Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 22, 2023

588 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $198.42/cwt +9.49 vs last sale · ≈ $1,145/hd at 577 lb · 121 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $218.64/cwt +13.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,045/hd at 478 lb · 54 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $204.01/cwt +12.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,344/hd at 659 lb · 48 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 588 1,128 0
Feeder cattle 544 1,013 0
Slaughter cattle 37 100 0
Replacement cattle 7 15 0

Compared to two weeks ago: Feeder steers weighing between 500-700 lbs traded 6.00 to 12.50 higher. No other weight ranges has a a comparison. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded 9.50 to 13.25 higher and those weighing between 600-700 lbs traded 2.50 to 8.00 higher on a light test. Slaughter cows traded 2.50 to 4.00 higher on a thin test and slaughter bulls were too thinly tested for any comparison. Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. Todays run consisted mostly of lighter weight calves with 30-120 wean periods and one to two rounds of vaccinations. The next available report will occur as receipts warrant.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
319–328 323 9 248.00–249.00 $248.45 $802 —
378–393 381 9 239.50–247.00 $245.28 $935 —
405 unweaned 405 3 200.00 $200.00 $810 —
477–498 unweaned 481 11 198.00–199.00 $198.81 $956 —
549 549 4 220.00 $220.00 $1,208 —
595 595 22 217.00 $217.00 $1,291 —
603–614 613 31 200.00–210.50 $209.50 $1,284 +6.90
652–661 659 48 201.00–205.00 $204.01 $1,344 +12.69
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508 508 5 203.00 $203.00 $1,031 —
586 586 12 196.00 $196.00 $1,149 —
602 602 5 192.00 $192.00 $1,156 —
699 699 6 183.00 $183.00 $1,279 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 5 208.00 $208.00 $530 —
348 348 4 202.50 $202.50 $705 —
355–363 360 3 200.00–202.50 $201.68 $726 —
538 538 5 192.00 $192.00 $1,033 —
552–555 553 4 182.00–188.00 $186.49 $1,031 -2.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
378 378 3 225.00 $225.00 $850 —
428–443 436 8 205.00–210.00 $207.54 $905 —
596 596 3 198.50 $198.50 $1,183 -0.12
613 613 6 198.00 $198.00 $1,214 +5.00

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
462–479 478 54 209.00–219.00 $218.64 $1,045 +13.34
560–593 577 121 193.00–203.50 $198.42 $1,145 +9.49
615–627 621 46 178.00–186.00 $184.43 $1,145 +2.43
672 672 5 185.00 $185.00 $1,243 +8.00
700 700 3 163.50 $163.50 $1,144 -11.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390–394 393 6 209.00 $209.00 $821 —
429 unweaned 429 4 182.00 $182.00 $781 —
443 443 5 208.00 $208.00 $921 —
514–519 516 12 184.00–192.00 $189.32 $977 +13.65
570 570 4 174.00 $174.00 $992 -2.97
637 637 3 162.00 $162.00 $1,032 -8.30
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
343 343 2 207.50 $207.50 $712 —
359–390 378 10 192.00–198.00 $194.28 $734 —
485 485 5 185.00 $185.00 $897 —
630 630 2 151.00 $151.00 $951 —
711 711 6 134.00 $134.00 $953 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
489 489 9 194.50 $194.50 $951 —

↑ Back to top

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740–1105 951 85-90% 8 91.50–111.00 $99.51 $946 —
845–1115 966 85-90% 4 69.00–71.00 $70.13 $677 —
1055 1055 85-90% 1 50.00 $50.00 $528 —
980–1160 1070 85-90% 2 79.00–86.00 $82.79 $886 —
1025–1180 1111 85-90% 7 76.00–86.00 $78.72 $875 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1335 1276 80-85% 5 77.00–84.00 $80.30 $1,025 —
1200–1370 1282 80-85% 3 85.00–89.50 $86.77 $1,112 —
1225–1510 1324 80-85% 6 89.00–94.00 $91.84 $1,216 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1715 1715 75-80% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,544 —

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1220–1223 1222 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 850.00–1,000.00 $899.92
1320 1320 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1105 1105 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,275.00 $1,275.00

↑ Back to top

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.