Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 12, 2023

1,993 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $217.82/cwt +26.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,359/hd at 624 lb · 106 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $218.29/cwt +22.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,260/hd at 577 lb · 101 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $227.73/cwt +15.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,191/hd at 523 lb · 97 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,993 724 1,175
Feeder cattle 1,533 643 1,051
Slaughter cattle 281 — 79
Replacement cattle 179 81 45

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale: No trend is available as the last sale for this market was five weeks ago. Trade activity and demand were good. The next available report will be as receipts warrant coverage.

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
418–440 438 23 265.00 $265.00 $1,161 +27.24
458–498 471 44 260.00–275.00 $266.66 $1,256 +31.66
527–549 542 56 257.50–270.00 $263.65 $1,429 +31.40
560–598 585 26 245.00–252.50 $248.22 $1,452 +26.71
609–636 value added 617 29 252.50–258.00 $254.26 $1,569 +20.76
600–648 625 47 240.00–245.00 $242.26 $1,514 +38.97
667 667 44 240.00–244.00 $243.27 $1,623 +40.16
705–732 727 13 216.00–220.50 $219.94 $1,599 +25.83
773–789 781 39 201.00–209.50 $206.49 $1,613 +22.77
803–835 822 55 193.00–204.00 $197.64 $1,625 +12.41
880–885 885 13 175.00–185.00 $178.46 $1,579 —
974 974 4 170.00 $170.00 $1,656 —
1045 1045 1 164.00 $164.00 $1,714 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–382 378 11 242.50–255.00 $249.26 $942 —
405–434 420 12 245.00–250.00 $245.84 $1,033 +30.84
453 unweaned 453 3 242.50 $242.50 $1,099 —
450–493 476 13 250.00–257.50 $251.39 $1,197 +40.39
505–545 517 6 250.00–257.50 $256.18 $1,324 —
502–544 unweaned 521 18 235.00–239.00 $237.14 $1,235 —
564–591 573 44 237.00–237.50 $237.46 $1,361 +45.46
601–645 627 24 220.00–235.00 $229.73 $1,440 —
665–693 690 70 207.50–221.00 $213.81 $1,475 —
720–745 737 58 208.00–213.00 $208.89 $1,540 —
889 889 7 171.00 $171.00 $1,520 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 18 190.00 $190.00 $1,026 -2.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–385 372 23 237.50–252.50 $243.19 $905 +21.86
419–439 429 64 230.00–237.50 $233.33 $1,001 —
462–497 value added 483 18 244.00–247.50 $245.30 $1,185 —
507–545 523 97 220.00–240.00 $227.73 $1,191 +25.29
550–598 577 101 212.50–222.50 $218.29 $1,260 +22.79
601–648 624 106 212.50–220.00 $217.82 $1,359 +32.77
651–680 660 41 209.00–220.00 $214.01 $1,412 +30.75
703–748 716 64 202.50–215.00 $207.78 $1,488 +30.61
765–793 780 22 194.50–210.00 $201.21 $1,569 +26.61
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
366–397 375 10 227.50–235.00 $229.88 $862 +14.88
425–434 427 33 223.00–227.50 $226.25 $966 —
480 480 31 228.00 $228.00 $1,094 +26.00
509–513 512 16 205.00–207.50 $206.57 $1,058 +15.57
547 unweaned 547 4 192.50 $192.50 $1,053 —
571–596 587 18 194.00–200.00 $196.95 $1,156 +15.95
605–620 616 21 202.50 $202.50 $1,247 +25.21
673–680 676 33 193.00–202.00 $198.62 $1,343 —
734 734 20 194.00 $194.00 $1,424 +28.00
837 837 6 181.00 $181.00 $1,515 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
462 462 7 197.50 $197.50 $912 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1413 1213 80-85% 32 83.50–91.00 $89.02 $1,080 —
1087–1515 1293 80-85% 47 91.50–101.50 $96.52 $1,248 —
1195–1450 1330 80-85% 12 99.00–105.00 $102.32 $1,361 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1013–1110 1071 85-90% 12 89.00–95.00 $91.13 $976 —
945–1185 1075 85-90% 14 85.00–89.50 $86.84 $934 —
905–1318 1081 85-90% 8 80.00–84.50 $80.84 $874 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460–2055 1629 75-80% 16 98.00–108.00 $103.91 $1,693 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1690 1528 6 87.00–100.00 $93.76 $1,433 —
1025–2090 1713 16 100.50–113.00 $107.48 $1,841 —
1755–2285 2018 12 116.00–128.00 $120.86 $2,439 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1057–1425 1294 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 26 1,300.00–1,900.00 $1,571.42
1280–1403 1378 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,860.00–2,000.00 $1,974.00
1340–1499 1413 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 1,400.00–1,600.00 $1,497.55
1317–1636 1519 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 29 1,300.00–1,925.00 $1,827.90

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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
1097–1433 1187 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 2,000.00–2,350.00 $2,156.48 —
1193–1270 1241 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 22 1,700.00–1,825.00 $1,770.84 —
1160–1358 1251 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 20 1,600.00–1,875.00 $1,701.17 —
1106–1494 1261 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 42 1,800.00–2,075.00 $1,975.34 —

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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.