Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 4, 2022

1,815 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $156.54/cwt ≈ $1,055/hd at 674 lb · 91 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $165.69/cwt +10.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,018/hd at 615 lb · 75 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $160.48/cwt ≈ $836/hd at 521 lb · 32 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,815 933 1,431
Feeder cattle 1,300 781 789
Slaughter cattle 357 152 150
Replacement cattle 158 — 492

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steers and heifers in a light test mostly steady. 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
409 409 6 196.00 $196.00 $802 —
456–493 468 13 185.00–191.00 $189.09 $885 -2.91
550–573 557 17 180.00–188.00 $184.16 $1,026 —
725 725 3 160.00 $160.00 $1,160 —
767 767 3 156.00 $156.00 $1,197 —
812 812 5 152.00 $152.00 $1,234 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
512–530 525 11 181.00–182.00 $181.55 $953 —
575 575 29 173.00 $173.00 $995 —
628 628 6 173.00 $173.00 $1,086 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
423 423 7 191.00 $191.00 $808 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
407 thin fleshed 407 5 191.00 $191.00 $777 —
497 497 12 173.00 $173.00 $860 +8.00
504–546 521 32 159.00–165.00 $160.48 $836 —
554–596 577 24 157.00–162.00 $159.62 $921 +1.62
606 606 46 171.00 $171.00 $1,036 +15.53
615–631 628 29 156.50–161.00 $157.26 $988 +1.79
653–691 674 91 155.00–159.00 $156.54 $1,055 —
719 719 5 151.00 $151.00 $1,086 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
461–482 475 15 157.00–162.00 $158.97 $755 +7.42
516 516 8 157.00 $157.00 $810 —
646 646 5 154.00 $154.00 $995 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
665 665 19 150.00 $150.00 $998 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850 850 85-90% 1 81.00 $81.00 $688 —
850–1235 991 85-90% 29 62.00–66.00 $64.31 $637 -0.63
940–1070 1007 85-90% 19 72.00–77.00 $73.75 $743 —
940–1229 1069 85-90% 9 65.00–72.00 $69.72 $745 -2.54
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1394–1472 1427 75-80% 18 74.50–80.50 $78.81 $1,125 -3.88
1335–1585 1459 75-80% 8 81.50–85.00 $82.97 $1,211 —
1460–1805 1675 75-80% 3 88.00–90.00 $89.06 $1,492 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1490 1262 80-85% 22 78.00–83.00 $79.18 $999 -9.82
1200–1495 1339 80-85% 6 74.50–77.00 $75.28 $1,008 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1735–1815 1755 4 92.50–93.00 $92.63 $1,626 —
1680–2205 1860 12 96.00–100.00 $96.65 $1,798 —
1695–2290 1993 2 111.50–113.50 $112.35 $2,239 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1179 1179 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 11 1,135.00 $1,135.00
990–1328 1194 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 49 1,210.00–1,400.00 $1,348.12
1145–1336 1274 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 1,110.00–1,175.00 $1,127.07

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
963–1105 1018 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 35 1,135.00–1,275.00 $1,216.80

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925–1100 1009 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 35 1,625.00–1,650.00 $1,637.48 —
1145–1175 1159 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 23 1,425.00–1,485.00 $1,455.92 —
1175–1250 1215 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 15 1,310.00–1,425.00 $1,373.10 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
825–850 835 (<2 yrs)Open 12 1,635.00–1,650.00 $1,641.36 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000 1000 (<2 yrs)Open 4 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —

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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.