Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 5, 2022

1,264 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $193.84/cwt -6.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,120/hd at 578 lb · 101 head

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $184.10/cwt -1.90 vs last sale · ≈ $1,136/hd at 617 lb · 99 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $186.01/cwt -0.43 vs last sale · ≈ $985/hd at 529 lb · 96 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,264	1,497	1,424
Feeder cattle	1,042	1,274	1,287
Slaughter cattle	180	200	124
Replacement cattle	42	23	13

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were moderate. Today's sale consisted of calves having multiple rounds of vaccinations and being weaned 30 days. There were also yearling cattle coming off grass. Feeder steers under 700 lbs traded steady to 9.00 lower and steers over 800 lbs had no comparisons. Heifer calves under 600 lbs traded 1.00 to 4.00 lower, while those over 600 lbs traded uneven 1.50 lower to 10.00 higher on a very thin test. Slaughter cows were 2.00 to 8.00 lower. Replacement cattle were too thinly tested to quote. The next available report will be October 12, 2022.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
375–393	380	7	220.00–221.00	$220.70	$839	-4.30
408–439	434	13	205.00–212.50	$206.08	$894	-6.93
455–486 fancy	470	48	207.50–215.00	$210.62	$990	—
458–497	486	40	198.00–205.00	$202.48	$984	-7.19
526–532 fancy	529	9	202.00–211.00	$205.97	$1,090	-6.47
523–548	531	54	192.00–197.00	$196.16	$1,042	-9.06
564–591	578	101	189.00–196.00	$193.84	$1,120	+0.89
601–636	617	99	176.00–187.50	$184.10	$1,136	-1.90
650–697	662	63	170.00–182.50	$177.96	$1,178	-7.04
750–762	756	19	170.50–172.00	$171.20	$1,294	—
901	901	11	162.50	$162.50	$1,464	+3.35
954	954	19	164.00	$164.00	$1,565	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
433–442	437	15	194.00–196.00	$194.81	$851	—
470–495	480	6	192.00–195.00	$192.60	$924	-6.95
518–537	523	14	186.00–191.00	$187.46	$980	-2.06
680–693	688	8	165.50–169.00	$166.80	$1,148	-8.20
705–734	718	13	166.00–167.00	$166.53	$1,196	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
354 fancy	354	8	216.00	$216.00	$765	—
355–365	361	5	192.00–197.50	$194.16	$701	+0.77
401–432 fancy	422	15	198.00–205.00	$200.22	$845	+1.55
405–435	427	16	190.00–193.00	$191.17	$816	-0.88
460 fancy	460	11	195.00	$195.00	$897	-1.84
462–499	487	54	182.00–187.00	$184.70	$899	-4.05
503–535	515	30	172.00–184.00	$178.93	$921	-1.84
512–546 fancy	536	66	188.00–192.00	$189.23	$1,014	-3.60
550–551 fancy	550	30	186.00–187.00	$186.23	$1,024	+9.23
568–598	577	35	170.00–171.00	$170.88	$986	-1.94
630–646	634	25	166.00–170.00	$168.86	$1,071	-1.64
618–641 fancy	639	51	173.00–175.00	$174.65	$1,116	—
706	706	16	165.50	$165.50	$1,168	+1.50
884	884	13	167.00	$167.00	$1,476	+10.00

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
430–447	445	16	182.00–187.00	$186.40	$829	—
488	488	5	178.00	$178.00	$869	-6.01
527–548	542	29	167.00–168.00	$167.28	$907	—
559–599	578	69	156.00–166.00	$164.21	$949	+13.21

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1350	1350	80-85%	1	80.00	$80.00	$1,080	—
1195–1490	1367	80-85%	3	63.00–69.00	$65.78	$899	-12.32
1155–1510	1369	80-85%	4	60.00–68.00	$63.55	$870	-14.55
1311–1533	1374	80-85%	16	71.00–73.00	$72.44	$995	-5.66
1266–1540	1376	80-85%	54	71.00–77.50	$74.63	$1,027	-3.47

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1035–1345	1185	85-90%	38	50.00–58.50	$53.34	$632	-12.66
1075–1445	1234	85-90%	21	65.50–71.00	$70.53	$870	+6.93
1152–1395	1251	85-90%	16	59.50–61.50	$60.85	$761	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1600	1600	75-80%	1	60.00	$60.00	$960	—
1695–1770	1720	75-80%	3	74.00–74.50	$74.17	$1,276	-3.87

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1138	1138	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	1,300.00	$1,300.00
1324–1380	1327	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	17	1,150.00–1,335.00	$1,323.69
1290–1352	1342	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	6	825.00–985.00	$959.36
1393	1393	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	12	1,075.00	$1,075.00

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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.