Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 5, 2021

1,051 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.46/cwt -20.06 vs last sale · ≈ $748/hd at 525 lb · 98 head

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $135.88/cwt -4.12 vs last sale · ≈ $889/hd at 654 lb · 82 head

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $156.59/cwt -12.57 vs last sale · ≈ $673/hd at 430 lb · 80 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	1,051	1,325	1,393
Feeder cattle	1,020	1,281	1,333
Replacement cattle	31	44	60

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale: No trend is available as this is the first auction reported in over a month. Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. The next available report will be Wednesday, May 19, 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
364–395	373	7	176.00–182.00	$180.18	$672	-29.82
408	408	16	175.00	$175.00	$714	-31.37
457–497	467	24	170.00–171.00	$170.27	$795	—
500–539	525	29	165.00–170.00	$167.53	$880	-27.06
553–588	579	22	160.00–171.00	$164.31	$951	-20.15
576–584 fancy	582	58	181.00–192.00	$188.62	$1,098	—
616–646	630	32	152.00–163.00	$159.41	$1,004	-18.33
653–691	675	13	151.00–155.00	$153.21	$1,034	-17.72
700–714	708	20	146.00–159.50	$154.99	$1,097	-5.28
771	771	17	141.00	$141.00	$1,087	-4.72
889 fancy	889	18	175.50	$175.50	$1,560	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
470	470	5	160.00	$160.00	$752	-27.29
529–539	534	30	152.00–162.00	$159.19	$850	-22.81
852–860	856	20	120.00–127.00	$123.26	$1,055	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
403–447	430	80	151.00–161.00	$156.59	$673	-12.57
467–481	475	7	149.00–152.00	$150.74	$716	—
504–547	525	98	140.00–146.00	$142.46	$748	-20.06
554–585	577	20	136.00–146.00	$139.54	$805	-18.64
600–630	624	77	131.00–141.50	$137.60	$859	-17.27
653–660	654	82	128.00–137.25	$135.88	$889	-4.12
708–749	741	56	124.00–127.00	$124.41	$922	-13.71
756–766	764	20	122.00–122.50	$122.40	$935	-9.82
800–828	820	20	120.50–124.00	$121.63	$997	-9.25

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
331	331	9	160.00	$160.00	$530	—
411–440	423	14	147.00–150.00	$149.11	$631	-15.35
454–498	469	9	139.00–144.00	$140.77	$660	-17.23
524–542	534	60	134.00–139.50	$138.73	$741	-18.24
554	554	38	126.00	$126.00	$698	-20.54
633	633	12	122.00	$122.00	$772	-20.72
654	654	13	124.00	$124.00	$811	-12.88
795	795	6	119.00	$119.00	$946	—

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1385–1688	1593	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	6	1,000.00–1,100.00	$1,052.98

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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
1371–1405	1375	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	9	1,400.00–1,525.00	$1,414.19	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1235–1345	1318	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	4	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.