Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 8, 2021

1,351 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $160.33/cwt +6.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,318/hd at 822 lb · 407 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $158.13/cwt +5.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,395/hd at 882 lb · 184 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $153.06/cwt -6.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,396/hd at 912 lb · 122 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,351 823 1,675
Feeder cattle 1,329 823 1,657
Replacement cattle 22 — 18

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale: No comparison is available as the last reported sale was a month ago. Trade activity and demand were moderate. Today's run consisted mostly of yearling cattle coming off grass, with the majority of the larger runs weighing over 800 lbs. The next available report will be Wednesday, September 22, 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
810–840 822 407 152.00–162.00 $160.33 $1,318 +6.83
878–894 882 184 154.00–159.00 $158.13 $1,395 +5.94
906–929 912 122 147.00–154.75 $153.06 $1,396 -6.87
961 961 46 142.00 $142.00 $1,365 —
1001–1011 1004 66 136.00–143.50 $138.63 $1,392 -18.62
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468 468 10 172.00 $172.00 $805 —
748 748 6 152.00 $152.00 $1,137 -0.62
753 753 9 152.00 $152.00 $1,145 —
786 786 35 140.00 $140.00 $1,100 —
818–827 824 9 145.00–146.00 $145.33 $1,198 —
950–965 953 6 136.00 $136.00 $1,296 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
635 635 10 142.00 $142.00 $902 —
714–749 726 25 131.00–145.00 $134.63 $977 —
759 759 9 122.00 $122.00 $926 —
850–883 858 17 124.00–126.00 $125.52 $1,077 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
729 729 52 147.00 $147.00 $1,072 -6.27
752 752 13 147.00 $147.00 $1,105 -5.77
803–842 827 31 139.00–142.00 $140.87 $1,165 —
854–898 878 30 135.00–139.00 $138.10 $1,213 —
926–928 927 7 130.00–138.00 $133.43 $1,237 —
1006–1013 1008 6 127.50–131.00 $128.67 $1,297 -7.33
1110 1110 7 121.00 $121.00 $1,343 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
501 501 10 145.00 $145.00 $726 —
678–691 685 19 136.50–142.00 $139.96 $959 —
746 746 13 138.00 $138.00 $1,029 —
769 769 17 136.00 $136.00 $1,046 -6.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
397 397 5 146.00 $146.00 $580 —
589–594 593 26 138.00–139.50 $138.23 $820 —
738 738 9 131.00 $131.00 $967 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
767 767 10 126.00 $126.00 $966 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1082 1082 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 1,700.00 $1,700.00 —

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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.