Name: Sterling livestock auction prices — 2019-12-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-12-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. Feeder steers under 700 lbs traded mostly steady to 5.00 higher with instances of 10.00 higher. Feeder steers from 700 to 800 lbs traded 0.50 to 1.75 lower. There were not enough quotes over 800 lbs for a comparison. Feeder heifers under 700 lbs traded mostly 0.25 to 5.50 higher. There were not enough trades over 700 lbs to accurately compare. Slaughter cows traded steady to 7.00 lower, while bulls were sharply lower. Today's run consisted mostly of calves that were preconditioned with at least two rounds of vaccinations and typically weaned 30 to 60 days. The next available report will be Wednesday, December 18, 2019.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $154.18/cwt on 739 head.

Average price

$154.18

739 head · 631 lb average

Value per head Derived

$972

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$53

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1-2

$26.68/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.87

vs CO average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	642	155.68	999	552
Medium and Large 1-2	596	151.19	901	164
Medium and Large 2	572	143.25	819	17thin
Large 1-2	733	129.00	946	6thin

One grade step is worth $26.68/cwt here — about $53 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 0–100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale739 hd

154.18

—

CO average4 barns · 6,128 hd

151.32

+2.87

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Low	1,892	58.84	1,113	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,622	51.30	832	4thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,365	40.06	547	33
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,096	32.69	358	62

Every lot, as filed

51 lots · USDA AMS · Sterling Livestock Commission - Sterling, CO

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	560	118.33/cwt	118.00–119.00	663	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,056	126.00/cwt	122.50–126.50	1,331	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	669	133.93/cwt	131.00–135.00	896	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	425	153.23/cwt	152.00–154.50	651	49
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	337	153.24/cwt	150.00–157.50	516	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	632	131.31/cwt	125.00–134.50	830	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	440	138.33/cwt	136.00–147.00	609	36
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	541	148.36/cwt	145.00–149.00	803	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	619	146.66/cwt	146.00–148.00	908	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	480	171.76/cwt	171.00–173.00	824	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	615	152.93/cwt	152.50–154.00	941	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	680	128.46/cwt	125.00–130.50	874	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	568	138.83/cwt	136.00–141.00	789	86
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	623	137.63/cwt	135.00–140.00	857	47
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	801	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,001	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	195	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	507	3
Bulls	—	—	1,853	56.08/cwt	52.00–58.00	1,039	6
Bulls	—	—	1,950	62.99/cwt	60.00–65.50	1,228	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	430	182.96/cwt	180.00–185.00	787	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	519	170.11/cwt	169.00–171.00	883	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	515	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	932	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	590	156.62/cwt	152.00–158.50	924	47
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	356	178.52/cwt	177.50–179.00	636	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	668	151.44/cwt	145.00–157.50	1,012	127
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	729	141.33/cwt	139.00–146.00	1,030	119
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	489	181.67/cwt	176.00–183.50	888	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	579	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	944	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	462	187.61/cwt	185.00–189.50	867	40
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	645	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	845	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	684	136.26/cwt	131.50–144.00	932	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	723	131.54/cwt	129.00–133.00	951	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	772	134.45/cwt	132.00–137.50	1,038	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	716	154.25/cwt	154.25–154.25	1,104	72
Steers	Large 1-2	—	733	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	946	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	575	132.24/cwt	131.00–134.50	760	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	738	125.34/cwt	123.00–125.50	925	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	489	137.43/cwt	137.00–138.00	672	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	819	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	983	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	523	141.74/cwt	140.00–144.00	741	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	466	150.14/cwt	148.00–152.50	700	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	704	131.26/cwt	128.00–134.50	924	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	245	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	735	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,723	46.98/cwt	45.00–49.00	809	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,235	26.77/cwt	25.00–29.00	331	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,365	34.32/cwt	30.00–38.00	468	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,331	54.14/cwt	51.00–57.00	721	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	879	42.11/cwt	40.00–45.00	370	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,101	32.46/cwt	30.00–39.00	357	51
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,520	55.62/cwt	51.00–60.00	845	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,403	42.77/cwt	40.00–46.00	600	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	519	135.26/cwt	131.00–137.00	702	42

How this sale compares

Colorado weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Colorado auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Colorado feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Sterling Livestock Commission - Sterling, CO

Wed Dec 11, 2019

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Greeley, CO (LS-GL)

Feeder CattleReceipts 1,438Last week 1,946Year ago 0

Slaughter CattleReceipts 127Last week 367Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	560	118.00–119.00	118.33
3	—	195	260.00	260.00
7	—	245	300.00	300.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,056	122.50–126.50	126.00
38	—	669	131.00–135.00	133.93
49	—	425	152.00–154.50	153.23
86	—	568	136.00–141.00	138.83
47	—	623	135.00–140.00	137.63
10	—	801	125.00	125.00
48	—	523	140.00–144.00	141.74
29	—	466	148.00–152.50	150.14
6	—	704	128.00–134.50	131.26
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	337	150.00–157.50	153.24
23	—	632	125.00–134.50	131.31
36	—	440	136.00–147.00	138.33
7	—	680	125.00–130.50	128.46
41	—	575	131.00–134.50	132.24
30	—	738	123.00–125.50	125.34
16	—	489	137.00–138.00	137.43
6	—	819	120.00	120.00
42	—	519	131.00–137.00	135.26
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	541	145.00–149.00	148.36
5	—	645	131.00	131.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
42	—	619	146.00–148.00	146.66
12	—	480	171.00–173.00	171.76
47	—	590	152.00–158.50	156.62
16	—	356	177.50–179.00	178.52
37	—	684	131.50–144.00	136.26
10	—	723	129.00–133.00	131.54
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
94	—	615	152.50–154.00	152.93
20	—	430	180.00–185.00	182.96
13	—	519	169.00–171.00	170.11
127	—	668	145.00–157.50	151.44
119	—	729	139.00–146.00	141.33
31	—	489	176.00–183.50	181.67
13	—	579	163.00	163.00
19	—	772	132.00–137.50	134.45
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	515	181.00	181.00
40	—	462	185.00–189.50	187.61
72	—	716	154.25	154.25
Steers — Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	733	129.00	129.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,853	52.00–58.00	56.08
4	—	1,950	60.00–65.50	62.99
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,723	45.00–49.00	46.98
2	—	1,520	51.00–60.00	55.62
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,235	25.00–29.00	26.77
5	—	879	40.00–45.00	42.11
51	—	1,101	30.00–39.00	32.46
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
20	—	1,365	30.00–38.00	34.32
7	—	1,331	51.00–57.00	54.14
6	—	1,403	40.00–46.00	42.77

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

Feeder Cattle — prices, barns, and planning

Fed Cattle — the cash market and what quality pays

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