Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 1, 2023

2,200 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $184.57/cwt ≈ $1,152/hd at 624 lb · 183 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $184.41/cwt ≈ $1,420/hd at 770 lb · 160 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $185.19/cwt +0.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,329/hd at 718 lb · 154 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,200 1,307 2,185
Feeder cattle 2,200 642 2,185
Replacement cattle — 665 —

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were good. No trend is available, but a high undertone was noted. This week's run consisted of pre-conditioned calves with the bulk being weaned between 45-90 days. The next available report will be Wednesday, February 8, 2023.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
377 377 11 244.00 $244.00 $920 —
435 fancy 435 53 260.00 $260.00 $1,131 —
410–446 439 11 230.00–240.00 $231.70 $1,017 —
481–496 489 33 220.00–232.00 $227.19 $1,111 -0.31
520–529 525 17 222.00–223.00 $222.12 $1,166 -1.88
511–545 value added 538 31 230.50–231.00 $230.59 $1,241 —
569–594 591 64 214.00–217.00 $216.57 $1,280 —
601–614 value added 603 68 218.00–222.50 $221.96 $1,338 +16.46
600–625 613 35 207.00–214.50 $211.17 $1,294 +14.32
655–686 673 48 184.00–197.00 $194.94 $1,312 +10.01
701–736 717 135 184.00–186.50 $184.51 $1,323 +0.01
722 fancy 722 19 190.00 $190.00 $1,372 —
759–796 770 160 180.00–186.25 $184.41 $1,420 —
837–845 839 59 170.50–181.50 $178.12 $1,494 —
856 856 14 172.25 $172.25 $1,474 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316 316 25 237.00 $237.00 $749 —
397 unweaned 397 10 220.00 $220.00 $873 —
496 496 11 210.00 $210.00 $1,042 -2.50
506–529 unweaned 519 20 212.00–217.50 $215.09 $1,116 —
555–595 589 85 200.50–207.00 $202.96 $1,195 +18.33
598 unweaned 598 3 172.00 $172.00 $1,029 +2.00
614–637 630 74 196.00–197.00 $196.32 $1,237 —
667–672 670 12 179.00–182.00 $180.76 $1,211 —
694 unweaned 694 6 152.50 $152.50 $1,058 —
706 706 14 176.00 $176.00 $1,243 —
760–770 767 6 172.00–175.00 $172.99 $1,327 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
720 720 20 162.00 $162.00 $1,166 —
819 819 4 150.00 $150.00 $1,228 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
286 286 8 525.00 $525.00 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323–338 324 32 224.00–227.50 $224.23 $727 —
399 399 42 215.00 $215.00 $858 —
440–446 443 12 214.00–220.00 $217.02 $961 +24.14
452 452 6 212.00 $212.00 $958 —
518–542 528 59 189.00–203.00 $192.73 $1,018 +11.54
561–590 580 55 190.00–193.25 $192.52 $1,117 —
607–636 624 183 181.00–189.00 $184.57 $1,152 —
679–698 684 114 174.00–175.00 $174.71 $1,195 +3.71
709–713 711 60 173.00–175.75 $174.60 $1,241 —
811 811 19 160.50 $160.50 $1,302 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–394 379 11 195.00–200.00 $196.82 $746 —
459–492 479 44 191.00–192.00 $191.51 $917 —
517–519 518 14 172.00–186.00 $178.99 $927 +5.00
552–592 567 21 176.00–182.00 $178.03 $1,009 +6.54
572 unweaned 572 55 172.50 $172.50 $987 +13.50
666–667 666 12 164.50–169.00 $167.12 $1,113 —
695 unweaned 695 9 159.00 $159.00 $1,105 —
705–718 708 61 156.00–164.00 $157.76 $1,117 —
761–788 770 35 147.00–155.00 $150.69 $1,160 —
948 948 3 132.00 $132.00 $1,251 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
606 606 26 155.00 $155.00 $939 —
688 688 24 149.00 $149.00 $1,025 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
283 283 6 460.00 $460.00 —
304 304 6 600.00 $600.00 —

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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.