Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

1,342 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 $225.75/cwt +1.75 vs last sale · ≈ $1,291/hd at 572 lb · 20 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $255.47/cwt +20.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,357/hd at 531 lb · 19 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $207.40/cwt -0.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,197/hd at 577 lb · 18 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,342 734 1,815
Feeder cattle 871 549 1,300
Slaughter cattle 150 125 357
Replacement cattle 321 60 158

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: No trend is available due to the lack of receipts from the prior week. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls 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
521 fancy 521 6 265.00 $265.00 $1,381 —
530–539 536 13 250.00–254.00 $251.07 $1,346 +16.07
555–595 572 20 222.00–231.00 $225.75 $1,291 +1.75
624 624 12 218.00–219.00 $218.67 $1,365 -4.33
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 10 241.00 $241.00 $1,109 —
592 592 14 211.00 $211.00 $1,249 —
692 692 3 198.00 $198.00 $1,370 -7.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–379 371 14 267.00–271.00 $269.25 $999 —
421 421 10 254.00 $254.00 $1,069 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
419 419 6 218.00 $218.00 $913 —
488 488 3 209.00 $209.00 $1,020 -6.58
522 522 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,086 —
559–588 577 18 206.00–211.00 $207.40 $1,197 -0.60
628–641 637 14 203.00–207.00 $204.42 $1,302 —
647 fancy 647 3 213.00 $213.00 $1,378 —
723 723 6 190.00 $190.00 $1,374 —
750 750 7 193.50 $193.50 $1,451 +7.50
800 800 5 191.00 $191.00 $1,528 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–437 431 17 201.00–204.00 $202.03 $871 —
637 637 6 198.00 $198.00 $1,261 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740 740 12 180.00 $180.00 $1,332 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 10 217.00 $217.00 $1,215 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835–1125 998 85-90% 6 86.00–91.00 $89.09 $889 +21.09
880–1155 999 85-90% 4 88.00–95.00 $91.95 $919 +23.95
933–1155 1007 85-90% 3 73.00–74.00 $73.38 $739 —
875–1270 1031 85-90% 11 76.00–84.00 $80.67 $832 —
974–1155 1067 85-90% 25 76.00–83.00 $80.79 $862 -4.86
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1296 1177 80-85% 11 86.00–91.00 $88.57 $1,042 -4.34
935–1395 1187 80-85% 10 92.00–99.00 $95.34 $1,132 +2.43
1213–1220 1215 80-85% 7 92.00–97.00 $96.28 $1,170 —
1100–1360 1230 80-85% 2 101.00–105.50 $103.49 $1,273 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295–1623 1445 75-80% 5 93.00–99.00 $95.56 $1,381 —
1205–1635 1498 75-80% 4 101.00–105.00 $103.10 $1,544 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330 1330 2 100.00 $100.00 $1,330 —
1375 1375 1 101.00 $101.00 $1,389 -6.00
1685 1685 1 101.00 $101.00 $1,702 -22.50
1440–1960 1715 8 105.00–113.00 $108.64 $1,863 —
2066–2420 2198 4 117.00–122.50 $120.74 $2,654 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
898–1125 994 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 18 1,310.00–1,425.00 $1,379.04
1158–1315 1189 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 10 1,400.00–1,435.00 $1,427.26
1200 1200 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,350.00 $1,350.00
1144–1339 1256 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 44 1,635.00–1,735.00 $1,708.40
1231–1478 1343 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 26 1,435.00–1,550.00 $1,478.43
1381 1381 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,385.00 $1,385.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
909–965 930 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 21 1,475.00–1,585.00 $1,521.71

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1125–1220 1175 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 13 1,350.00–1,400.00 $1,361.05 —
1160–1200 1179 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 15 1,825.00–1,925.00 $1,865.61 —
1108–1350 1269 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 29 1,710.00–1,810.00 $1,765.77 —
1300 fancy 1300 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 8 2,025.00 $2,025.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
925–1050 988 (<2 yrs)Open 6 1,850.00–1,860.00 $1,855.32 —

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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.