Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 4, 2023

597 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $213.10/cwt +13.10 vs last sale · ≈ $995/hd at 467 lb · 42 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $166.72/cwt ≈ $1,260/hd at 756 lb · 35 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $165.18/cwt ≈ $948/hd at 574 lb · 29 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 597 1,202 839
Feeder cattle 479 982 589
Slaughter cattle 118 220 250

Compared with two weeks ago: All weights of calves and feeders too lightly tested for a comparison. Slaughter cows 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady to 2.00 higher. Demand moderate for calves to good for slaughter cows and bulls.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
457–470 467 42 211.00–217.00 $213.10 $995 +13.10
515 515 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,030
559 559 7 195.00 $195.00 $1,090 +14.00
628–645 638 5 184.00–184.50 $184.30 $1,176
750–793 756 35 166.00–171.00 $166.72 $1,260
841 841 8 170.00 $170.00 $1,430
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
636 636 22 166.00 $166.00 $1,056

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
433 433 3 167.00 $167.00 $723
481–495 490 28 165.00–166.00 $165.50 $811
518–541 524 28 162.00–169.00 $166.22 $871
553–597 574 29 162.00–169.00 $165.18 $948
609–637 618 14 164.00–168.00 $166.41 $1,028
804 804 9 155.00 $155.00 $1,246

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1340 1185 80-85% 16 72.00–79.00 $75.92 $900
1232 1232 80-85% 16 79.00 $79.00 $973 +11.72
1255–1340 1319 80-85% 6 80.00–81.00 $80.17 $1,057
1425 1425 80-85% 1 66.00 $66.00 $940
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375–1545 1441 75-80% 8 77.00–80.00 $79.37 $1,144
1445–1580 1498 75-80% 21 82.00–86.00 $84.31 $1,263 +19.54
1445–1640 1543 75-80% 2 66.00–70.00 $67.87 $1,047
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810–1173 992 85-90% 2 65.00–68.00 $66.77 $662
960–1115 1035 85-90% 3 70.00–73.00 $71.08 $736 +14.85
885–1315 1117 85-90% 6 61.00–63.00 $61.51 $687 -1.58

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395–1815 1605 2 88.00–92.00 $90.26 $1,449
1630–1805 1674 4 92.00–95.00 $94.19 $1,577
1870 1870 1 112.00 $112.00 $2,094 +5.47
1580–2120 1945 6 98.00–106.00 $102.10 $1,986

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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.