Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 21, 2021

2,496 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 $144.72/cwt -7.28 vs last sale · ≈ $816/hd at 564 lb · 143 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $183.27/cwt +2.27 vs last sale · ≈ $957/hd at 522 lb · 124 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $162.73/cwt ≈ $749/hd at 460 lb · 122 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,496 1,236 0
Feeder cattle 2,096 468 0
Slaughter cattle 150 225 0
Replacement cattle 250 543 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers under 700 lbs too lightly tested the last couple of weeks for a comparison, over 700 lbs in a light test mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Trade activity and 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 $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
313–345 335 25 194.00–196.00 $194.77 $652 —
353–396 373 47 190.00–195.00 $192.97 $720 —
411 411 9 181.00 $181.00 $744 —
450–490 455 99 177.00–181.00 $179.04 $815 —
502–540 thin fleshed 519 62 186.00–191.00 $187.04 $971 —
503–546 525 62 176.00–183.00 $179.49 $942 -1.51
550–597 576 93 171.00–180.00 $175.36 $1,010 —
600–614 609 88 166.00–169.00 $166.76 $1,016 —
720 720 51 149.50 $149.50 $1,076 —
766–786 773 28 133.00–134.00 $133.82 $1,034 -6.18
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
411–444 435 36 174.00–176.00 $175.06 $762 —
456–495 476 31 173.00–176.00 $175.51 $835 -5.49
503–542 526 22 171.00–173.00 $172.22 $906 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
559 559 28 161.00 $161.00 $900 —
676 676 9 142.00 $142.00 $960 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
403–443 415 51 159.00–166.00 $161.08 $668 —
436 fancy 436 7 171.00 $171.00 $746 —
453–458 fancy 455 15 168.00 $168.00 $764 —
450–485 461 107 158.00–167.00 $161.99 $747 —
502 502 9 158.00 $158.00 $793 -4.42
550–589 564 143 141.00–151.00 $144.72 $816 -7.28
620–621 621 56 137.50–141.00 $137.69 $855 —
690 690 11 131.00 $131.00 $904 —
694 694 39 155.50 $155.50 $1,079 —
716 716 24 128.00 $128.00 $916 ±0.00
822 822 8 128.00 $128.00 $1,052 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
396–397 397 19 161.00 $161.00 $639 +9.00
716–733 721 23 121.00–122.00 $121.69 $877 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
704 704 10 118.00 $118.00 $831 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
383 383 11 183.00 $183.00 $701 —
480 480 15 161.00 $161.00 $773 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
702 702 6 131.00 $131.00 $920 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–1045 952 85-90% 10 61.00–64.00 $62.30 $593 +5.67
770–1140 960 85-90% 3 48.00–51.00 $49.41 $474 -7.22
907–1195 1052 85-90% 18 53.00–59.00 $55.69 $586 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1368 1362 75-80% 3 64.00 $64.00 $872 —
1325–1525 1396 75-80% 11 66.00–72.00 $68.08 $950 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1090–1330 1205 80-85% 4 65.00–69.00 $67.22 $810 -0.64
1040–1360 1223 80-85% 6 61.00–65.00 $63.52 $777 -4.34

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1580–2230 1952 6 88.00–93.00 $91.32 $1,783 —
1695–2360 1969 6 74.50–83.00 $79.94 $1,574 -12.61
1985–2115 2049 11 94.00–99.50 $95.75 $1,962 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–1345 1178 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 41 58.00–65.00 $62.28 $734

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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.