Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 5, 2021

1,431 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 $128.02/cwt -11.98 vs last sale · ≈ $722/hd at 564 lb · 60 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $141.67/cwt -12.71 vs last sale · ≈ $666/hd at 470 lb · 50 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.37/cwt -8.26 vs last sale · ≈ $774/hd at 603 lb · 44 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,431 1,272 0
Feeder cattle 789 772 0
Slaughter cattle 150 150 0
Replacement cattle 492 350 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers in a light test 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Trade activity and demand moderate for feeder cattle, moderate to good for slaughter cows and bulls.

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
308–337 332 19 171.00–176.00 $171.73 $570 —
391 391 7 166.00 $166.00 $649 —
400–423 410 25 161.00–165.00 $162.58 $667 -15.99
470–482 477 24 161.00–166.00 $163.74 $781 -13.81
501–537 514 14 156.00 $156.00 $802 -6.22
620 620 11 157.00 $157.00 $973 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
504 504 10 146.00–149.00 $147.50 $743 -7.50
604 604 15 140.00 $140.00 $846 -8.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379–396 387 29 148.00–151.00 $149.89 $580 -11.11
400–444 425 21 145.00–147.00 $146.37 $622 -12.45
454–492 470 50 136.00–146.00 $141.67 $666 -12.71
550–570 564 60 126.00–132.00 $128.02 $722 -11.98
600–605 603 44 125.00–131.00 $128.37 $774 -8.26
691–692 692 17 120.00–124.00 $123.06 $852 —
822 822 11 118.00 $118.00 $970 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
85 85 1 250.00 $250.00 —
105–125 118 6 260.00–360.00 $299.87 —
150–198 184 9 335.00–435.00 $407.21 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
85–95 90 2 235.00–260.00 $248.19 -136.81
100–135 124 8 285.00–375.00 $344.67 —
150–195 178 6 385.00–460.00 $424.06 +24.75
200–228 218 4 450.00–485.00 $474.49 +64.49

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1329 1182 80-85% 5 64.00–66.50 $65.32 $772 -0.59
960–1330 1220 80-85% 25 58.00–63.50 $60.68 $740 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1329–1470 1424 75-80% 8 65.50–67.00 $66.06 $941 —
1240–1770 1524 75-80% 15 62.00–64.00 $63.18 $963 -0.06
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820–1255 963 85-90% 6 46.00–48.00 $47.46 $457 —
820–1265 1025 85-90% 14 52.00–59.00 $54.40 $558 -2.25
1180 1180 85-90% 1 61.00 $61.00 $720 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525–2110 1745 7 83.00–86.00 $84.36 $1,472 —
1552–2185 1850 13 87.00–93.00 $90.44 $1,673 —
1895 1895 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,895 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1005–1635 1179 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 81 57.00–66.00 $61.26 $722

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1175–1375 1301 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 42 1,500.00–1,650.00 $1,605.32 —
1275–1400 1349 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 25 1,110.00–1,200.00 $1,132.42 —
1381–1550 1414 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 17 1,325.00–1,475.00 $1,370.50 —
1425–1553 1458 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 16 1,210.00–1,300.00 $1,250.51 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925–1175 1082 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 23 775.00–875.00 $801.70 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1125 1125 (<2 yrs)Open 14 1,925.00 $1,925.00 —

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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.