Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 23, 2020

1,346 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $176.00/cwt +1.26 vs last sale · ≈ $834/hd at 474 lb · 81 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $161.75/cwt +1.51 vs last sale · ≈ $841/hd at 520 lb · 64 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.90/cwt +1.08 vs last sale · ≈ $692/hd at 481 lb · 48 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,346 2,458 0
Feeder cattle 1,037 2,074 0
Slaughter cattle 134 60 0
Replacement cattle 175 324 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wed: Steer and heifer calves steady instances 2.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers and heifers over 700 lbs scarce. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls scarce. Demand moderate. *** Note due to the holidays this will be the last sale this year, sale will resume Wed Jan 6, 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
306–345 335 43 219.00–220.00 $219.15 $734 —
353–394 383 32 199.00–210.00 $203.78 $780 -7.40
419 419 24 185.00–186.00 $185.29 $776 +0.94
422–430 thin fleshed 425 15 194.00–197.00 $195.21 $830 +4.43
451–497 474 81 170.00–180.00 $176.00 $834 +1.26
501 thin fleshed 501 7 171.00 $171.00 $857 —
501–544 522 57 160.00–166.00 $160.61 $838 +0.37
550–562 558 37 148.50–151.00 $149.30 $833 -7.86
603–621 612 37 142.50–145.50 $144.64 $885 -5.95
661–686 unweaned 679 31 134.00–138.00 $136.87 $929 —
817 817 8 122.00 $122.00 $997 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
587 587 17 136.00 $136.00 $798 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
261 261 8 175.00 $175.00 $457 —
355–388 366 19 160.00–166.00 $163.46 $598 +0.46
457–494 481 48 141.00–148.00 $143.90 $692 +1.08
522–523 522 23 140.00–143.00 $142.61 $744 +3.98
558 558 23 142.00 $142.00 $792 +7.63
616–624 622 38 131.00–137.00 $133.24 $829 +2.78
781 781 7 122.00 $122.00 $953 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–444 431 11 141.00–146.00 $143.56 $619 —
539–540 539 32 136.00–137.00 $136.16 $734 +0.74

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1395 977 85-90% 27 31.00–42.00 $37.81 $369 -9.15
994–1045 1004 85-90% 5 49.00–51.00 $50.58 $508 —
870–1196 1008 85-90% 24 42.00–46.00 $43.82 $442 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1047–1380 1140 80-85% 15 51.00–54.00 $52.76 $601 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1426–1490 1439 75-80% 5 56.00–58.50 $56.52 $813 +2.52
1400–1514 1498 75-80% 7 50.50–55.00 $51.10 $765 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2075 2075 1 80.00 $80.00 $1,660 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
883–1495 1138 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 100 46.00–58.00 $50.26 $572

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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.