Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 15, 2023

2,007 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $189.11/cwt ≈ $1,196/hd at 632 lb · 114 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $199.15/cwt +3.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,035/hd at 520 lb · 64 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $221.58/cwt +3.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,068/hd at 482 lb · 61 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,007 1,216 1,349
Feeder cattle 1,864 1,053 1,027
Slaughter cattle 143 163 322

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Steers under 450 lbs mostly steady, 450 to 650 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 instances 10.00 to 15.00 higher, 650 to 700 lbs steady to 1.00 higher, over 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Heifers under 700 lbs steady to 1.00 higher except for 400 to 500 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 higher, over 700 lbs 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 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 10 294.00–297.00 $294.60 $884 -0.20
350–385 363 10 285.00–291.00 $288.52 $1,047 -1.74
402–430 415 31 271.00–277.00 $273.54 $1,135 -0.05
467 fancy 467 17 271.00 $271.00 $1,266 —
466–474 470 9 261.00–268.00 $264.92 $1,245 +23.50
509–535 513 34 246.00–249.00 $248.36 $1,274 +16.39
550–581 569 57 232.00–243.00 $237.86 $1,353 +20.51
609–615 614 30 219.00–224.00 $219.66 $1,349 +8.66
659 fancy 659 7 211.00 $211.00 $1,390 —
655–694 677 42 190.00–192.00 $191.30 $1,295 +0.59
709–733 720 57 181.00–189.00 $184.44 $1,328 +0.05
773 773 2 181.00 $181.00 $1,399 -3.26
802–810 805 21 171.00–177.00 $173.30 $1,395 -4.70
890 890 5 168.00 $168.00 $1,495 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
414–443 422 18 262.00–265.00 $264.01 $1,114 —
489 489 17 251.00 $251.00 $1,227 —
506–523 515 16 235.00 $235.00 $1,210 —
556 556 6 212.00 $212.00 $1,179 —
614–619 617 23 201.00–207.00 $205.18 $1,266 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
230–240 237 6 750.00–785.00 $761.34 —
265 265 3 766.00 $766.00 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 10 273.00 $273.00 $805 —
303–318 312 7 249.00–252.00 $250.17 $781 —
358 358 4 242.00 $242.00 $866 +4.13
410–430 427 12 231.00–232.00 $231.84 $990 +8.84
450–498 482 61 216.00–227.00 $221.58 $1,068 +3.45
500–544 519 52 191.00–198.00 $196.41 $1,019 +0.41
523 fancy 523 12 211.00 $211.00 $1,104 —
551–593 566 38 180.00–187.00 $186.03 $1,053 -0.98
600–636 624 34 178.00–186.00 $181.13 $1,130 —
636 636 80 192.50 $192.50 $1,224 —
655–695 668 57 171.00–178.00 $176.86 $1,181 -1.71
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
338–343 341 12 240.00–241.00 $240.50 $820 —
428 428 24 219.00 $219.00 $937 —
509 509 11 187.00 $187.00 $952 +1.95
702 702 24 171.00 $171.00 $1,200 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–1086 977 85-90% 21 69.00–72.00 $70.75 $691 -2.60
880–1180 1023 85-90% 22 73.00–77.00 $74.19 $759 —
1035–1153 1114 85-90% 9 81.00–84.00 $83.02 $925 +2.02
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1258 1110 80-85% 17 82.00–84.50 $83.42 $926 —
1120–1125 1123 80-85% 2 93.00–95.00 $94.00 $1,056 —
1045–1390 1205 80-85% 10 86.00–91.00 $89.25 $1,075 +4.50
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1665 1665 75-80% 1 88.00 $88.00 $1,465 —
1455–1808 1668 75-80% 19 93.00–98.00 $96.06 $1,602 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1655–2055 1855 2 91.00–101.00 $96.54 $1,791 —
1420–2538 1926 20 105.00–113.00 $108.60 $2,092 —
2265 2265 1 115.00 $115.00 $2,605 —

↑ 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.