La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 16, 2020

2,458 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $150.59/cwt +10.85 vs last sale · ≈ $931/hd at 618 lb · 144 head

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $134.37/cwt +6.02 vs last sale · ≈ $771/hd at 574 lb · 142 head

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $159.35/cwt +13.08 vs last sale · ≈ $904/hd at 567 lb · 119 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	2,458	3,848	2,199
Feeder cattle	2,074	3,248	1,399
Slaughter cattle	60	100	150
Replacement cattle	324	500	650

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Steer calves uneven, under 500 lbs steady to 3.00 higher advance on 350 to 400 lbs, 500 to 550 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 550 to 600 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 instances 8.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, over 700 lbs steady to 2.00 lower. Heifer calves under 650 lbs steady to 2.00 higher, 650-700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, over 700 lbs mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bulls in a light test mostly steady. Demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
283	283	7	226.00	$226.00	$640	+1.00
350–391	368	94	210.00–214.00	$211.18	$777	+9.73
400–405 thin fleshed	402	18	190.00–192.00	$190.78	$767	-5.59
415–448	435	80	180.00–186.00	$184.35	$802	+3.97
460–489	472	44	171.00–179.00	$174.74	$825	+0.77
502–544	521	44	158.00–164.00	$160.24	$835	-9.62
550–556 fancy	554	27	164.00–168.00	$166.82	$924	—
558–594	571	92	149.50–161.50	$157.16	$897	+10.89
600–633	618	144	146.00–155.00	$150.59	$931	+8.67
651–686	667	84	140.00–146.00	$144.38	$963	+3.13
701 fancy	701	7	143.50	$143.50	$1,006	+0.50
703–740	729	43	131.00–138.00	$135.89	$991	-1.66
755–777	767	21	131.00–135.50	$133.39	$1,023	-3.44
851–888	872	25	121.00–125.50	$122.93	$1,072	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
326–345	341	18	205.00–210.00	$207.70	$708	—
464–494	482	17	159.00–164.00	$162.02	$781	—
517–545	536	33	146.00	$146.00	$783	-6.93
556–588	570	37	141.00–144.00	$142.66	$813	—

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
624	624	8	142.00	$142.00	$886	—

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
374	374	4	163.00	$163.00	$610	—
423–441	431	36	153.00–156.00	$154.83	$667	+3.53
463–482	469	39	141.00–149.00	$142.82	$670	-1.96
500–537	515	48	135.00–142.00	$138.63	$714	+0.64
519 fancy	519	8	147.00	$147.00	$763	—
559–586	574	142	130.00–141.00	$134.37	$771	+6.02
601–640	609	102	128.00–133.50	$130.46	$795	+1.85
656–670	663	42	126.00–131.00	$128.63	$853	+4.49
702	702	3	126.00	$126.00	$885	-1.32

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
385–398	392	10	151.00–153.00	$151.98	$596	+1.49
489–490	489	27	132.00–136.00	$135.26	$661	+3.77
524–548	532	27	134.00–136.00	$135.42	$720	+5.42

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
534	534	16	136.00	$136.00	$726	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1320	1320	75-80%	1	62.00	$62.00	$818	—
1425	1425	75-80%	1	54.00	$54.00	$770	-1.55
1370–1585	1536	75-80%	16	55.00–60.00	$58.08	$892	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
830–1195	983	85-90%	5	46.00–49.00	$46.96	$462	-1.30

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1070–1315	1193	80-85%	2	50.00–51.00	$50.45	$602	-2.69
1120–1269	1198	80-85%	3	56.00–57.00	$56.35	$675	+3.21

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1405–1530	1455	3	68.00–71.00	$70.03	$1,019	—
2150	2150	1	84.00	$84.00	$1,806	—

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
955–1470	1177	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	298	46.00–59.00	$55.38	$652

↑ 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.