Sterling Livestock Commission market report — October 21, 2026

Sterling, CO · Wednesday sale · USDA report published 10/21/2026 · Sale days

Head sold

1,718

Last week 1,267 (+451)
Last year 1,684

Unweaned 5-wt steers (500–599 lb)

$455.52 /cwt

$2,442 per head · 252 hd
vs last week +10.05

Unweaned 7-wt steers (700–799 lb)

$345.09 /cwt

$2,544 per head · 31 hd
vs last week +0.44

Headline prices here are unweaned calves. Over the last 13 weeks USDA reported more unweaned No. 1 and 1–2 calves than weaned regular lots at Sterling Livestock Commission, so the cards, trends, charts and recent sales use unweaned lots. The weight tables below list regular lots first, with unweaned in its own column.

Trade activity and demand was good. Feeder steers and heifers traded mostly 2.00 to 10.00 higher with a few high quality steers and heifers sharply higher. Most calves were preconditioned and coming off the cow. Next available report will be Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
USDA Market News reporter, October 21, 2026

Feeder steers — Oct 21

Steers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 14. Last year = sale of Oct 22. Unweaned = calves sold straight off the cow. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	Unweaned $/cwt	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	17	377 lb	$600.86	$2,265	+20.86	—	—	—
400–499 lb	121	457 lb	$523.84	$2,392	+14.80	—	$497.50 (5 hd)	$475.78 (16 hd)
500–599 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$455.52 (252 hd)	—
600–699 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$395.20 (203 hd)	—
700–799 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$345.09 (31 hd)	—
800–899 lb	6	813 lb	$321.00	$2,610	−6.03	—	$328.00 (27 hd)	—
900–999 lb	7	932 lb	$291.00	$2,712	−34.00	—	—	—

Feeder heifers — Oct 21

Heifers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. Last week = sale of Oct 14. Last year = sale of Oct 22. Unweaned = calves sold straight off the cow. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	Unweaned $/cwt	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	46	365 lb	$479.95	$1,752	+20.20	—	—	—
400–499 lb	92	443 lb	$437.50	$1,938	+13.89	—	—	$395.68 (9 hd)
500–599 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$394.58 (202 hd)	$362.00 (12 hd)
600–699 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$344.65 (106 hd)	$332.50 (12 hd)
700–799 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$319.00 (25 hd)	—
800–899 lb	6	864 lb	$320.00	$2,765	−0.81	−3.62	—	—

Slaughter cows — Mar 12

Grade	Dressing	Head	Avg wt	Avg $/cwt	Range $/cwt
Boner 80-85%	High	15	1,187 lb	$154.12	$142.00–$168.00
Boner 80-85%	Average	53	1,311 lb	$140.75	$134.00–$148.00
Boner 80-85%	Low	5	1,378 lb	$128.37	$125.00–$132.00
Breaker 75-80%	Average	14	1,645 lb	$143.53	$142.00–$146.00
Breaker 75-80%	Low	1	1,630 lb	$139.00	$139.00–$139.00
Lean 85-90%	High	5	1,024 lb	$156.60	$134.00–$180.00
Lean 85-90%	Average	8	1,052 lb	$136.27	$124.00–$151.00
Lean 85-90%	Very Low	2	968 lb	$132.00	$94.00–$170.00

Price trends

Unweaned steers 500–599 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $455.52/cwt
4-week average: $433.33
13-week average: $433.33
4-week vs 13-week: 0.0%

52-wk low $399.00high $465.20

Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.

Unweaned steers 700–799 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $345.09/cwt
4-week average: $343.63
13-week average: $343.63
4-week vs 13-week: 0.0%

52-wk low $310.00high $350.40

Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.

Unweaned heifers 500–599 lb Steady

Latest (week of October 19, 2026): $394.58/cwt
4-week average: $380.21
13-week average: $380.21
4-week vs 13-week: 0.0%

52-wk low $359.95high $413.00

Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.

