Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 5, 2023

1,680 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 $237.50/cwt +2.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,306/hd at 550 lb · 64 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $182.42/cwt +2.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,308/hd at 717 lb · 63 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $197.47/cwt +4.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,243/hd at 630 lb · 56 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,680 4,902 1,343
Feeder cattle 1,489 4,655 1,033
Slaughter cattle 191 237 310
Replacement cattle — 10 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday; All weights of feeder steers and heifers in a light test mostly steady on the kind offered. Slaughter cows and bulls 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
456 456 7 253.00 $253.00 $1,154 -19.09
509–522 512 12 239.00–242.00 $239.76 $1,228 -21.20
550 550 64 237.50 $237.50 $1,306 +17.00
650–659 657 21 203.00–209.00 $207.59 $1,364 —
750–791 771 26 186.00–191.00 $187.52 $1,446 -6.91
813 813 3 184.00 $184.00 $1,496 -4.90
863 863 12 181.00 $181.00 $1,562 —
928–944 936 10 171.00–176.50 $173.73 $1,626 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 6 241.00 $241.00 $1,056 -17.34
458–492 465 53 231.00–239.00 $235.25 $1,094 -19.59
505–523 517 22 226.00–231.00 $228.66 $1,182 -17.21
578 578 21 225.00 $225.00 $1,300 -7.67
609–632 621 31 207.00–216.00 $211.95 $1,316 +0.11
675 675 16 196.00 $196.00 $1,323 -6.27
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
396 396 22 238.00 $238.00 $942 —
465 465 21 236.00 $236.00 $1,097 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502–525 508 20 202.00–208.00 $203.55 $1,034 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
309 309 8 219.00 $219.00 $677 -2.64
393 393 10 224.00 $224.00 $880 +2.72
404–429 415 36 224.00–227.00 $226.04 $938 +8.92
451–494 468 47 208.00–220.00 $212.56 $995 -6.79
523 523 24 200.00 $200.00 $1,046 -8.66
573–591 586 23 195.00–205.00 $197.55 $1,158 -13.47
606–639 628 41 192.50–200.00 $194.17 $1,219 +0.73
634 fancy 634 15 206.50 $206.50 $1,309 —
700 fancy 700 10 186.50 $186.50 $1,306 —
701–748 720 53 178.00–184.00 $181.65 $1,308 +2.58
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
579 579 4 192.50 $192.50 $1,115 +4.16

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1048–1260 1105 80-85% 7 80.00–86.00 $81.91 $905 —
1053–1380 1194 80-85% 44 91.00–98.50 $93.58 $1,117 —
1215–1415 1357 80-85% 6 103.00–104.50 $104.10 $1,413 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1105 1014 85-90% 14 75.00–83.00 $77.34 $784 +15.67
785–1236 1046 85-90% 20 61.00–72.00 $65.66 $687 +3.99
865–1245 1162 85-90% 17 86.00–92.00 $89.97 $1,045 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425 1425 75-80% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,510 —
1415–1470 1437 75-80% 3 89.00–91.00 $89.68 $1,289 —
1315–1710 1478 75-80% 29 95.00–103.00 $98.11 $1,450 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–2095 1715 7 104.00–110.00 $106.62 $1,829 -8.88
1530–2105 1779 8 91.00–101.00 $96.15 $1,711 —
1925–2230 2078 2 116.00–120.00 $117.85 $2,449 —

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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.