Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 8, 2021

3,666 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 $179.84/cwt +11.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,012/hd at 563 lb · 151 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $162.53/cwt +1.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,073/hd at 660 lb · 148 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $155.99/cwt -0.79 vs last sale · ≈ $753/hd at 483 lb · 143 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,666 3,139 3,348
Feeder cattle 3,076 2,629 3,248
Slaughter cattle 590 510 100

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers under 450 lbs mostly steady, steers 450 to 600 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs steady, over 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. feeder heifers under 500 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, heifers 500 to 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower, 600 to 700 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 higher, over 700 lbs mostly steady in a light test. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady.

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
350–381 371 19 214.00–220.00 $217.51 $807 +2.19
383 fancy 383 13 227.00 $227.00 $869 +4.00
402–436 428 49 208.00–215.00 $213.44 $914 +6.25
453–455 fancy 453 29 204.00–208.00 $204.42 $926 +6.42
450–493 473 86 191.00–200.00 $194.72 $921 +3.60
502 fancy 502 39 198.00 $198.00 $994 —
503–540 521 87 184.00–191.00 $188.77 $983 +4.75
553–596 563 151 174.00–184.00 $179.84 $1,012 +13.53
601–624 610 36 169.00–174.00 $172.18 $1,050 +0.55
614–637 unweaned 623 56 161.00–166.00 $165.10 $1,029 +2.25
650–676 660 148 160.50–165.00 $162.53 $1,073 +0.74
707–728 721 44 151.00–158.00 $153.28 $1,105 -1.37
760–787 771 47 151.00–155.00 $153.49 $1,183 +3.25
843 843 19 148.00 $148.00 $1,248 +4.00
957–959 957 27 143.00–145.00 $143.37 $1,372 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–492 481 47 183.00–186.00 $183.72 $884 +8.79
500–542 521 49 170.00–177.00 $172.92 $901 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
496 496 26 180.00 $180.00 $893 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
576 576 26 164.00 $164.00 $945 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
283 283 7 191.00 $191.00 $541 —
370–372 371 47 182.00–189.00 $183.47 $681 +10.16
406–438 424 95 165.00–172.00 $168.47 $714 +4.08
458–494 483 143 153.00–163.00 $155.99 $753 -0.79
500–537 522 92 146.00–157.00 $150.31 $785 -4.06
550–596 577 135 140.00–149.00 $146.46 $845 -1.52
605–615 unweaned 613 47 136.00–141.00 $139.02 $852 —
602–631 617 63 143.00–151.00 $147.80 $912 +4.79
659–685 665 64 140.00–147.00 $143.27 $953 +0.73
707–732 722 27 143.50–147.00 $144.90 $1,046 —
840–843 841 27 137.00–140.00 $138.11 $1,162 —
918 918 16 131.00 $131.00 $1,203 -2.18
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 29 155.00 $155.00 $670 -3.02
500–541 519 59 141.00–144.00 $141.59 $735 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
572 572 27 126.00 $126.00 $721 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895–1265 1131 80-85% 70 51.00–59.00 $55.14 $624 —
925–1352 1178 80-85% 59 61.00–68.00 $62.34 $734 +8.03
920–1280 1189 80-85% 92 52.00–59.75 $57.26 $681 +2.95
1170–1379 1309 80-85% 33 60.00–62.00 $60.88 $797 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1503 1408 75-80% 60 63.00–67.00 $65.01 $915 +8.22
1490 1490 75-80% 1 51.00 $51.00 $760 -10.00
1395–1870 1571 75-80% 13 62.00–67.00 $63.76 $1,002 -1.09
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–1028 985 85-90% 12 50.00–53.00 $52.41 $516 +14.46
883–1115 1003 85-90% 16 42.00–50.00 $46.64 $468 -5.94
1030–1135 1083 85-90% 2 40.00–41.00 $40.52 $439 -6.56
830–1300 1089 85-90% 28 50.00–55.50 $53.81 $586 +6.73

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1236–1466 1361 22 78.00–81.50 $80.06 $1,090 —
1459–1795 1676 5 74.00–81.00 $77.67 $1,302 -6.96
1650–2230 1788 12 83.00–91.00 $86.33 $1,544 —
1923–2085 1964 4 93.50–97.00 $94.43 $1,855 —

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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.