Direction compares the 4-week average with the 13-week average: Rising +1% or more, Steady within ±1%, Easing −1% to −3%, Falling −3% or more. Weekly prices are head-weighted averages of Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 feeder cattle, unweaned lots only.

The label describes recent prices; it is not a forecast. In our backtest of every barn since 2019 (about 35,000 barn-weeks), barns labeled Falling went on to beat other barns' average move over the next 13 weeks 61% of the time, and barns labeled Rising trailed it 56% of the time.

Last 52 weeks

Weekly average $/cwt, unweaned calves4-week average

Price history since 2021

Weekly average $/cwt, unweaned calves

When to sell: the seasonal pattern

The seasonal pattern uses regular (weaned) lots, which have years of history at this barn; unweaned calves sell mostly in the fall.

5-weight steers

For 500–599 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Mar and Feb and lowest in Oct and Nov.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−1.7%	33%	3
Feb	+3.7%	75%	4
Mar	+7.0%	100%	3
Apr	—	—	2
May	−0.7%	33%	3
Jun	—	—	0
Jul	—	—	2
Aug	—	—	2
Sep	−3.0%	0%	3
Oct	−6.6%	0%	3
Nov	−5.8%	0%	3
Dec	−0.2%	67%	3

7-weight steers

For 700–799 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Aug and Apr and lowest in Dec and Jan.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	−1.9%	50%	4
Feb	−0.2%	60%	5
Mar	−1.6%	25%	4
Apr	+1.4%	75%	4
May	+0.7%	60%	5
Jun	—	—	0
Jul	—	—	2
Aug	+3.4%	80%	5
Sep	+0.6%	40%	5
Oct	0.0%	50%	6
Nov	−1.3%	50%	4
Dec	−2.1%	20%	5

Recent sales

Last 13 weeks. Download the weekly history as CSV.
Sale	Head sold	Unweaned Steers 500–599 $/cwt	Unweaned Steers 700–799 $/cwt	Unweaned Heifers 500–599 $/cwt
Wed Oct 21	1,718	$455.52	$345.09	$394.58
Wed Oct 14	1,267	$445.48	$344.65	$386.12
Wed Oct 7	770	$399.00	$341.16	$359.95

Special and graded sales

The last 12 months of this barn's special and graded sales, $/cwt, Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 regular lots (value-added lots where a sale has only those). A sale counts in the weekly trend only when it is a regular feeder sale: a plain special where feeder steers and heifers are most of the head. Graded, replacement, cow-and-pair, preconditioned and Holstein sales stay out.
Sale	Type	Head	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799	Heifers 500–599	In trend
Jan 17, 2026	Stock Show Specialspecial	1,815	$478.96	$381.50	$441.04	No
Jan 14, 2026	Stock Show Specialspecial	2,307	$520.25	$380.60	$435.19	No
Jan 10, 2026	Stock Show Specialspecial	3,248	$509.51	$376.54	$440.54	No

Nearby barns this week

Straight-line distance between towns. Barns tagged unweaned show unweaned-calf prices. Every Colorado sale this week.
Barn	Distance	Sale	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799
Livestock Exchange, Brush	34 mi	Oct 22	—	—
Winter Livestock, La Junta	183 mi	Oct 20	$367.17	$356.20
La Junta Livestock Commision, La Junta	183 mi	Oct 21	$407.93	$298.58

Sale days

Sale	Latest report	Head	Sales in 52 weeks	USDA report
Wednesday	October 21, 2026	1,718	10	AMS_1900
Stock Show Special special	January 17, 2026	1,815	3	AMS_1867

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “Sterling Livestock Commission - Sterling, CO” (AMS_1900); “Sterling Livestock Commission Stock Show Special - Sterling, CO” (AMS_1867). See something wrong? Report a correction. Feeder prices are Medium and Large frame No. 1 and 1–2 cattle, $/cwt, grouped into 100-lb bands by average weight and weighted by head count. Value-added, unweaned and No. 2 lots are shown in their own columns; other lot types (fancy, fleshy, thin-fleshed, spayed, replacement) are left out. $/head = $/cwt × average weight ÷ 100.