Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 31, 2021

5,062 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 $160.24/cwt +14.24 vs last sale · ≈ $822/hd at 513 lb · 300 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $133.41/cwt +10.88 vs last sale · ≈ $955/hd at 716 lb · 247 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $138.61/cwt ≈ $1,051/hd at 758 lb · 206 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,062 468 0
Feeder cattle 5,009 378 0
Slaughter cattle 53 53 0
Replacement cattle — 37 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday, no trend available due to the lack of receipts from the past two weeks, but a higher undertone was noted. Trade activity and demand good especially for weaned thin fleshed calves returning to grass. Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Demand good.

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
304–348 322 54 215.00–220.00 $216.79 $698 +15.79
351–390 369 67 211.00–218.00 $215.08 $794 —
350–388 fancy 370 19 221.00–223.00 $221.86 $821 —
413–418 thin fleshed 415 30 213.00–215.00 $214.33 $889 —
408–444 428 37 201.00–207.00 $203.70 $872 +12.70
456–489 474 179 199.00–208.00 $202.57 $960 —
500–545 523 93 190.00–198.00 $195.83 $1,024 —
527–533 thin fleshed 530 47 200.00–204.00 $202.12 $1,071 —
558–582 572 150 185.00–193.00 $189.26 $1,083 +25.39
570–588 thin fleshed 586 44 196.00 $196.00 $1,149 —
603 fancy 603 46 190.00 $190.00 $1,146 —
600–647 621 89 171.00–177.00 $174.90 $1,086 +19.90
653 thin fleshed 653 52 169.00 $169.00 $1,104 —
703 thin fleshed 703 28 158.00 $158.00 $1,111 —
700–728 706 49 146.00–148.00 $147.62 $1,042 —
750–792 755 185 134.00–140.00 $137.54 $1,038 —
788 thin fleshed 788 21 148.00 $148.00 $1,166 —
809–818 812 11 131.00–132.50 $131.55 $1,068 +5.55
856–889 869 123 125.50–130.50 $129.25 $1,123 —
936–940 938 9 125.50–126.00 $125.72 $1,179 —
975 975 13 123.50 $123.50 $1,204 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
479–497 491 55 186.00–193.00 $190.50 $935 —
500–534 519 16 184.00–187.00 $185.74 $964 +24.51
633 633 16 163.00 $163.00 $1,032 —
759–778 771 45 131.00–132.00 $131.35 $1,013 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
694 694 16 144.00 $144.00 $999 —
789 789 35 133.49 $133.49 $1,053 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
567 567 18 182.00 $182.00 $1,032 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358–395 369 81 174.00–181.00 $179.52 $662 -0.48
406–443 433 125 168.00–171.00 $169.06 $732 —
456–490 fancy 480 116 174.00–176.00 $174.53 $838 —
463–492 483 25 166.00–170.00 $167.23 $808 +12.23
502 thin fleshed 502 8 171.00 $171.00 $858 —
504–533 513 292 156.00–162.00 $159.95 $821 +13.95
555–591 573 196 150.00–159.00 $153.67 $881 +11.11
600–628 619 176 141.50–151.00 $144.49 $894 +11.89
653–694 663 188 136.00–144.00 $139.98 $928 +10.31
700–746 716 185 129.00–133.75 $131.70 $943 +9.17
716 716 62 138.50 $138.50 $992 +15.97
756 756 14 129.00 $129.00 $975 —
800–846 817 70 124.00–130.50 $127.95 $1,045 —
900–930 917 26 115.50–120.00 $117.37 $1,076 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
418–434 429 62 160.00–163.00 $161.14 $691 —
458 458 16 160.00 $160.00 $733 —
530 530 34 151.00 $151.00 $800 +17.34
585–592 587 59 142.00–149.00 $146.09 $858 —
604–608 606 16 141.00 $141.00 $854 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
609 609 52 140.00 $140.00 $853 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
663 663 6 136.00 $136.00 $902 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
845–1155 1021 85-90% 12 60.00–63.00 $62.11 $634 +6.11
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1208 1208 80-85% 5 63.00 $63.00 $761 —
1230–1385 1305 80-85% 3 64.50–68.00 $66.57 $869 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1570 1478 75-80% 2 68.00–69.00 $68.47 $1,012 +0.97
1395–1620 1480 75-80% 3 70.00–72.00 $71.05 $1,052 +3.55

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1495–2080 1814 6 83.00–88.00 $85.36 $1,548 -3.46
2000–2005 2003 2 76.00–81.00 $78.50 $1,572 —

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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.