Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 3, 2021

1,448 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $149.60/cwt +6.26 vs last sale · ≈ $853/hd at 570 lb · 150 head

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $150.81/cwt ≈ $1,026/hd at 680 lb · 99 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $184.29/cwt +18.29 vs last sale · ≈ $968/hd at 525 lb · 94 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,448	461	1,445
Feeder cattle	1,439	164	1,352
Replacement cattle	9	297	93

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 600 lbs traded 5.50 to 18.25 higher, while those over 600 lbs traded 2.25 higher on a thin number of comparisons. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded 1.50 to 5.00 higher and heifers over 600 lbs had no comparisons from last week. Replacement cattle traded 200.00 per head higher on a very thin test. Trade activity and demand were good. The next available report will be Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
373–388	376	48	201.00–204.00	$201.64	$758	—
423–429	427	7	190.00–196.00	$191.70	$819	+5.70
452–466	466	92	189.00–194.50	$194.33	$906	+16.89
506–543	525	94	181.00–192.00	$184.29	$968	+18.29
562–592	573	64	172.50–184.00	$178.24	$1,021	—
610–639	617	77	155.00–166.50	$165.49	$1,021	+2.36
650–688	680	99	144.00–155.00	$150.81	$1,026	—
705–728	720	34	136.50–147.00	$141.00	$1,015	—
750–780	763	66	133.00–144.75	$138.33	$1,055	—
880	880	7	129.00	$129.00	$1,135	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
352–371	363	16	184.00–191.00	$186.97	$679	+4.97
410–445	432	19	175.00–188.00	$185.06	$799	+23.06
528	528	9	176.00	$176.00	$929	—
560–575	569	8	151.00–155.00	$152.73	$869	+9.73
628–643	640	25	149.50–153.00	$151.26	$968	—
692–696	695	14	134.50–136.00	$135.03	$938	—
722	722	6	130.00	$130.00	$939	—
772–791	786	14	125.00–128.00	$125.63	$987	—
1031	1031	5	117.50	$117.50	$1,211	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
468–497	488	37	156.00–168.50	$162.95	$795	+4.95
500–547	521	41	146.00–158.00	$151.60	$790	—
550 fancy	550	67	155.50	$155.50	$855	—
573–597	586	83	141.00–147.00	$144.84	$849	+1.50
634–645	638	40	135.50–140.50	$137.66	$878	—
653–682	669	33	132.50–139.00	$136.32	$912	—
715–724	717	48	125.00–133.25	$127.51	$914	—
755–780	765	16	122.50–123.50	$123.07	$941	—
900	900	4	119.50	$119.50	$1,076	—
1050–1080	1076	16	111.00–116.50	$115.83	$1,246	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
341	341	21	157.00	$157.00	$535	—
370–399	382	28	155.00–159.00	$156.57	$598	—
470	470	5	155.00	$155.00	$728	+2.00
615–645	635	19	128.00–134.00	$131.21	$833	—
694–697	696	43	120.00–126.00	$123.36	$859	-2.64
708–742	735	15	120.00–122.00	$120.39	$885	—
780–795	788	11	120.00–120.50	$120.22	$947	—
816	816	5	117.00	$117.00	$955	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
671–697	690	35	91.00–114.00	$106.87	$737	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
480–485	483	3	167.00–168.00	$167.33	$808	—
510	510	3	160.00	$160.00	$816	—
654	654	7	134.00	$134.00	$876	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1387	1387	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	6	1,025.00	$1,025.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1410	1410	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	2	1,175.00	$1,175.00	—
1445	1445	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,285.00	$1,285.00	—

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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.