Cattle Market Pulse

Colorado Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 12, 2022

15,352 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $178.48/cwt -0.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,283/hd at 719 lb · 632 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $171.85/cwt -3.60 vs last sale · ≈ $983/hd at 572 lb · 557 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $192.15/cwt +1.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,198/hd at 624 lb · 498 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 15,352 19,437 16,193
Feeder cattle 9,939 17,203 9,241
Slaughter cattle 1,724 2,062 2,237
Replacement cattle 3,689 172 4,715

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Combined weighted average for 5 Colorado auction reports spread across 3 sale barns included: Winter Livestock, La Junta Livestock and Sterling Livestock. Some sales were forced to be moved to alternative days or cancelled this week due to blizzard conditions with heavy amounts of snow falling across northeast Colorado. Trade activity and demand were moderate to good. Feeder steers under 500 lbs traded mostly 8.00 to 14.00 lower, 500-650 lbs traded 2.00 to 5.00 higher, 650-800 lbs 1.00 to 4.00 lower and over 800 lbs traded unevenly steady. Feeder heifers under 500 lbs traded uneven, 2.00 higher to 7.00 lower, while those from 500-700 lbs traded 2.00 to 5.00 lower. Over 700 lbs traded unevenly steady on a thin test. Average dress slaughter cows traded unevenly steady and average dress slaughter bulls traded 5.00 higher. The next available report will be Tuesday, December 27, 2022.

