Cattle Market Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report
Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Saturday, December 17, 20221,548 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Sterling Livestock Commission report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 1,548 | 1,615 | 140 |
| Feeder cattle | 1,548 | 1,405 | 140 |
| Slaughter cattle | — | 180 | — |
| Replacement cattle | — | 30 | — |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 439 | 439 | 4 | 242.50 | $242.50 | $1,065 | +16.00 |
| 477–479 | 478 | 28 | 230.00–238.00 | $235.42 | $1,125 | +8.42 |
| 509–526 | 517 | 15 | 212.00–222.00 | $216.75 | $1,121 | +2.56 |
| 554 | 554 | 23 | 217.00 | $217.00 | $1,202 | ±0.00 |
| 550–597 | 587 | 88 | 203.00–213.00 | $206.98 | $1,215 | +2.76 |
| 624–635 | 629 | 74 | 191.00–198.00 | $195.44 | $1,229 | +7.44 |
| 637–643 | 643 | 51 | 182.00 | $182.00 | $1,170 | -4.00 |
| 678–684 | 682 | 47 | 189.00–192.00 | $190.49 | $1,299 | +2.54 |
| 704–748 | 734 | 138 | 187.00–191.50 | $189.24 | $1,389 | +3.10 |
| 758–783 | 773 | 31 | 184.00–186.50 | $184.95 | $1,430 | — |
| 839 | 839 | 14 | 179.00 | $179.00 | $1,502 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 491 | 491 | 8 | 212.50 | $212.50 | $1,043 | +1.61 |
| 661 | 661 | 5 | 168.00 | $168.00 | $1,110 | — |
| 684–696 | 691 | 79 | 182.00 | $182.00 | $1,258 | +10.00 |
| 711–727 | 713 | 89 | 161.00–162.00 | $161.11 | $1,149 | — |
| 703–744 | 732 | 32 | 172.00–180.00 | $177.84 | $1,302 | — |
| 771–798 | 785 | 14 | 150.00–161.00 | $155.41 | $1,220 | — |
| 800 | 800 | 3 | 166.00 | $166.00 | $1,328 | — |
| 918 | 918 | 2 | 168.00 | $168.00 | $1,542 | — |
| 975 | 975 | 4 | 162.00 | $162.00 | $1,580 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 273 | 273 | 6 | 275.00 | $275.00 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 434 | 434 | 12 | 212.00 | $212.00 | $920 | -2.29 |
| 485 | 485 | 4 | 201.00 | $201.00 | $975 | +6.50 |
| 512–547 | 538 | 19 | 183.00–185.00 | $184.50 | $993 | -5.44 |
| 571 | 571 | 30 | 189.00 | $189.00 | $1,079 | — |
| 568–586 | 578 | 61 | 176.00–182.00 | $178.61 | $1,032 | -2.95 |
| 605–630 | 623 | 45 | 172.00–174.50 | $173.68 | $1,082 | -4.84 |
| 662–694 | 675 | 173 | 170.00–175.50 | $173.75 | $1,173 | +2.36 |
| 679 | 679 | 10 | 177.00 | $177.00 | $1,202 | — |
| 708 | 708 | 45 | 173.00 | $173.00 | $1,225 | +6.00 |
| 764 | 764 | 8 | 164.50 | $164.50 | $1,257 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 365–369 | 366 | 14 | 171.00–172.00 | $171.71 | $628 | — |
| 434 | 434 | 11 | 184.00 | $184.00 | $799 | -3.13 |
| 470–481 | 479 | 10 | 181.00–183.00 | $182.61 | $875 | -6.84 |
| 501–536 | 515 | 26 | 171.00–178.00 | $175.72 | $905 | -1.56 |
| 563 | 563 | 26 | 173.00 | $173.00 | $974 | -2.48 |
| 628–644 | 642 | 39 | 162.00–163.00 | $162.87 | $1,046 | -0.45 |
| 670–679 | 676 | 13 | 162.00–168.00 | $166.17 | $1,123 | +0.67 |
| 724 | 724 | 9 | 159.00 | $159.00 | $1,151 | +4.99 |
| 764 | 764 | 7 | 151.00 | $151.00 | $1,154 | — |
| 774–788 | 779 | 17 | 160.00–162.00 | $161.14 | $1,255 | — |
| 809 | 809 | 4 | 154.00 | $154.00 | $1,246 | — |
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.
Compared to last week: The original sale on Wednesday December 14, was moved to Saturday December 17, due to inclement weather. Trade activity and demand were good. Steer calves under 600 lbs traded 2.00 to 8.00 higher, while steers between 600 to 650 lbs traded 3.00 lower and steers over 650 lbs traded 3.00 higher. Heifer calves under 650 lbs traded 2.00 to 5.00 lower, while those over 650 lbs traded 2.00 to 6.00 higher. Today's run consisted mostly of pre-conditioned calves with the majority having multiple rounds of vaccinations and most being weaned between 30-90 days. The next available report will be a calf and bred special on December 21, 2022.