Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 22, 2021

991 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $167.60/cwt ≈ $866/hd at 517 lb · 43 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $131.75/cwt -9.71 vs last sale · ≈ $773/hd at 587 lb · 32 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $149.92/cwt ≈ $1,007/hd at 672 lb · 32 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 991 1,075 2,222
Feeder cattle 761 478 1,722
Slaughter cattle 150 105 500
Replacement cattle 80 492 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trend available this week as the last covered auction was June 2, 2021. Trade 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
312–342 328 16 209.00–212.00 $210.25 $690 —
370 370 2 201.00 $201.00 $744 —
420–433 427 14 180.00–189.00 $182.20 $778 —
500–530 517 43 165.00–174.00 $167.60 $866 —
560–573 564 20 152.00–153.00 $152.45 $860 -18.92
625–627 unweaned 626 24 136.00–141.00 $138.30 $866 —
655–678 672 32 146.00–151.00 $149.92 $1,007 —
713 713 7 146.00–147.00 $146.57 $1,045 +6.57
784 784 5 141.50 $141.50 $1,109 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316–332 323 7 166.00–173.00 $169.92 $549 —
390 390 9 157.00 $157.00 $612 —
400–443 420 27 146.00–152.00 $149.13 $626 —
474 474 4 147.00 $147.00 $697 -11.00
503–519 508 20 146.00–147.00 $146.65 $745 —
559–577 565 9 136.00–140.00 $138.64 $783 -8.36
610 610 9 142.00 $142.00 $866 —
665–689 677 27 133.00–139.00 $134.75 $912 -8.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
522 522 3 139.00 $139.00 $726 -3.69
584–589 587 32 131.00–132.50 $131.75 $773 -9.71

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
933–981 943 85-90% 5 51.00–51.01 $51.01 $481 —
955–1340 1063 85-90% 6 54.00–58.00 $55.38 $589 —
1070 1070 85-90% 3 65.00 $65.00 $696 —
935–1160 1074 85-90% 11 58.00–61.00 $59.82 $642 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1258 1146 80-85% 14 58.00–64.00 $59.23 $679 —
1140–1380 1276 80-85% 6 65.00–71.00 $65.89 $841 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330–1655 1445 75-80% 13 72.50–78.00 $74.00 $1,069 —
1308–1695 1478 75-80% 5 65.50–67.50 $66.83 $988 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1530–2120 1842 9 83.00–89.00 $86.23 $1,588 —
1790–1990 1890 2 90.00–91.50 $90.71 $1,714 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1106–1131 1121 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 12 1,325.00–1,350.00 $1,335.28
1106–1310 1167 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 1,350.00–1,385.00 $1,378.53
1189 1189 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 15 1,510.00 $1,510.00
1196 1196 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 810.00 $810.00
1218–1382 1312 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 17 1,200.00–1,350.00 $1,236.70

↑ Back to top

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.