Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 29, 2021

1,812 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $142.36/cwt -10.09 vs last sale · ≈ $801/hd at 563 lb · 94 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $135.88/cwt -14.04 vs last sale · ≈ $923/hd at 679 lb · 79 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $165.13/cwt -2.47 vs last sale · ≈ $867/hd at 525 lb · 62 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,812 991 2,168
Feeder cattle 1,335 761 1,960
Slaughter cattle 170 150 108
Replacement cattle 307 80 100

Market comments — USDA reporter

Feeder cattle and calves too lightly tested last week for a comparison this week. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. 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
313–318 316 22 197.00–205.00 $199.93 $632 -10.32
370–377 371 36 186.00–190.50 $189.74 $704 -11.26
430–446 434 26 186.00 $186.00 $807 +3.80
456–476 468 36 175.00–185.00 $179.20 $839 —
500 thin fleshed 500 16 172.00 $172.00 $860 —
521–537 534 46 161.00–166.00 $162.74 $869 -4.86
550–587 563 94 139.50–146.00 $142.36 $801 -10.09
619–643 unweaned 627 27 131.00–137.50 $135.67 $851 -2.63
669–687 unweaned 675 33 130.50–131.00 $130.71 $882 —
682 682 46 139.00–140.00 $139.59 $952 -10.33
718–720 719 8 143.00–145.00 $144.25 $1,037 -2.32
786 786 8 143.50 $143.50 $1,128 +2.00
801–804 804 61 141.50–146.50 $145.68 $1,171 —
920 920 6 139.00 $139.00 $1,279 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 7 153.00 $153.00 $612 +3.87
463–489 478 43 140.00–146.00 $142.15 $679 -4.85
504–548 527 27 136.00–140.00 $137.85 $726 -8.80
551–580 557 15 135.00–136.00 $135.21 $753 -3.43
604–611 unweaned 608 16 129.00–130.00 $129.57 $788 —
656–688 667 17 136.00–140.00 $138.54 $924 +3.79
805 805 9 133.00 $133.00 $1,071 —
855–898 888 24 129.00–133.50 $130.42 $1,158 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
526 526 7 134.00 $134.00 $705 -5.00

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1327–1605 1424 75-80% 24 63.50–69.50 $67.70 $964 -6.30
1355–1855 1576 75-80% 40 71.00–76.00 $73.75 $1,162 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1068–1265 1166 80-85% 7 69.00–76.00 $72.00 $840 —
1045–1395 1187 80-85% 36 61.00–67.00 $63.96 $759 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
926–950 934 85-90% 3 44.00–46.00 $45.32 $423 -5.69
985–1120 1047 85-90% 9 59.00–63.00 $60.43 $633 —
960–1200 1057 85-90% 23 52.00–58.00 $57.13 $604 +1.75

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1705 1652 5 71.00–79.00 $76.52 $1,264 —
1710 1710 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,539 —
1425–2310 1852 21 82.00–89.50 $86.70 $1,606 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1018–1593 1288 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 70 63.00–72.00 $67.20 $866

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
980–1225 1103 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 910.00–960.00 $932.22
977–1219 1108 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 28 1,350.00–1,425.00 $1,382.14
1065–1413 1282 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 1,175.00–1,250.00 $1,199.65

↑ 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.