feeder cattle 1,382 520 1,329
Slaughter cattle 107 10 43
Replacement cattle — 1 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were good. Trade activity and demand on feeder cattle good on weaned steers and heifers, moderate on unweaned calves. Today's run consisted of mix lighter calves and yearling cattle coming off grass. Calves that had two rounds of vaccinations commanded more interest and better prices compared to those that had one or no vaccinations. No comparable trades from last week's report. No comparable trades on slaughter cows and bulls. The next available report will be Wednesday, September 21, 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
313 unweaned 313 8 252.50 $252.50 $790 —
356–390 366 9 235.00–238.00 $236.86 $867 —
414 fancy 414 9 239.00 $239.00 $989 —
418–423 unweaned 420 7 203.00–205.00 $204.14 $857 —
434–443 439 14 215.00–228.00 $221.43 $972 —
452–483 unweaned 461 10 202.00–204.00 $203.37 $938 —
453–468 461 35 213.00–219.00 $216.51 $998 +1.51
483 fancy 483 5 223.00 $223.00 $1,077 —
522 fancy 522 25 220.00 $220.00 $1,148 —
512–544 534 91 208.00–216.00 $210.74 $1,125 —
513–549 unweaned 534 12 197.00–198.00 $197.40 $1,054 —
560–596 577 45 197.00–204.50 $200.93 $1,159 —
605–647 623 38 182.00–196.00 $191.10 $1,191 —
658 658 7 181.00 $181.00 $1,191 —
731–741 739 23 179.00–182.00 $179.65 $1,328 -2.35
758–778 fancy 768 29 189.00–189.50 $189.26 $1,454 —
840 840 41 179.50 $179.50 $1,508 +3.88
853–870 868 36 180.00–182.00 $180.27 $1,565 +9.27
906–923 917 85 176.00–179.25 $178.28 $1,635 —
958 958 50 176.50 $176.50 $1,691 +15.50
1000 1000 145 166.50 $166.50 $1,665 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730 730 11 175.00 $175.00 $1,278 -2.97
767–797 779 25 168.00–178.00 $173.91 $1,355 -2.09
800–847 841 33 168.00–172.00 $168.46 $1,417 —
862–894 882 50 164.00–171.00 $168.83 $1,489 +10.83
931–945 941 22 156.00–161.00 $159.43 $1,500 —
990 990 3 158.00 $158.00 $1,564 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
552 552 6 182.00 $182.00 $1,005 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 4 219.00 $219.00 $734 -23.00
360–380 363 8 217.00–220.00 $219.61 $797 -10.39
370 unweaned 370 11 212.50 $212.50 $786 —
401–440 415 33 195.00–205.00 $199.70 $829 —
437 unweaned 437 3 182.00 $182.00 $795 —
463 463 2 193.00 $193.00 $894 —
452–499 unweaned 491 26 183.00–187.00 $186.08 $914 —
500–522 509 70 183.00–187.00 $185.41 $944 +8.36
550–592 575 41 176.00–182.50 $177.11 $1,018 +5.11
645 645 2 174.50 $174.50 $1,126 —
682–693 689 28 177.50–180.50 $178.67 $1,231 +5.52
765–768 766 8 167.00–168.00 $167.25 $1,281 —
806 806 15 166.00 $166.00 $1,338 +2.83
918 918 7 153.00 $153.00 $1,405 -5.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432–440 434 4 185.00–191.00 $189.48 $822 —
502–547 528 35 171.00–185.00 $176.65 $933 —
578–596 591 11 168.50–171.00 $169.17 $1,000 —
610–621 619 7 162.00 $162.00 $1,003 +0.81
759–790 768 7 155.00–161.00 $159.24 $1,223 —
870 870 2 146.00 $146.00 $1,270 -6.78

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1263 1186 85-90% 4 70.50–71.00 $70.90 $841 —
958–1438 1208 85-90% 42 73.00–79.50 $75.88 $917 +7.73
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1630 1344 80-85% 14 81.50–90.50 $85.18 $1,145 —
1183–1545 1397 80-85% 11 76.00–86.50 $83.30 $1,164 —
1435 1435 80-85% 1 81.00 $81.00 $1,162 -1.50
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1585–1590 1588 75-80% 2 84.50–89.00 $86.75 $1,378 —

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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.