Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 18, 2022

1,336 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 heifers $152.15/cwt -16.85 vs last sale · ≈ $638/hd at 419 lb · 29 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $143.01/cwt -0.49 vs last sale · ≈ $1,050/hd at 734 lb · 21 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $156.00/cwt ≈ $1,175/hd at 753 lb · 20 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,336 808 1,031
Feeder cattle 848 485 566
Slaughter cattle 242 293 115
Replacement cattle 246 30 350

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Feeder steer's and heifer's lightly tested. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Trade and demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356–373 362 6 196.00–200.00 $197.38 $715 —
423–446 431 17 176.00–181.00 $178.40 $769 —
463–489 478 20 169.00–177.00 $173.06 $827 —
603 603 2 171.00 $171.00 $1,031 —
731 731 8 151.00 $151.00 $1,104 +10.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
437 437 11 195.00 $195.00 $852 —
507 507 6 181.00 $181.00 $918 —
580 580 3 182.00 $182.00 $1,056 —
752–753 753 20 156.00 $156.00 $1,175 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
248 248 2 161.00 $161.00 $399 —
402–428 419 29 151.00–156.00 $152.15 $638 -16.85
456 456 4 156.00 $156.00 $711 —
514–535 521 6 151.00 $151.00 $787 -9.00
720–748 734 21 141.00–145.00 $143.01 $1,050 -0.49
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
536–548 542 16 156.00–162.00 $159.03 $862 —
615 615 17 159.00 $159.00 $978 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
60–95 78 6 60.00–110.00 $83.83 —
110–120 117 3 85.00–260.00 $205.00 —
180 180 9 385.00 $385.00 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
65–95 unweaned 83 3 110.00–160.00 $147.00 —
105–135 unweaned 118 9 160.00–275.00 $235.90 —
155–190 unweaned 178 4 300.00–385.00 $353.42 —
203–225 unweaned 209 4 460.00–485.00 $466.74 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 3 172.00 $172.00 $731 —
452 452 9 166.00 $166.00 $750 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1013–1320 1201 80-85% 21 62.00–70.00 $66.54 $799 —
1095–1316 1221 80-85% 23 68.00–76.00 $72.65 $887 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1760 1497 75-80% 9 66.00–71.00 $67.72 $1,014 -2.76
1255–1850 1505 75-80% 23 74.00–76.00 $74.97 $1,128 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1135 1013 85-90% 4 69.00–72.00 $70.68 $716 +12.59
918–1320 1016 85-90% 26 62.00–67.00 $64.38 $654 +6.29

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1415–1865 1620 7 88.00–94.50 $91.38 $1,480 —
1510–2270 1882 12 95.00–101.00 $98.58 $1,855 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1039–1250 1150 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 28 925.00–1,010.00 $967.41
1020–1427 1214 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 69 1,025.00–1,135.00 $1,086.76
1356–1364 1362 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 21 1,010.00–1,025.00 $1,021.44

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
967–1063 1015 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 910.00–1,000.00 $949.11
1226 1226 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,060.00 $1,060.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200–1386 1297 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 26 1,360.00–1,410.00 $1,386.34 —
1275–1426 1376 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 35 1,360.00–1,510.00 $1,470.98 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1129 1129 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 1,210.00 $1,210.00 —

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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.