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
324–345 338 25 231.00–240.00 $237.97 $804 +2.85
364–380 370 45 228.00–249.00 $238.05 $881 -14.89
385–395 unweaned 392 10 227.50–232.50 $231.03 $906 -1.98
400–437 unweaned 419 50 209.00–220.00 $215.52 $903 -3.68
402–439 419 81 223.00–244.00 $231.30 $969 -7.95
464–483 unweaned 467 44 215.00–219.00 $218.44 $1,020 +10.52
453–496 473 97 200.00–238.00 $218.28 $1,032 -8.67
483 fancy 483 15 215.00 $215.00 $1,038 -24.12
508 fancy 508 10 213.00 $213.00 $1,082 —
507–548 530 247 201.00–222.00 $212.05 $1,124 +1.70
516–547 unweaned 530 57 197.00–209.00 $204.11 $1,082 +0.39
554 fancy 554 23 217.00 $217.00 $1,202 ±0.00
550–597 581 294 194.50–213.00 $205.37 $1,193 +4.48
609 value added 609 35 203.00–204.00 $203.74 $1,241 -1.82
600–635 617 300 180.00–198.00 $190.24 $1,174 +1.32
627–643 fancy 637 112 197.50–199.50 $198.28 $1,263 +1.95
637–643 unweaned 643 51 182.00 $182.00 $1,170 -2.27
653–693 676 298 171.00–192.00 $182.97 $1,237 -1.36
669–686 fancy 676 49 181.00–182.50 $181.91 $1,230 -6.85
703–746 unweaned 717 110 166.00–171.00 $168.87 $1,211 +1.73
700–748 719 522 170.50–191.50 $180.51 $1,298 -0.83
752–796 778 350 168.00–186.50 $175.13 $1,363 -4.31
795 fancy 795 64 182.00 $182.00 $1,447 —
810 810 23 168.50 $168.50 $1,365 -8.12
818 fancy 818 78 181.50 $181.50 $1,485 —
809–839 825 73 173.50–179.00 $177.26 $1,462 +0.64
854–894 867 205 174.00–177.85 $175.73 $1,524 +6.19
914–920 918 73 167.00–171.50 $168.72 $1,549 -3.53
951 951 55 173.00 $173.00 $1,645 +4.30
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–491 479 30 191.00–212.50 $196.88 $943 -8.32
661 unweaned 661 5 168.00 $168.00 $1,110 —
684–696 691 79 182.00 $182.00 $1,258 -0.07
711–727 unweaned 713 89 161.00–162.00 $161.11 $1,149 —
703–744 732 32 172.00–180.00 $177.84 $1,302 -0.76
771–798 unweaned 785 14 150.00–161.00 $155.41 $1,220 —
800 800 3 166.00 $166.00 $1,328 —
918 918 2 168.00 $168.00 $1,542 —
975 975 4 162.00 $162.00 $1,580 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
321 321 10 221.00 $221.00 $709 —
571–597 591 69 183.00–189.50 $187.80 $1,110 —
600–639 619 128 180.00–186.00 $181.30 $1,122 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
503–547 530 35 180.00–183.00 $181.22 $960 —
550–584 567 105 190.50–192.00 $191.28 $1,085 —
671 671 28 171.00 $171.00 $1,147 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
273 273 6 275.00 $275.00 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333–334 333 29 205.00–209.00 $206.24 $687 -7.46
367–398 389 95 200.00–225.00 $205.73 $800 +2.08
419–434 424 33 194.50–212.00 $201.01 $852 -1.47
450–495 475 120 171.00–201.00 $189.74 $901 +1.25
480 fancy 480 7 183.00 $183.00 $878 -15.42
510 510 53 199.00 $199.00 $1,015 +16.91
500–547 519 187 172.00–188.00 $179.99 $934 -2.10
571 value added 571 30 189.00 $189.00 $1,079 —
551–598 572 357 161.00–182.00 $173.04 $990 -2.03
550–594 unweaned 573 170 160.00–169.50 $166.32 $953 -0.11
607 fancy 607 15 185.00 $185.00 $1,123 +2.00
613 613 43 191.00 $191.00 $1,171 +16.92
616–625 unweaned 621 28 161.00–166.00 $163.30 $1,014 +1.56
604–648 623 239 160.00–174.50 $169.02 $1,053 -5.06
651–694 671 321 160.00–175.50 $171.89 $1,153 -2.04
679 fancy 679 10 177.00 $177.00 $1,202 —
670–696 unweaned 686 86 160.00–168.00 $165.45 $1,135 +0.56
700–733 712 120 158.00–173.00 $169.06 $1,204 +1.72
756–796 784 197 156.00–166.00 $164.48 $1,290 -1.86
800–816 804 84 165.00–166.00 $165.23 $1,328 —
861–869 866 102 160.00–165.00 $163.20 $1,413 —
933 933 20 155.00 $155.00 $1,446 -10.43
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–369 unweaned 366 14 171.00–172.00 $171.71 $628 —
434 434 11 184.00 $184.00 $799 -3.13
454–481 468 28 162.00–183.00 $171.27 $802 -21.86
501–536 515 26 171.00–178.00 $175.72 $905 -4.21
563 563 26 173.00 $173.00 $974 -2.08
628–644 642 39 162.00–163.00 $162.87 $1,046 -4.90
670–679 676 13 162.00–168.00 $166.17 $1,123 +2.02
724 724 9 159.00 $159.00 $1,151 +6.87
764 unweaned 764 7 151.00 $151.00 $1,154 —
774–788 779 17 160.00–162.00 $161.14 $1,255 —
809 809 4 154.00 $154.00 $1,246 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
668 668 12 158.00 $158.00 $1,055 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1430 1175 80-85% 140 60.00–66.00 $63.86 $750 —
1030–1425 1199 80-85% 97 60.00–66.00 $64.24 $770 —
1073–1370 1251 80-85% 91 65.00–73.00 $68.39 $856 +3.50
1085–1445 1274 80-85% 126 65.00–72.00 $67.79 $864 +2.90
1135–1351 1284 80-85% 11 73.50–76.00 $74.13 $952 +9.24
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1236 1025 85-90% 56 48.00–60.00 $56.44 $579 —
765–1285 1044 85-90% 43 51.00–59.00 $55.01 $574 —
1044–1170 1076 85-90% 34 65.50–69.00 $66.50 $716 —
875–1223 1124 85-90% 97 60.00–65.75 $63.02 $708 +0.63
960–1260 1132 85-90% 54 60.00–65.00 $63.12 $715 +0.73
1078–1300 1177 85-90% 14 65.00–68.00 $65.86 $775 -1.04
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1512 1391 75-80% 112 62.00–70.00 $66.85 $930 —
1245–1835 1528 75-80% 140 70.00–78.00 $72.82 $1,113 —
1450–1900 1607 75-80% 3 79.00–82.00 $80.07 $1,287 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1935 1698 17 83.00–94.50 $90.64 $1,539 —
1723–1890 1825 4 93.00–96.00 $94.55 $1,726 —
1749–2235 1907 6 84.00–91.00 $89.47 $1,706 —
1777–2320 1949 10 92.00–101.00 $97.20 $1,894 —
1995–2275 2121 4 101.00–105.00 $102.68 $2,178 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
978–1283 1094 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 80 1,000.00–1,185.00 $1,094.38
1010–1305 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 49 1,000.00–1,285.00 $1,213.23
1010–1541 1218 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 401 1,425.00–1,950.00 $1,749.71
1218–1290 fancy 1269 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 17 1,600.00–1,650.00 $1,635.88
1303 fancy 1303 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 18 1,825.00 $1,825.00
1273–1394 fancy 1323 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 104 1,800.00–2,225.00 $2,013.41
1167–1450 1358 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 109 1,110.00–1,375.00 $1,280.35
1230–1538 1361 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 364 910.00–1,100.00 $993.11
1315–1618 1456 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 62 1,050.00–1,175.00 $1,124.03
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1098–1235 1187 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 52 1,525.00–1,575.00 $1,556.14
1166–1323 1215 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 20 1,060.00–1,100.00 $1,089.11
1378 1378 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 25 960.00 $960.00
Medium 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1263–1339 1323 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 38 1,150.00–1,310.00 $1,252.11
1363–1402 1379 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 22 975.00–1,000.00 $985.40
1426 1426 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 12 1,050.00 $1,050.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
805–1033 960 (<2 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 10 1,010.00–1,175.00 $1,121.24
963 963 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 39 1,785.00 $1,785.00
967–1028 1003 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 78 1,700.00–1,750.00 $1,743.82
895–1197 1076 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 349 1,600.00–1,750.00 $1,681.44
Medium 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
906 906 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 12 1,575.00 $1,575.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100–1142 1125 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 17 1,475.00–1,560.00 $1,525.77 —
1225–1250 1233 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 13 1,300.00–1,410.00 $1,334.32 —
1250–1350 1293 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 14 1,110.00 $1,110.00 —
1275–1400 1330 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 24 1,675.00–1,800.00 $1,731.88 —
1385 1385 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 3 1,475.00 $1,475.00 —
1425 1425 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 5 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
1600 1600 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,825.00 $1,825.00 —

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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.