Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 24, 2021

461 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.34/cwt +0.34 vs last sale · ≈ $798/hd at 557 lb · 33 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $163.13/cwt +12.95 vs last sale · ≈ $993/hd at 609 lb · 21 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $177.00/cwt +11.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,000/hd at 565 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 461 576 0
Feeder cattle 164 573 0
Replacement cattle 297 3 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Not enough comparable receipts for a market trend. Trade activity and demand moderate. The next available report will be Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

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
435 435 2 186.00 $186.00 $809 —
450–460 455 2 172.00–183.00 $177.44 $807 —
500 500 3 166.00 $166.00 $830 —
565 fancy 565 16 177.00 $177.00 $1,000 —
602–612 609 21 162.00–166.00 $163.13 $993 +12.95
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 3 182.00 $182.00 $724 —
435 435 2 162.00 $162.00 $705 —
553–590 573 9 140.00–147.00 $143.00 $819 -7.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408 408 2 167.00 $167.00 $681 +1.50
493 493 6 158.00 $158.00 $779 -1.00
553–572 557 33 143.00–145.00 $143.34 $798 +0.34
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 2 155.00 $155.00 $687 -3.00
452 452 3 153.00 $153.00 $692 —
503 503 3 140.00 $140.00 $704 -2.39
593 593 3 132.00 $132.00 $783 -8.32
685–690 688 9 126.00 $126.00 $867 +1.75

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1200–1415 1290 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 1,150.00–1,285.00 $1,233.39
1408–1410 1409 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,235.00–1,300.00 $1,256.69
1375–1530 1423 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 760.00–800.00 $776.79
1408–1438 1431 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 900.00–1,025.00 $994.24
1430–1725 1470 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 58 850.00–935.00 $912.55
1334–2030 1553 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 27 1,085.00–1,300.00 $1,241.27
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1035–1090 1063 Young (2-4 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 9 1,550.00 $1,550.00
1081–1187 1108 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)All Stages (1-9 mo) 20 1,600.00–1,625.00 $1,620.98
1235–1298 1260 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 1,025.00–1,085.00 $1,060.28
1293–1409 1371 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 34 700.00–750.00 $735.20
1253–1525 1394 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 27 675.00–850.00 $733.47
1498 1498 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 825.00 $825.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1178–1305 1203 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 825.00–1,000.00 $885.58
1210–1355 1274 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 20 600.00–700.00 $662.61
1279–1381 1324 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 16 700.00 $700.00

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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
1177–1235 1192 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 4 1,300.00–1,450.00 $1,411.13 —
1150–1285 1218 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,650.00–1,775.00 $1,715.97 —
1259–1500 1276 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 14 1,425.00–1,475.00 $1,429.20 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1250–1470 1323 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 3 1,050.00–1,250.00 $1,124.06 —

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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.