Cattle Market Pulse

Sterling Livestock Commission Market Report

Sterling, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, November 3, 2021

2,091 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $155.71/cwt +1.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,048/hd at 673 lb · 267 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $160.40/cwt +1.19 vs last sale · ≈ $999/hd at 623 lb · 253 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $148.51/cwt ≈ $852/hd at 574 lb · 152 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,091 1,347 1,456
Feeder cattle 1,909 1,209 1,446
Slaughter cattle 163 111 0
Replacement cattle 19 27 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. Feeder steers under 550 lbs traded steady to 1.50 lower, while those over 550 lbs traded 1.00 to 4.50 higher. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs traded steady to 4.00 higher, and those over 600 lbs traded 6.00 higher on limited comparisons. Slaughter cows traded steady and slaughter bulls were too thinly tested for an accurate comparison. Feeding cows traded steady to 3.00 higher. This week's run consisted mostly of pre-conditioned calves with those being weaned over 30 days commanding the highest interest. The next available report will be Wednesday, November 10, 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
322–328 324 5 212.50–215.00 $213.99 $693 —
399 399 4 199.00 $199.00 $794 —
406–434 424 14 194.00–196.00 $195.32 $828 -0.45
482 482 3 186.00 $186.00 $897 -1.31
523–548 534 58 169.00–181.50 $173.70 $928 -1.41
553–595 568 111 166.50–171.00 $168.50 $957 +2.54
605–638 unweaned 613 47 153.00–157.50 $155.12 $951 —
603–647 625 206 159.50–167.00 $161.60 $1,010 +2.39
653–681 unweaned 670 111 150.00–153.50 $151.60 $1,016 —
658–692 675 156 155.50–164.00 $158.64 $1,071 +4.64
706–743 unweaned 718 102 150.25–155.25 $151.57 $1,088 —
786 786 10 155.50 $155.50 $1,222 +0.76
809 unweaned 809 4 140.00 $140.00 $1,133 —
1088 1088 2 127.00 $127.00 $1,382 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
427–435 430 5 184.00–187.00 $185.21 $796 —
457–490 470 7 172.00–180.00 $176.64 $830 +1.64
553–597 586 32 155.00–161.00 $158.74 $930 +0.68
610–627 619 21 151.50–154.00 $152.67 $945 +1.82
661–690 678 10 147.50–149.00 $147.96 $1,003 +2.08
708–742 726 14 146.50–150.00 $148.30 $1,077 -0.05
795 795 12 142.00 $142.00 $1,129 -0.45
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 12 175.00 $175.00 $700 —
721 721 7 141.50 $141.50 $1,020 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
747 747 11 154.00 $154.00 $1,150 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
514 514 9 128.00 $128.00 $658 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340–348 345 3 175.00–179.00 $177.69 $613 —
360–395 390 7 176.00–180.00 $176.53 $688 +0.74
408–438 419 9 162.00–170.00 $166.49 $698 —
455–495 477 27 154.00–165.00 $158.60 $757 +1.57
503–538 528 39 149.00–157.00 $155.36 $820 +4.34
551–591 574 152 145.00–152.00 $148.51 $852 —
600–618 614 95 147.00–152.00 $150.44 $924 +6.60
616–636 unweaned 629 35 137.00–141.50 $140.11 $881 —
667–692 674 76 139.50–148.00 $143.19 $965 —
682–688 unweaned 684 30 134.50–135.00 $134.70 $921 —
711–745 719 23 136.00–140.00 $139.01 $999 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 5 162.50 $162.50 $544 —
423–445 427 6 151.00–155.00 $151.70 $648 +4.70
480–496 492 12 146.00–151.00 $147.22 $724 +1.22
502–537 515 30 145.00–147.00 $146.55 $755 +1.64
553–598 580 152 134.00–144.50 $139.58 $810 -2.24
608–645 627 30 136.50–140.00 $137.90 $865 -0.45
685 685 4 134.00 $134.00 $918 -0.90
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 11 112.00 $112.00 $493 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508–531 520 8 138.00–140.00 $138.98 $723 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356 356 7 119.00 $119.00 $424 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1565 1316 80-85% 13 54.00–60.00 $55.59 $732 -11.41
1193–1545 1318 80-85% 22 54.50–66.50 $60.74 $801 -6.26
1205–1515 1342 80-85% 39 41.00–53.50 $48.50 $651 -1.09
1265–1475 1343 80-85% 4 33.00–40.00 $35.78 $481 -13.81
1415 1415 80-85% 1 68.50 $68.50 $969 —
1468 1468 80-85% 3 68.50 $68.50 $1,006 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1055 963 85-90% 2 31.00–32.00 $31.55 $304 —
980–1185 1037 85-90% 5 51.00–55.00 $52.76 $547 —
935–1105 1046 85-90% 5 65.00–70.50 $68.16 $713 —
905–1280 1086 85-90% 19 36.00–45.00 $41.87 $455 -19.13
940–1375 1137 85-90% 32 48.00–53.00 $49.97 $568 +8.10
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1620 1620 75-80% 1 43.00 $43.00 $697 —
1645 1645 75-80% 1 55.00 $55.00 $905 —
1540–1753 1689 75-80% 9 61.00–69.50 $66.39 $1,121 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1740–2090 1954 5 78.00–82.00 $79.67 $1,557 —
1885–2040 1963 2 52.00–61.00 $56.32 $1,106 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1100 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 975.00 $975.00
1334–1375 1355 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 950.00–960.00 $954.92
1373 1373 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,075.00 $1,075.00
1380 1380 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 960.00 $960.00

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
922 922 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,000.00 $1,000.00

↑ Back to top

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.