Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 2, 2020

3,415 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest La Junta Livestock Commision report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $127.39/cwt -6.03 vs last sale · ≈ $647/hd at 508 lb · 214 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $153.42/cwt +9.54 vs last sale · ≈ $901/hd at 587 lb · 189 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.40/cwt +10.40 vs last sale · ≈ $804/hd at 626 lb · 164 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,415 1,563 3,630
Feeder cattle 2,846 1,259 3,113
Slaughter cattle 100 53 92
Replacement cattle 469 251 425

Compared with a couple of weeks ago: Steer calves 3.00 to 5.00 higher with the exception of 400 to 600 lbs steady to 3.00 higher. Heifer calves steady to 1.00 higher. Yearling steers 700 to 800 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, over 800 lbs lightly tested. No trend available on yearling heifers over 700 lbs due to the lack of receipts from the prior week. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
304–335 318 16 209.00–215.00 $211.51 $673 +9.67
351–376 356 19 198.00–200.00 $199.56 $710 -0.44
411 thin fleshed 411 7 194.00 $194.00 $797 +8.00
426–445 434 79 169.00–181.00 $174.19 $756 -2.17
456–494 472 113 166.00–174.00 $170.60 $805 +4.88
517–544 536 68 155.00–165.00 $162.17 $869 +7.67
568–594 587 189 150.00–158.50 $153.42 $901 +9.54
603–631 620 159 145.50–153.00 $148.38 $920 +9.68
651–686 664 103 142.50–151.00 $145.91 $969
709–711 709 56 139.00–142.50 $141.81 $1,005
700–742 unweaned 722 56 129.00–135.00 $131.81 $952 +6.50
750–781 758 56 125.00–130.50 $128.97 $978
839 839 6 126.00 $126.00 $1,057
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 19 155.00 $155.00 $698
569 569 34 131.00 $131.00 $745
662 662 25 127.00 $127.00 $841
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
632–645 637 34 139.00–141.00 $139.77 $890

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
256 256 5 167.00 $167.00 $428 +18.01
374–398 382 16 150.00–152.00 $151.35 $578 +6.35
400–430 410 70 136.00–146.00 $141.30 $579 +0.66
411 fancy 411 20 149.00 $149.00 $612
460–476 471 72 130.00–136.00 $132.18 $623 -2.27
500–538 508 214 121.00–133.00 $127.39 $647 -6.03
568–592 585 41 125.50–129.50 $126.98 $743
588 fancy 588 32 136.00 $136.00 $800
603–636 626 159 126.00–132.50 $128.57 $805
639 unweaned 639 5 123.00 $123.00 $786 +5.00
671–682 unweaned 675 43 119.00–121.00 $120.02 $810
703–712 unweaned 704 40 118.50 $118.50 $834
786 unweaned 786 12 115.00 $115.00 $904
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 7 140.00 $140.00 $490
481–490 487 15 122.50–126.00 $123.65 $602
570 570 39 120.50 $120.50 $687

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
836–1200 997 85-90% 10 41.00–46.00 $43.78 $436 +0.97
897–1150 1036 85-90% 8 34.00–41.00 $37.81 $392 -8.82
989–1175 1082 85-90% 9 47.00–53.00 $48.89 $529
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1258–1610 1353 75-80% 18 55.00–57.00 $55.55 $752 -0.45
1320–1540 1437 75-80% 7 51.00–53.00 $52.02 $748
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1071–1344 1214 80-85% 13 53.00–57.00 $55.34 $672 +1.08
1125–1440 1264 80-85% 5 49.00–54.00 $52.01 $657

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1545–2055 1763 6 75.00–77.00 $76.05 $1,341
1515–2475 1842 20 78.00–83.00 $80.47 $1,482 +8.80

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
882–1710 1218 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 239 47.00–59.00 $54.59 $665

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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.