Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 24, 2021

468 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.56/cwt +1.62 vs last sale · ≈ $824/hd at 578 lb · 18 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $163.87/cwt ≈ $952/hd at 581 lb · 15 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $141.00/cwt ≈ $950/hd at 674 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 468 811 3,392
Feeder cattle 378 747 3,267
Slaughter cattle 53 50 125
Replacement cattle 37 14 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: All weights feeder steers and heifers in a light test mostly steady on the kind offered. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Trade and demand moderate.

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
303 303 2 201.00 $201.00 $609 —
440 440 4 191.00 $191.00 $840 +10.00
568–583 581 15 163.00–164.00 $163.87 $952 —
613 613 6 155.00 $155.00 $950 —
664–684 674 14 141.00 $141.00 $950 —
800 800 4 126.00 $126.00 $1,008 -1.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333 333 5 193.00 $193.00 $643 —
373 373 3 181.00 $181.00 $675 ±0.00
444 444 7 180.00 $180.00 $799 —
526–530 528 9 159.00–164.00 $161.23 $851 +2.73

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
389 389 4 180.00 $180.00 $700 —
474 474 4 155.00 $155.00 $735 +2.00
529 529 4 146.00 $146.00 $772 +1.00
552–589 578 18 140.00–149.00 $142.56 $824 +1.62
634–644 639 13 131.00–134.00 $132.60 $847 -6.43
661–679 673 12 129.00–130.00 $129.67 $873 -2.33
700–718 710 7 120.00–126.00 $122.53 $870 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318 318 3 173.00 $173.00 $550 +18.00
538–543 540 9 131.00–135.00 $133.66 $722 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
933–1265 1120 80-85% 23 63.00–69.00 $65.64 $735 -0.55
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910 910 85-90% 1 46.00 $46.00 $419 +3.60
940–1060 1000 85-90% 2 56.00 $56.00 $560 —
875–1150 1045 85-90% 13 58.00–62.00 $59.83 $625 —
1045 1045 85-90% 1 64.00 $64.00 $669 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–1460 1450 75-80% 2 67.00–68.00 $67.50 $979 -2.16
1642 1642 75-80% 3 61.00 $61.00 $1,002 -2.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1784–1940 1828 6 88.00–89.00 $88.82 $1,624 —
2080 2080 2 95.00 $95.00 $1,976 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1275–1445 1343 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 12 61.00–67.00 $66.00 $886

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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.