Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 6, 2021

2,171 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $146.02/cwt +10.35 vs last sale · ≈ $914/hd at 626 lb · 148 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $170.70/cwt +5.57 vs last sale · ≈ $900/hd at 527 lb · 78 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $131.87/cwt -3.34 vs last sale · ≈ $763/hd at 579 lb · 76 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,171 1,812 2,683
Feeder cattle 1,576 1,335 2,383
Slaughter cattle 200 170 175
Replacement cattle 395 307 125

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Steer calves uneven. Steer calves under 550 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 550 to 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Heifer calves 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Yearling feeder steers and heifers over 700 lbs in a light test 2.00 lower. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady. 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
338 338 2 193.00 $193.00 $652 -6.93
413 fancy 413 16 195.00 $195.00 $805 —
402–440 421 14 185.00–189.00 $187.31 $789 +1.31
458–492 480 44 169.00–178.00 $173.58 $833 -5.62
508–547 527 78 167.00–175.00 $170.70 $900 +7.96
558 fancy 558 9 163.00 $163.00 $910 —
564–590 580 53 146.00–155.00 $150.96 $876 +8.60
603–645 unweaned 626 58 140.00–145.00 $141.17 $884 +5.50
603–634 fancy 626 90 148.50–151.00 $149.14 $934 —
657–695 674 26 140.00–145.00 $142.95 $963 +3.36
786 786 24 140.25 $140.25 $1,102 -3.25
786 unweaned 786 5 130.00 $130.00 $1,022 —
856 856 16 134.00 $134.00 $1,147 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–388 386 31 176.00–181.00 $176.97 $683 —
410–425 414 12 172.00–176.00 $173.03 $716 —
465–490 482 27 161.00–166.00 $164.05 $791 —
707–722 unweaned 715 20 135.00–136.00 $135.51 $969 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
567–582 574 11 141.00–145.00 $143.16 $822 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
453–488 474 31 138.00–144.00 $140.53 $666 -1.62
514–541 533 25 130.00–137.00 $131.62 $702 -6.23
554 fancy 554 7 141.00 $141.00 $781 —
565–597 581 69 129.50–136.00 $130.94 $761 -4.27
603–641 unweaned 613 60 125.00–127.50 $126.88 $778 -2.69
664 fancy 664 6 138.00 $138.00 $916 —
807–809 807 32 124.00–129.50 $128.64 $1,038 -4.36
863 863 4 123.00 $123.00 $1,061 -7.42
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401–439 422 32 136.00–141.00 $137.76 $581 —
450–482 461 42 131.00–135.00 $132.23 $610 —
567–590 579 25 125.00–125.50 $125.24 $725 —
696 unweaned 696 14 121.00 $121.00 $842 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1068–1395 1236 80-85% 41 57.00–63.00 $59.72 $738 —
1030–1340 1250 80-85% 7 64.00–68.00 $66.74 $834 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
849–1140 1007 85-90% 6 58.00–61.00 $59.18 $596 —
965–1315 1134 85-90% 12 51.00–56.00 $53.73 $609 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1360–1655 1444 75-80% 10 61.00–65.00 $63.59 $918 -4.11
1525–1650 1570 75-80% 3 66.00–71.00 $69.02 $1,084 -4.73

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–2245 1712 9 71.00–81.00 $78.44 $1,343 -11.56
1468–2470 1875 11 84.00–89.95 $85.66 $1,606 -1.04

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
774–1398 1134 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 77 51.00–64.00 $57.16 $648

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1104 1104 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 1,385.00 $1,385.00
1062–1377 1232 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 33 1,210.00–1,350.00 $1,281.33
1453 1453 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,300.00 $1,300.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1169 1169 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 975.00 $975.00
1133–1325 1183 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 19 900.00–960.00 $938.82

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1250 1250 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 28 1,325.00–1,335.00 $1,333.21 —

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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.