Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 28, 2021

1,272 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.63/cwt ≈ $730/hd at 572 lb · 27 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $170.27/cwt -4.79 vs last sale · ≈ $734/hd at 431 lb · 25 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $126.00/cwt -24.11 vs last sale · ≈ $820/hd at 651 lb · 17 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,272 2,496 0
Feeder cattle 772 2,096 0
Slaughter cattle 150 150 0
Replacement cattle 350 250 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers too lightly tested for a comparison. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Trade activity and demand moderate for feeder cattle, moderate to good for slaughter cows and bulls and cow-calf pairs.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
412–438 431 25 170.00–171.00 $170.27 $734 -4.79
458 458 2 167.00 $167.00 $765 -8.51
534 534 6 155.00 $155.00 $828 -17.22
563–595 581 8 146.00–151.00 $149.28 $867 —
611 611 8 148.00 $148.00 $904 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
404–447 434 13 178.00–180.00 $178.57 $775 -2.43
456–470 458 17 171.00–179.00 $177.55 $813 -1.49
513–538 528 12 161.00–164.00 $162.22 $857 -17.27

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 4 161.00 $161.00 $630 —
408–410 409 11 158.00–161.00 $158.82 $650 -2.26
455–465 461 13 154.00–155.00 $154.38 $712 -7.61
521–544 529 12 151.00–157.00 $154.94 $820 -3.06
575 575 15 140.00 $140.00 $805 -4.72
619–620 619 8 136.00–141.00 $136.63 $846 -1.06
651 651 17 126.00 $126.00 $820 —
768 768 17 121.00–123.00 $122.06 $937 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379–391 384 17 153.00–155.00 $154.16 $592 -6.84
482–495 486 15 141.00–152.00 $148.16 $720 —
524–538 527 11 138.00–144.00 $139.11 $733 —
571–579 572 27 126.00–128.00 $127.63 $730 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
95 95 1 385.00 $385.00 —
160–195 180 3 350.00–425.00 $399.31 —
225 225 1 410.00 $410.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
748–1045 911 85-90% 9 46.00–52.00 $48.44 $441 —
935–1090 1013 85-90% 2 60.00 $60.00 $608 —
835–1385 1017 85-90% 28 53.00–59.00 $56.65 $576 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
993–1203 1144 80-85% 20 59.00–64.00 $62.50 $715 —
980–1256 1158 80-85% 13 65.00–69.00 $65.91 $763 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1336–1450 1374 75-80% 11 66.00–67.00 $66.81 $918 +2.81
1415–1575 1508 75-80% 7 61.00–64.00 $63.24 $954 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425–1850 1591 4 76.00–83.00 $80.51 $1,281 —
1675–1735 1708 3 95.50–96.00 $95.83 $1,637 —
1490–2215 1790 5 86.00–94.00 $88.94 $1,592 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
975–1343 1216 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 46 61.00–69.00 $64.02 $778

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
858–1478 1055 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 11 910.00–975.00 $966.72
1105–1388 1176 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 810.00–910.00 $839.51
1332–1362 1347 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 10 910.00–975.00 $942.14
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1180 1180 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 775.00 $775.00
1220 1220 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 860.00 $860.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
968–1180 992 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 975.00–1,035.00 $982.93

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150–1315 1217 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 10 1,010.00–1,110.00 $1,038.98 —
1100–1425 1232 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 48 1,450.00–1,575.00 $1,522.70 —
1250 1250 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 31 1,735.00 $1,735.00 —
1275 1275 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 11 1,310.00 $1,310.00 —
1180–1350 1293 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 23 1,610.00–1,650.00 $1,614.76 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925–1100 972 (<2 yrs)Open 84 1,800.00–1,900.00 $1,844.95 —

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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.