Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 19, 2023

1,318 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $218.75/cwt +6.75 vs last sale · ≈ $1,389/hd at 635 lb · 35 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $195.87/cwt +12.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,389/hd at 709 lb · 32 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $203.41/cwt +0.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,284/hd at 631 lb · 31 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,318 1,802 1,961
Feeder cattle 1,163 980 1,814
Slaughter cattle 155 225 147
Replacement cattle — 597 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: No trend is available due to the lack of receipts from the prior week, but a higher undertone was noted. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady. Trade activity and buyer demand was 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
350–355 352 13 275.00–284.00 $281.20 $990 —
418 418 20 264.00 $264.00 $1,104 —
452 452 3 258.00 $258.00 $1,166 —
510–538 518 13 239.00–245.00 $241.07 $1,249 -0.93
564–574 567 13 238.00–239.00 $238.31 $1,351 +4.31
613–643 635 35 213.00–225.00 $218.75 $1,389 +6.75
660–675 673 15 212.00–215.00 $212.39 $1,429 +6.67
724 724 4 191.00 $191.00 $1,383 -5.00
763–796 787 7 187.50–190.00 $188.19 $1,481 -1.81
852 thin fleshed 852 3 191.00 $191.00 $1,627 —
889–895 891 8 181.00–189.00 $185.99 $1,657 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 3 274.00 $274.00 $918 —
373–389 381 23 261.00–262.00 $261.49 $996 +0.49
485 485 7 246.00 $246.00 $1,193 ±0.00
507 507 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,141 +6.00
573–592 578 20 222.00–228.00 $223.33 $1,291 +6.33
710 710 3 183.00 $183.00 $1,299 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 16 202.00 $202.00 $1,182 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 5 251.00 $251.00 $1,042 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
313 313 4 262.00 $262.00 $820 —
413–445 429 21 231.00–239.00 $233.58 $1,002 +12.20
455–476 466 28 219.00–227.00 $223.59 $1,042 +12.03
523 fancy 523 7 227.00 $227.00 $1,187 +6.00
558–582 571 26 209.00–218.00 $214.74 $1,226 +8.57
612–648 631 31 200.00–209.00 $203.41 $1,284 +0.41
672–675 673 11 190.00–194.00 $190.73 $1,284 -9.27
708–715 thin fleshed 709 32 195.00–196.00 $195.87 $1,389 —
750–798 764 10 183.00–185.00 $183.63 $1,403 +5.31
806 806 6 183.50 $183.50 $1,479 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–389 376 11 215.00–221.00 $218.18 $820 +7.18
525 525 4 209.00 $209.00 $1,097 +12.00
558–575 564 15 205.00–206.00 $205.59 $1,160 +8.59

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
434 434 8 245.00 $245.00 $1,063 —
717 717 3 176.00 $176.00 $1,262 +30.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1026 1026 80-85% 10 81.00 $81.00 $831 —
1080–1225 1145 80-85% 7 83.00–87.00 $84.83 $971 —
1196 1196 80-85% 15 91.00 $91.00 $1,088 —
1040–1355 1198 80-85% 6 88.00–94.00 $91.02 $1,090 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1283–1415 1356 75-80% 9 93.00–97.00 $95.61 $1,296 —
1352–1505 1363 75-80% 14 101.00–103.00 $101.16 $1,379 —
1346–1590 1392 75-80% 9 87.00–89.00 $87.42 $1,217 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1025 980 85-90% 3 86.00 $86.00 $843 +3.23
940–1115 1045 85-90% 5 64.00–71.00 $66.85 $699 —
810–1174 1062 85-90% 12 75.00–81.00 $79.08 $840 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1445–1685 1586 4 95.00–101.00 $98.21 $1,558 —
1510–1920 1640 17 106.00–113.00 $109.44 $1,795 —
1835–2080 1976 4 115.00–118.00 $116.29 $2,298 -6.71

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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.