Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 22, 2021

1,222 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $157.19/cwt -12.81 vs last sale · ≈ $670/hd at 426 lb · 50 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $153.96/cwt +8.02 vs last sale · ≈ $871/hd at 566 lb · 36 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $171.56/cwt +9.53 vs last sale · ≈ $974/hd at 568 lb · 36 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,222 2,536 1,171
Feeder cattle 872 2,256 1,037
Slaughter cattle 350 280 134

Market comments — USDA reporter

Steers in a light test under 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. over 700 lbs scarce. Heifers in a light test weaned with quality and condition under 500 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 higher, 500 to 700 lbs steady to 3.00 higher advance on 550 to 600 lbs, over 700 lbs scarce. Slaughter cows and bulls 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
248 248 10 224.00 $224.00 $556 —
355 355 10 222.00 $222.00 $788 +22.36
390 unweaned 390 14 209.00 $209.00 $815 —
407–445 427 23 191.00–201.00 $195.71 $836 —
457–470 462 8 189.00–190.00 $189.62 $876 +6.24
509 509 3 173.00 $173.00 $881 +0.71
566 fancy 566 8 177.00 $177.00 $1,002 —
568 568 28 170.00 $170.00 $966 +7.97
617 617 7 170.00 $170.00 $1,049 +11.43
678 unweaned 678 6 143.00 $143.00 $970 —
678–681 679 20 158.00 $158.00 $1,073 -1.30
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 5 168.00 $168.00 $890 +7.29
601–623 615 25 156.00–169.00 $164.43 $1,011 +13.26

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
289 fancy 289 21 201.00 $201.00 $581 —
310 fancy 310 25 203.00 $203.00 $629 —
353 353 4 192.00 $192.00 $678 +8.96
403–448 426 50 152.00–162.00 $157.19 $670 -12.81
455–498 487 12 153.00–159.00 $156.11 $760 -12.22
533–549 541 20 154.00–156.00 $154.99 $838 +0.54
554–584 566 36 150.00–158.00 $153.96 $871 +8.02
603–637 618 14 145.00–149.00 $147.23 $910 +2.71
650–699 690 18 140.00–144.00 $142.29 $982 -1.49
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 6 187.00 $187.00 $651 +16.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1150 1061 80-85% 43 51.00–55.00 $53.88 $572 —
910–1263 1191 80-85% 40 54.00–59.00 $55.75 $664 -7.36
891–1350 1209 80-85% 26 61.00–68.50 $63.59 $769 +1.24
1090–1350 1234 80-85% 30 61.00–64.00 $62.15 $767 -0.20
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
873–1200 981 85-90% 15 42.00–48.00 $45.47 $446 -1.73
850–1155 998 85-90% 5 41.00–43.00 $41.44 $414 —
791–1270 1005 85-90% 59 51.00–59.00 $54.07 $543 —
985–1035 1024 85-90% 8 52.00–54.00 $52.48 $537 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1358–1390 1382 75-80% 7 51.00–59.00 $54.99 $760 —
1350–1730 1487 75-80% 10 60.00–70.50 $65.62 $976 +2.03
1110–1863 1531 75-80% 8 65.00–71.50 $68.19 $1,044 —
1785–1930 1858 75-80% 3 74.00–77.50 $75.88 $1,410 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1521–2015 1711 7 91.50–94.50 $92.74 $1,587 —
1800–2055 1893 3 83.00–85.00 $83.72 $1,585 —
1915 1915 1 101.00 $101.00 $1,934 —

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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.