Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 23, 2024

1,802 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $335.53/cwt +16.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,765/hd at 526 lb · 185 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $289.55/cwt +5.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,784/hd at 616 lb · 155 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $318.36/cwt +30.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,496/hd at 470 lb · 109 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,802 972 1,130
Feeder cattle 1,802 972 1,130

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was moderate to good. Feeder steers under 600 pounds traded mostly 3.00 to 7.00 higher as receipts were a lot higher in this weight range than previous sale. Feeder steers over 600 pounds traded mostly steady to 2.00 lower, with the majority of the steers coming off the cow. Feeder heifers traded mostly 3.00 to 8.00 with a few sharply higher with good quality cattle. Next available report will be Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

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
306 unweaned 306 5 392.00 $392.00 $1,200 -8.00
378–395 unweaned 390 46 383.00–395.00 $391.15 $1,525 —
429 fancy 429 54 379.00 $379.00 $1,626 —
401–442 unweaned 435 31 365.00 $365.00 $1,588 +3.57
524–529 unweaned 526 185 328.00–339.00 $335.53 $1,765 +16.68
553–561 unweaned 558 67 303.00–315.75 $307.59 $1,716 —
570 570 14 313.00 $313.00 $1,784 —
600–614 unweaned 607 51 279.50–286.00 $282.00 $1,712 -2.46
612 fancy 612 66 297.00 $297.00 $1,818 —
636 636 38 286.75 $286.75 $1,824 —
650–696 unweaned 671 41 268.50–271.00 $269.55 $1,809 -11.45
718 718 10 262.00 $262.00 $1,881 —
706–729 unweaned 722 22 253.00–262.00 $255.80 $1,847 —
760 unweaned 760 12 249.00 $249.00 $1,892 —
969 969 38 243.00 $243.00 $2,355 —
1024 1024 28 239.50 $239.50 $2,452 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
303 unweaned 303 4 387.00 $387.00 $1,173 —
457–490 unweaned 486 60 317.50–335.00 $330.10 $1,604 -4.90
504 unweaned 504 51 324.00 $324.00 $1,633 +21.96
568–597 unweaned 586 25 277.50–286.00 $281.08 $1,647 -2.97
605–645 unweaned 635 46 265.00–275.00 $270.86 $1,720 -4.99
664 unweaned 664 32 267.75 $267.75 $1,778 +15.05
851–891 870 15 240.50–250.00 $245.46 $2,136 —
898 898 4 243.00 $243.00 $2,182 —
953 953 4 231.00 $231.00 $2,201 —
1010 1010 3 216.00 $216.00 $2,182 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
434 unweaned 434 4 334.00 $334.00 $1,450 —
525 unweaned 525 13 308.00 $308.00 $1,617 +19.23
566 unweaned 566 5 272.50 $272.50 $1,542 +0.50
758–797 784 9 232.50–243.00 $239.62 $1,879 —
846 846 8 240.00 $240.00 $2,030 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417 unweaned 417 3 324.00 $324.00 $1,351 —
512–531 520 10 262.50–282.50 $270.68 $1,408 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584 unweaned 584 9 272.00 $272.00 $1,588 -17.50
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 5 261.00 $261.00 $1,553 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
407–417 unweaned 413 53 334.00–343.00 $339.82 $1,403 +33.04
451–496 unweaned 470 109 310.00–323.00 $318.36 $1,496 +30.35
518–541 unweaned 530 74 277.00–282.00 $280.97 $1,489 +3.86
542 542 13 282.00 $282.00 $1,528 —
555–567 unweaned 560 32 270.00 $270.00 $1,512 —
607–613 unweaned 610 18 270.00–277.00 $273.52 $1,668 +20.66
621 621 29 278.50 $278.50 $1,729 —
670 670 4 270.00 $270.00 $1,809 —
670 670 3 236.00 $236.00 $1,581 —
956 956 7 232.00 $232.00 $2,218 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326–333 unweaned 328 12 340.00–342.50 $341.86 $1,121 +23.43
399 unweaned 399 21 330.00 $330.00 $1,317 —
487–499 unweaned 497 59 292.00–305.00 $293.73 $1,460 —
513–535 529 7 262.50–266.00 $265.03 $1,402 -8.97
517–540 unweaned 530 32 269.00–271.50 $270.35 $1,433 +1.14
567 unweaned 567 11 264.00 $264.00 $1,497 +14.26
609–630 unweaned 622 43 246.00–255.50 $252.56 $1,571 +17.56
651 651 9 212.50 $212.50 $1,383 —
805 805 14 230.00 $230.00 $1,852 —
864 864 5 227.00 $227.00 $1,961 —
908 908 19 228.00 $228.00 $2,070 —
989 989 7 218.00 $218.00 $2,156 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
548 548 7 257.00 $257.00 $1,408 —
823–831 829 16 217.50–226.00 $219.61 $1,821 —
878 878 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,826 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
384 unweaned 384 6 282.50 $282.50 $1,085 —
458 458 3 253.00 $253.00 $1,159 —
568 568 5 251.00 $251.00 $1,426 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
334 unweaned 334 4 280.00 $280.00 $935 —
468 468 6 222.50 $222.50 $1,041 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
332 unweaned 332 5 325.00 $325.00 $1,079 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
298 unweaned 298 5 1,125.00 $1,125.00 —

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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.