Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 13, 2021

3,421 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 $149.29/cwt +3.28 vs last sale · ≈ $932/hd at 624 lb · 179 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $155.26/cwt +2.55 vs last sale · ≈ $912/hd at 588 lb · 145 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.90/cwt +2.37 vs last sale · ≈ $685/hd at 479 lb · 117 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,421 2,171 0
Feeder cattle 2,314 1,576 0
Slaughter cattle 192 200 0
Replacement cattle 915 395 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Steer calves uneven, 300 to 400 lbs 5.00 higher, 400 to 500 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 lower, over 500 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. Heifer calves under 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers and heifers over 700 lbs too lightly tested last week for a comparison. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady to 1.00 lower. 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
314–338 327 16 214.00–219.00 $215.87 $706 +22.87
359–376 363 22 201.00–207.00 $205.59 $746 —
406–444 415 52 171.00–181.00 $173.54 $720 -13.77
452–493 463 74 171.00–179.00 $173.47 $803 -0.11
507–520 514 96 166.00–173.00 $167.94 $863 -2.76
581 fancy 581 25 164.00 $164.00 $953 +1.00
583–591 589 120 152.00–159.00 $153.44 $904 +2.48
618 fancy 618 56 153.50 $153.50 $949 +4.36
603–646 unweaned 627 123 144.00–149.00 $147.38 $924 +6.21
667–696 unweaned 679 51 140.00–149.00 $143.80 $976 —
700–748 718 16 146.00–150.00 $147.56 $1,059 —
860–863 862 39 148.00–148.75 $148.48 $1,280 +14.48
900–933 905 39 136.00–138.00 $137.68 $1,246 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
529 529 86 156.00 $156.00 $825 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
488–498 493 26 156.00 $156.00 $769 -8.05
583 583 10 146.00 $146.00 $851 —
632–640 634 22 131.00–136.00 $132.15 $838 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–348 330 19 152.00–157.00 $155.26 $512 —
388 388 12 155.00 $155.00 $601 —
408–446 426 68 142.00–151.00 $147.69 $629 —
466–492 478 104 136.00–149.00 $141.51 $676 +0.98
490 fancy 490 13 154.00 $154.00 $755 —
505–531 518 114 135.00–140.00 $135.70 $703 +4.08
555–580 565 75 133.00–141.00 $136.90 $773 +5.96
587 fancy 587 5 144.00 $144.00 $845 +3.00
603–640 unweaned 606 73 130.50–136.50 $134.51 $815 +7.63
651–690 unweaned 670 22 129.00–135.00 $131.66 $882 —
689–690 689 33 141.00–142.00 $141.82 $977 —
724–728 726 16 137.00–142.00 $139.82 $1,015 —
865 865 13 135.00 $135.00 $1,168 +12.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 8 145.00 $145.00 $545 —
407–441 425 22 135.00–140.00 $136.71 $581 -1.05
464 464 12 139.00 $139.00 $645 +6.77
522 522 6 129.00 $129.00 $673 —
560 560 13 128.00 $128.00 $717 +2.76
680 unweaned 680 6 126.00 $126.00 $857 +5.00

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1283 1000 85-90% 30 38.00–44.00 $41.39 $414 -17.79
884–1285 1028 85-90% 20 46.00–52.00 $48.76 $501 -10.42
935–1208 1140 85-90% 11 51.00–56.00 $53.76 $613 +0.03
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
948–1350 1203 80-85% 11 57.00–61.00 $59.45 $715 -0.27
905–1375 1244 80-85% 32 53.00–57.50 $55.04 $685 -4.68
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1306–1420 1335 75-80% 4 64.00–67.50 $66.57 $889 —
1285–1708 1621 75-80% 8 58.00–61.00 $60.70 $984 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460–1820 1635 4 70.00–78.00 $75.11 $1,228 —
1605–2135 1839 11 81.00–86.00 $84.08 $1,546 —
1730–2017 1902 5 87.00–88.00 $87.64 $1,667 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
935–1553 1189 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 154 50.00–61.00 $57.80 $687

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1038–1149 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 71 1,300.00–1,360.00 $1,334.35
1158–1332 1241 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 39 1,225.00–1,285.00 $1,255.73

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
791–888 860 (<2 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 205 1,350.00–1,460.00 $1,444.33

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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.