Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 12, 2021

884 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $132.47/cwt +4.10 vs last sale · ≈ $813/hd at 614 lb · 49 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $138.15/cwt +10.13 vs last sale · ≈ $782/hd at 566 lb · 27 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.02/cwt -4.35 vs last sale · ≈ $589/hd at 415 lb · 25 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 884 1,431 748
Feeder cattle 558 789 175
Slaughter cattle 76 150 250
Replacement cattle 250 492 323

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers mostly steady in a light test. Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Trading 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
525–540 533 16 160.00–164.00 $161.97 $863 +5.97
554–567 557 12 151.00–157.00 $155.47 $866 —
778 778 2 131.00 $131.00 $1,019 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
528–538 534 12 151.00–156.00 $153.32 $819 +5.82
569 569 4 141.00 $141.00 $802 —
660 660 5 140.00 $140.00 $924 —
720 720 8 126.00 $126.00 $907 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
344 344 6 151.00 $151.00 $519 —
409–428 415 25 140.00–144.00 $142.02 $589 -4.35
456 456 4 139.00 $139.00 $634 -2.67
532–533 thin fleshed 532 14 149.00–154.00 $152.21 $810 —
560–569 566 27 136.00–139.00 $138.15 $782 +10.13
609–620 614 49 130.00–135.00 $132.47 $813 +4.10
660 660 14 123.00 $123.00 $812 -0.06
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466 466 8 132.00 $132.00 $615 —
515–522 519 15 126.00–130.00 $128.15 $665 —
569 569 5 126.00 $126.00 $717 —
856 856 5 115.00 $115.00 $984 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
110–138 124 8 210.00–225.00 $216.65 -83.22
168–185 177 6 210.00–350.00 $317.98 -89.23
200–233 217 6 250.00–360.00 $330.88 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
125 125 2 225.00–275.00 $250.00 -94.67
155–195 186 11 335.00–400.00 $380.03 -44.03
205–220 213 4 375.00–410.00 $389.00 -85.49
260 260 1 450.00 $450.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
553 553 6 141.00 $141.00 $780 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1395 1143 80-85% 19 58.00–63.00 $60.87 $696 —
985–1340 1186 80-85% 8 64.00–67.00 $64.52 $765 -0.80
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–1120 948 85-90% 13 51.00–57.00 $54.47 $516 —
958–995 977 85-90% 4 49.00–51.00 $49.98 $488 +2.52
895–1245 999 85-90% 5 60.00–61.50 $60.77 $607 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1383 1344 75-80% 4 62.00–64.50 $62.86 $845 —
1290–1480 1395 75-80% 3 66.00–67.00 $66.69 $930 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510–1815 1588 13 73.00–81.00 $75.59 $1,200 —
1980–2015 1998 2 86.00–91.00 $88.52 $1,769 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1005–1513 1212 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 29 53.00–64.00 $59.99 $727

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
954–1050 977 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 17 1,010.00–1,150.00 $1,114.58

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
816 816 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 925.00 $925.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
800–1051 910 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 30 1,510.00–1,610.00 $1,569.48 —
1150–1400 1176 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 17 900.00–960.00 $906.60 —
1040–1400 1228 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 23 1,335.00–1,375.00 $1,349.68 —

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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.