Cattle Market Pulse

Colorado Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, November 23, 2020

8,675 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Colorado Weekly Cattle Auction Summary report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $147.57/cwt -2.04 vs last sale · ≈ $857/hd at 581 lb · 202 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $134.83/cwt -4.15 vs last sale · ≈ $715/hd at 530 lb · 191 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $157.77/cwt -6.22 vs last sale · ≈ $822/hd at 521 lb · 168 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,675 19,474 5,535
Feeder cattle 3,355 15,497 1,072
Slaughter cattle 219 1,765 250
Replacement cattle 5,101 2,212 4,213

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Combined weighted average report for 3 Colorado auction markets included: Livestock Exchange, Winter Livestock, and La Junta Livestock. In addition to the regular feeder cattle auctions, Winter Livestock held a bred cow and pair special and La Junta Livestock held a stock cow and pair special. In the feeder cattle supply, trade activity and demand moderate to good. Feeder steers under 400 lbs 1.00 to 2.00 lower on a light test, 400-750 lbs mostly 1.00 to 6.00 lower, and over 750 lbs 2.00 to 8.00 lower on a light test. Feeder heifers under 450 lbs 7.00 to 11.00 lower on a light test, 450-650 lbs 4.00 to 10.00 lower, and over 650 lbs steady on a light test. In the slaughter cows and bulls supply, average dressing Breakers 4.00 lower, average dressing Boners 2.00 lower, average dressing Leans 3.00 lower, and average dressing bulls 1.00 higher. Short bred Young to Middle aged cows made up the bulk of replacement cattle offerings with no comparable trades to trend to the prior week. The next available report will be Friday, December 4, 2020.

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
328–339 337 12 201.00–202.00 $201.84 $680 +2.36
353–368 359 20 189.00–200.00 $195.67 $702 +0.90
362 unweaned 362 5 148.00 $148.00 $536 —
400–433 407 82 171.00–178.00 $176.02 $716 -5.06
426 thin fleshed 426 7 186.00 $186.00 $792 +1.00
431 unweaned 431 7 160.00 $160.00 $690 —
463 unweaned 463 2 157.00 $157.00 $727 —
450–496 480 107 160.00–169.00 $163.99 $787 -1.99
504 504 5 158.00 $158.00 $796 +14.00
520–521 unweaned 520 11 143.00–147.00 $145.18 $755 —
500–547 522 152 151.00–166.00 $158.67 $828 -5.51
550–597 581 202 140.00–154.00 $147.57 $857 -1.97
605–627 619 74 138.00–148.00 $144.53 $895 +3.32
605–649 unweaned 639 76 123.00–139.00 $134.04 $857 -1.07
650 unweaned 650 2 125.00 $125.00 $812 -7.14
653–676 662 47 131.00–144.00 $134.45 $890 -5.09
710–741 unweaned 725 37 125.00–132.00 $126.90 $920 -5.03
704–737 726 59 132.00–139.00 $136.09 $988 -1.45
759–776 unweaned 769 34 122.50–126.50 $123.92 $953 -2.08
813 813 7 126.00 $126.00 $1,024 -5.37
824 824 12 123.00 $123.00 $1,014 -8.37
880 880 3 130.00 $130.00 $1,144 -5.64
923 923 5 126.00 $126.00 $1,163 -2.94
1024 1024 8 109.00 $109.00 $1,116 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 5 173.00 $173.00 $645 -12.24
402 402 3 146.00 $146.00 $587 -25.59
445 445 7 171.00 $171.00 $761 -0.59
475 475 4 154.00 $154.00 $732 -3.47
453–498 476 25 160.00–164.00 $162.67 $774 +5.20
480–487 unweaned 484 26 137.00–145.00 $141.95 $687 —
516 516 7 153.00 $153.00 $789 +4.26
552–591 584 22 142.50–145.00 $143.97 $841 +3.89
642–643 642 20 140.00–141.00 $140.45 $902 +3.08
678–694 691 15 132.00–135.50 $133.33 $921 +4.53
754 754 18 130.50 $130.50 $984 +3.20
806 806 11 119.00 $119.00 $959 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
346 346 5 159.00 $159.00 $550 -16.00
372 372 3 160.00 $160.00 $595 -11.00
568 568 6 132.00 $132.00 $750 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
268–270 269 10 146.00–151.00 $148.99 $401 —
317–322 319 11 145.00–157.50 $151.77 $484 -10.82
319 unweaned 319 5 142.50 $142.50 $455 —
355–359 357 34 145.00–159.00 $151.04 $539 -8.18
400–443 419 72 136.00–149.00 $142.24 $596 -7.65
452–485 464 69 131.00–144.00 $139.37 $647 -9.78
508–546 530 191 130.00–144.50 $134.83 $715 -4.15
555–562 557 80 130.00 $130.00 $724 -4.11
580 unweaned 580 10 124.50 $124.50 $722 —
596 596 28 131.00 $131.00 $781 -17.50
603–613 607 22 120.00–125.00 $122.71 $745 -9.41
613–616 unweaned 615 19 116.00–124.00 $119.36 $734 -4.52
665–689 672 49 129.50–132.00 $130.23 $875 +0.10
808 808 20 124.50 $124.50 $1,006 -0.02
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
321–327 323 10 143.00–151.00 $145.43 $470 -6.26
358–381 370 10 148.00–150.00 $148.97 $551 +3.87
418 unweaned 418 8 134.00 $134.00 $560 —
420–437 429 10 137.50–145.00 $141.53 $607 -5.14
443 443 3 136.00 $136.00 $602 -10.67
460–496 484 28 131.00–138.00 $135.62 $656 -1.34
506 unweaned 506 6 126.00 $126.00 $638 —
502–530 520 43 134.00–136.00 $134.57 $700 +6.56
552–599 574 61 122.00–131.00 $126.84 $728 -1.25
618 unweaned 618 9 118.00 $118.00 $729 -3.00
604–637 625 39 124.00–129.00 $127.35 $796 +2.35
665–683 675 30 110.00–124.00 $117.75 $795 -5.41
707–740 718 21 121.00–123.00 $121.85 $875 —
766 766 4 117.00 $117.00 $896 -3.35
812–828 816 9 116.00–120.00 $119.10 $972 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 421 4 139.00 $139.00 $585 —
620 620 3 121.00 $121.00 $750 —
745 745 12 115.50 $115.50 $860 —
915 915 7 102.00 $102.00 $933 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
648 648 5 110.00 $110.00 $713 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
588 588 7 131.00 $131.00 $770 —
676 676 4 128.00 $128.00 $865 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1250 975 85-90% 27 31.00–41.00 $37.91 $370 —
850–1245 1006 85-90% 23 40.00–45.00 $42.94 $432 —
970–1245 1076 85-90% 14 45.00–49.00 $46.48 $500 +16.89
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1275 1201 80-85% 16 53.00–56.00 $55.12 $662 —
1065–1970 1364 80-85% 13 50.00–51.00 $50.54 $689 +2.82
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1254–1650 1345 75-80% 10 55.00–59.00 $55.92 $752 —
1310–1825 1491 75-80% 6 50.50–53.00 $51.35 $766 —
1655 1655 75-80% 1 61.00 $61.00 $1,010 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470–2170 1737 14 69.00–77.00 $72.16 $1,253 —
1560–2215 1882 35 76.00–82.00 $79.25 $1,491 +0.90
1900 1900 2 83.50 $83.50 $1,586 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
906–962 928 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 54 88.00–94.00 $91.26 $847
880–1795 1179 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 745 44.00–59.50 $51.09 $602

