Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 21, 2022

1,307 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $203.19/cwt +13.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,257/hd at 619 lb · 146 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $238.03/cwt +21.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,238/hd at 520 lb · 65 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.50/cwt ≈ $1,398/hd at 974 lb · 47 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,307 1,548 787
Feeder cattle 642 1,548 763
Replacement cattle 665 — 24

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were good. Steer calves under 650 lbs traded 1.00 to 7.00 higher, while steers over 650 lbs traded uneven 1.00 higher to 5.50 lower. Heifer calves under 700 lbs traded 2.00 to 7.00 lower on a light test, while those over 700 lbs had no comparison. This week's run consisted of bred heifers and cows, which had a firm undertone, and a light run of mostly weaned calves. No slaughter cows were available due to inclement weather. This will be the last sale of 2022. The next available report will be published when 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
482 482 10 227.50 $227.50 $1,097 -7.92
519 fancy 519 57 240.00 $240.00 $1,246 —
529 529 8 224.00 $224.00 $1,185 +7.25
562 fancy 562 22 231.00 $231.00 $1,298 +14.00
613 value added 613 107 205.50 $205.50 $1,260 —
625–636 634 39 196.00–197.00 $196.85 $1,248 +1.41
693–694 693 30 184.00–188.00 $184.93 $1,282 -5.56
727 727 11 184.50 $184.50 $1,341 -4.74
1224 1224 19 140.50 $140.50 $1,720 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–430 427 3 220.00–222.50 $221.66 $946 —
478 478 3 212.50 $212.50 $1,016 ±0.00
577–598 584 6 182.00–186.00 $184.63 $1,078 —
590 unweaned 590 8 170.00 $170.00 $1,003 —
972 972 11 157.75 $157.75 $1,533 -4.25
1183 1183 2 125.00 $125.00 $1,479 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–443 441 8 192.00–193.00 $192.88 $851 -19.12
529–543 533 22 180.00–183.00 $181.19 $966 -3.31
671 671 9 171.00 $171.00 $1,147 -2.75
974 974 47 143.50 $143.50 $1,398 —
1060 1060 3 154.50 $154.50 $1,638 —
1096 1096 39 142.50 $142.50 $1,562 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505–525 519 4 171.00–178.00 $173.99 $903 -1.73
557–569 559 30 169.00–172.00 $171.49 $959 -1.51
565 unweaned 565 2 159.00 $159.00 $898 —
629–648 632 34 166.00–168.00 $167.70 $1,060 +4.83
1050 1050 4 122.00 $122.00 $1,281 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1003–1220 1172 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 9 800.00–1,000.00 $961.96
1187 1187 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,475.00 $1,475.00
1147–1328 1256 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 1,100.00–1,375.00 $1,226.63
1264 1264 Aged (>8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 7 850.00 $850.00
1308–1339 1322 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 15 1,000.00–1,100.00 $1,047.25
1176–1487 1375 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 58 860.00–1,325.00 $1,066.97
1383 1383 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 950.00 $950.00
1298–1520 1415 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 50 1,025.00–1,475.00 $1,313.67
1303–1785 1415 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 62 910.00–1,400.00 $1,204.78
1295–1545 1418 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 52 760.00–975.00 $904.82
1348–1468 1427 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 39 900.00–985.00 $938.44
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1326–1392 1358 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 37 1,550.00–1,700.00 $1,637.67
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1099 1099 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 650.00 $650.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1224–1311 1279 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 48 1,525.00–2,075.00 $1,853.20
1234–1345 1279 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 64 1,750.00–1,850.00 $1,812.30
1233–1446 1307 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 44 1,850.00–2,100.00 $2,029.91
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1066 1066 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 16 1,275.00 $1,275.00
920–1138 1085 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 55 1,275.00–1,625.00 $1,499.42
1116–1278 1196 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 50 1,550.00–1,700.00 $1,628.53

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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
1385 1385 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —

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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.