Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 6, 2022

1,343 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $192.46/cwt -14.54 vs last sale · ≈ $814/hd at 423 lb · 40 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $168.31/cwt +4.24 vs last sale · ≈ $978/hd at 581 lb · 33 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $165.10/cwt -15.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,103/hd at 668 lb · 26 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,343 5,712 879
Feeder cattle 1,033 5,498 761
Slaughter cattle 310 214 118

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trend is available on feeders due to the lighter receipts this week. Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 lower decline on breakers. Slaughter bulls steady. Trade and demand moderate. Along with today's sale a corr roping cattle special with fresh roping steer's weighing 336-429 lbs bringing 600.00 to 710.00 per head.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352 352 3 190.00 $190.00 $669 —
402–434 423 40 190.00–196.00 $192.46 $814 -14.54
485–494 491 21 181.00–183.00 $182.34 $895 -20.46
582 582 11 177.00 $177.00 $1,030 -23.75
625–630 629 14 169.00 $169.00 $1,063 -12.00
682 682 5 156.00 $156.00 $1,064 —
701 701 12 154.00 $154.00 $1,080 +3.50
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
258 258 7 230.00 $230.00 $593 —
426 426 7 193.00 $193.00 $822 -22.51
502–537 514 16 186.00–193.00 $190.04 $977 -22.80
552–575 569 23 180.00–189.00 $182.19 $1,037 -26.08
613 613 6 175.00 $175.00 $1,073 -17.72
664–682 668 26 162.00–168.00 $165.10 $1,103 -10.86
706 706 5 163.00 $163.00 $1,151 +5.47
774 774 15 152.00 $152.00 $1,176 +0.56

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–390 378 6 173.00–176.00 $174.45 $659 —
405 405 4 164.00 $164.00 $664 —
512–532 523 17 162.00–167.00 $164.49 $860 +6.74
581 581 7 160.00 $160.00 $930 +9.00
608 608 6 157.00 $157.00 $955 +5.19
654 654 7 153.00 $153.00 $1,001 +12.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
558–593 581 33 167.00–169.00 $168.31 $978 +6.23
724 724 10 151.00 $151.00 $1,093 +4.82

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1360 1196 80-85% 42 82.00–87.00 $83.72 $1,001 —
1124–1326 1200 80-85% 26 82.00–84.00 $83.09 $997 -1.91
1010–1500 1210 80-85% 21 78.00–84.00 $82.12 $994 -2.88
1335–1390 1363 80-85% 2 89.00–91.00 $89.98 $1,226 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
896–1145 944 85-90% 24 63.00–70.00 $66.08 $624 —
900–1083 1018 85-90% 13 74.00–77.00 $75.80 $772 +0.98
950–1170 1030 85-90% 8 79.00–82.00 $80.66 $831 +5.84
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1308–1580 1444 75-80% 5 79.00–82.00 $80.45 $1,162 -19.55
1270–1785 1509 75-80% 21 83.00–86.00 $84.90 $1,281 +2.90
1640 1640 75-80% 1 89.00 $89.00 $1,460 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–2380 1643 3 112.00–113.00 $112.48 $1,848 —
1460–2140 1752 16 95.00–101.00 $97.88 $1,715 —
1565–2220 1837 9 103.00–111.00 $106.53 $1,957 +6.22

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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.