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1054–1264 fancy 1184 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 57 1,325.00–1,550.00 $1,422.49
1083–1397 1264 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 263 1,025.00–1,435.00 $1,320.20
1152–1546 1302 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 508 625.00–885.00 $777.22
1219–1473 1317 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 301 835.00–1,200.00 $992.34
1260–1356 1326 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 17 710.00–825.00 $780.04
1326 fancy 1326 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 32 1,125.00 $1,125.00
1287–1483 1356 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 10 825.00–875.00 $848.92
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
999–1318 1149 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 92 1,060.00–1,225.00 $1,181.06
950–1385 1156 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 38 1,000.00–1,100.00 $1,065.96
1172–1301 1211 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 55 610.00–635.00 $621.27
1104–1480 1230 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 41 700.00–775.00 $736.15
1183–1481 1319 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 124 825.00–975.00 $917.09

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
848–1090 951 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 11 875.00–1,000.00 $960.08
893–1185 991 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 24 925.00–1,000.00 $963.86
958–1101 1002 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 193 1,150.00–1,275.00 $1,220.70
1018–1030 fancy 1020 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 50 1,300.00–1,310.00 $1,301.82
1011–1051 fancy 1023 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 71 1,300.00–1,325.00 $1,317.40
979–1172 1062 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 87 1,160.00–1,250.00 $1,229.28
Medium 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
881 881 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 21 1,100.00 $1,100.00
911 911 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 8 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 8 875.00 $875.00 -350.00
1100–1350 1172 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 51 1,275.00–1,360.00 $1,324.94 +99.94
1150–1300 1247 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 17 1,175.00–1,285.00 $1,249.20 —
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 6 1,210.00 $1,210.00 +10.00
1325 1325 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 7 1,335.00 $1,335.00 —

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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.