Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 15, 2023

939 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $198.44/cwt -3.30 vs last sale · ≈ $1,113/hd at 561 lb · 41 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $185.39/cwt -12.59 vs last sale · ≈ $897/hd at 484 lb · 29 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $207.19/cwt -10.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,061/hd at 512 lb · 27 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 939 2,782 1,603
Feeder cattle 830 2,542 1,484
Slaughter cattle 109 240 119

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Due to the weather and road conditions several cancellations this week. Feeder steers and heifers lightly tested. Slaughter cows and bulls in a light test mostly steady. Trade and demand moderate.

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
286 286 4 260.00 $260.00 $744 —
325–328 326 8 241.00–248.00 $242.76 $791 -51.64
358 358 2 238.00 $238.00 $852 -42.67
400–428 409 19 219.00–221.00 $219.66 $898 -46.50
485–498 487 17 219.00–221.00 $219.36 $1,068 -36.10
506–516 512 27 205.00–211.00 $207.19 $1,061 -10.45
552–569 561 41 194.00–201.00 $198.44 $1,113 +1.41
603–609 606 26 191.00–196.00 $193.87 $1,175 +8.20
650–675 667 12 179.00–184.00 $180.63 $1,205 +2.79
750–776 772 12 177.00 $177.00 $1,366 +0.36
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
451–462 454 23 205.00–211.00 $209.41 $951 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
532 532 5 196.00 $196.00 $1,043 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
268 268 6 223.00 $223.00 $598 —
311 311 7 224.00 $224.00 $697 +2.14
353–380 372 21 204.00 $204.00 $759 -15.00
417 417 5 191.00 $191.00 $796 -11.28
460–491 484 29 180.00–188.00 $185.39 $897 -7.12
525–527 526 14 176.00–181.00 $177.78 $935 -13.58
574–592 582 21 175.00–178.00 $176.70 $1,028 -5.01
604–646 615 23 173.00–179.00 $177.36 $1,091 +2.52
732 732 3 173.00 $173.00 $1,266 +0.11
750 750 4 169.00 $169.00 $1,268 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306 306 5 205.00 $205.00 $627 —
392 392 6 196.00 $196.00 $768 —
477 477 5 177.00 $177.00 $844 —
525 525 12 171.00 $171.00 $898 —
586 586 8 172.00 $172.00 $1,008 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
407 407 5 185.00 $185.00 $753 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740 740 4 160.00 $160.00 $1,184 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
975–1640 1028 85-90% 32 56.00–62.00 $59.84 $615 —
1000–1170 1060 85-90% 3 71.00–77.00 $73.84 $783 +2.84
995–1985 1079 85-90% 25 64.00–69.00 $64.86 $700 -2.41
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1093–1245 1175 80-85% 8 73.00–77.00 $75.08 $882 —
1125–1385 1214 80-85% 7 81.00–84.00 $82.40 $1,000 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310 1310 75-80% 1 78.00 $78.00 $1,022 —
1415–1435 1427 75-80% 3 81.00–82.00 $81.50 $1,163 +5.21

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–2040 1678 3 91.00–96.50 $92.38 $1,550 —

↑ Back to top

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.