Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 5, 2022

839 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $159.05/cwt +4.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,058/hd at 665 lb · 32 head
light 3-weight M&L 1-2 steers $192.00/cwt ≈ $634/hd at 330 lb · 26 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $145.57/cwt ≈ $838/hd at 576 lb · 21 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 839 1,222 1,268
Feeder cattle 589 872 1,211
Slaughter cattle 250 350 57

Market comments — USDA reporter

Feeder steers and heifers too lightly tested this week for a comparison. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly 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
546 fancy 546 15 186.00 $186.00 $1,016 —
558–590 574 10 167.00–177.00 $171.86 $986 +1.86
658–695 665 32 153.00–161.00 $159.05 $1,058 +1.05
703 703 16 159.00 $159.00 $1,118 —
757 757 13 157.00 $157.00 $1,188 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 26 192.00 $192.00 $634 —
388 388 6 187.00 $187.00 $726 —
411 411 12 172.00 $172.00 $707 —
665 665 5 148.00 $148.00 $984 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
361 361 17 161.00 $161.00 $581 —
404–440 416 14 155.00–157.00 $155.60 $647 —
514–546 531 15 143.00–150.00 $147.16 $781 —
574–578 576 21 144.00–147.00 $145.57 $838 —
604–637 625 15 140.00–141.00 $140.74 $880 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
453 453 6 168.00 $168.00 $761 +11.89
660 660 17 140.00 $140.00 $924 -2.29

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1385 1224 80-85% 44 61.00–67.00 $63.15 $773 +1.00
1105–1340 1239 80-85% 8 51.00–58.00 $55.89 $692 -6.26
930–1470 1268 80-85% 9 61.00–66.00 $64.60 $819 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1570 1356 75-80% 10 53.00–57.00 $55.65 $755 +0.66
1335–1478 1449 75-80% 20 63.00–68.00 $67.08 $972 —
1110–1695 1480 75-80% 12 60.00–68.00 $64.47 $954 -1.15
1335–1860 1535 75-80% 14 71.00–75.00 $72.94 $1,120 +4.75
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
923–940 927 85-90% 4 46.00–50.00 $48.99 $454 —
900–1000 950 85-90% 2 40.00–41.00 $40.47 $384 -5.00
1053–1260 1135 85-90% 7 51.00–58.00 $55.62 $631 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1800 1800 1 83.00 $83.00 $1,494 —
1600–2310 1941 9 90.00–98.00 $94.92 $1,842 -6.08
1840–2113 1982 6 99.00–107.00 $102.28 $2,027 —

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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.