Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 12, 2022

2,861 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $152.92/cwt ≈ $945/hd at 618 lb · 146 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $188.55/cwt +2.55 vs last sale · ≈ $986/hd at 523 lb · 138 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $170.83/cwt +2.83 vs last sale · ≈ $823/hd at 482 lb · 127 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,861 839 3,414
Feeder cattle 2,551 589 3,246
Slaughter cattle 310 250 168

Compared with last Wednesday: Steer's under 600 lbs 10.00 to 12.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher, Heifer calves under 550 lbs 10.00 to 12.00 higher, 550 to 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Steer's and heifer's over 700 lbs too lightly tested in the last few week's for a comparison. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Demand very good for calves suitable for grass.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323–340 334 6 232.00–234.00 $232.64 $777 —
384–388 385 15 223.00–228.00 $224.01 $862 —
420–437 433 41 221.00–227.00 $222.53 $964 —
451–459 fancy 455 41 212.00–214.00 $212.87 $969 —
455–491 468 54 202.00–209.00 $207.79 $972 —
513–519 fancy 518 40 192.00–196.00 $192.59 $998 +6.59
506–545 525 98 181.00–189.00 $186.90 $981 —
552 thin fleshed 552 16 187.00 $187.00 $1,032 —
550–594 575 99 173.00–181.00 $175.79 $1,011 +3.93
617–645 633 34 166.00–174.50 $168.01 $1,064 —
651–689 668 107 156.00–165.00 $158.78 $1,061 -0.27
709–718 thin fleshed 714 62 164.00–166.50 $165.24 $1,180 —
713–739 718 41 153.00–156.00 $153.53 $1,102 -5.47
752–793 789 89 154.75–156.00 $154.87 $1,222 -2.13
838 838 8 153.00 $153.00 $1,282 —
888 888 24 154.00 $154.00 $1,368 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–336 322 25 212.00–215.00 $213.75 $688 +21.75
378–390 385 40 208.00 $208.00 $801 +21.00
400 400 17 207.00 $207.00 $828 +35.00
491 491 15 192.00 $192.00 $943 —
594–597 595 22 164.00–166.00 $165.09 $982 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
476 476 20 197.00 $197.00 $938 —
615 615 27 164.00 $164.00 $1,009 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
629 629 13 158.00 $158.00 $994 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406–447 434 34 183.00–186.00 $183.99 $799 —
473–495 482 127 165.00–178.00 $170.83 $823 +2.83
511–512 fancy 512 26 170.00–174.00 $170.92 $875 —
506–546 526 92 160.00–169.00 $161.89 $852 —
550–588 566 96 152.00–161.00 $156.26 $884 —
601–636 618 146 148.00–155.00 $152.92 $945 —
651–657 653 23 151.00 $151.00 $986 +11.00
712–740 728 21 149.00–151.00 $149.84 $1,091 —
775–791 782 24 145.00–148.00 $146.82 $1,148 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 335 12 180.00–183.00 $180.72 $605 —
350–395 374 54 176.00–183.00 $178.14 $666 +17.14
440 440 13 176.00 $176.00 $774 +20.40
450–462 458 19 156.00–160.00 $158.76 $727 —
541 541 13 151.00 $151.00 $817 +3.84

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
882–1090 910 85-90% 24 46.00–48.00 $46.93 $427 -2.06
845–1035 1006 85-90% 12 51.00–56.00 $55.40 $557 —
1043–1045 1043 85-90% 7 53.00–54.00 $53.86 $562 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340 1340 75-80% 1 62.00 $62.00 $831 —
1333–1542 1424 75-80% 11 64.00–69.00 $66.20 $943 -0.88
1424–1765 1534 75-80% 31 70.00–77.00 $72.26 $1,108 -0.68
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010 1010 80-85% 1 59.00 $59.00 $596 —
1015–1132 1113 80-85% 6 61.00–64.00 $63.54 $707 —
1108–1315 1224 80-85% 22 60.00–66.00 $63.07 $772 -0.08

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425–1825 1625 2 82.00–86.00 $84.25 $1,369 —
1665–2280 1949 5 91.00–97.00 $93.10 $1,815 -1.82

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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.