Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 3, 2024

932 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $290.21/cwt -14.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,236/hd at 426 lb · 32 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $345.59/cwt -10.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,768/hd at 511 lb · 22 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $284.27/cwt -18.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,478/hd at 520 lb · 21 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 932 3,540 1,680
Feeder cattle 710 3,366 1,489
Slaughter cattle 145 72 191
Replacement cattle 77 102 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was low. Feeder steers sold 3.00 to 11.00 lower with instances of sharply lower across all weight classes. Feeder heifers sold 1.00 to 12.00 lower across all weight classes. Slaughter cows sold steady across all weight classes while slaughter bulls sold 8.00 higher. The next feeder calf and slaughter cow sale will next Wednesday April 10, 2024.

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
258 258 2 376.00 $376.00 $970 -54.00
383–386 384 11 375.00–376.00 $375.46 $1,442 -25.54
500–506 fancy 503 11 354.00–359.00 $356.29 $1,792 -21.71
504 504 4 315.00 $315.00 $1,588 -27.04
524–540 thin fleshed 529 7 342.00–348.00 $346.25 $1,832 -12.59
594 fancy 594 11 330.00 $330.00 $1,960 -16.63
598 598 6 309.00 $309.00 $1,848 +7.00
615 615 3 301.00 $301.00 $1,851 -3.47
651 fancy 651 3 287.00 $287.00 $1,868 -10.30
678–688 686 8 261.00–267.50 $262.61 $1,802 -2.33
744 744 6 252.00 $252.00 $1,875 -11.65
759–772 765 11 214.00–217.50 $215.89 $1,652 -34.31
915 915 6 202.00 $202.00 $1,848 -14.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
369 369 4 340.00 $340.00 $1,255 —
419–435 428 20 341.00–348.00 $345.13 $1,477 +4.90
453 453 2 311.00 $311.00 $1,409 —
512 512 13 300.00 $300.00 $1,536 +4.00
769 769 15 181.00–195.00 $188.47 $1,449 -32.53
829–833 830 7 190.00–211.00 $204.98 $1,701 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 2 326.00 $326.00 $1,060 —
415 415 2 326.00 $326.00 $1,353 +6.00
483–494 492 13 301.00 $301.00 $1,481 —
693 693 4 226.00 $226.00 $1,566 —
738 738 7 171.00 $171.00 $1,262 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 4 355.00 $355.00 $1,172 -52.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
389 389 4 301.00 $301.00 $1,171 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354–391 374 11 308.00–319.00 $312.73 $1,170 -0.99
452–454 453 10 295.00–303.00 $300.61 $1,362 +1.72
512–528 520 21 283.00–286.00 $284.27 $1,478 -19.98
567 567 3 264.00 $264.00 $1,497 -27.58
571 thin fleshed 571 15 275.00 $275.00 $1,570 -7.00
643 643 3 243.00 $243.00 $1,562 -11.44
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
263 263 5 320.00–326.00 $323.60 $851 —
315 315 2 316.00 $316.00 $995 —
409–446 426 32 281.00–299.00 $290.21 $1,236 -14.13
473–497 488 11 266.00–288.00 $279.89 $1,366 +6.89
573 573 2 251.00 $251.00 $1,438 -4.04
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 4 291.00 $291.00 $946 +40.00
388–398 394 5 251.00–281.00 $269.18 $1,061 —
457–490 470 19 230.00–252.00 $246.82 $1,160 —
542 542 7 231.00 $231.00 $1,252 -42.00
647 647 5 212.00 $212.00 $1,372 —
681 681 3 201.00 $201.00 $1,369 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 2 294.00 $294.00 $1,044 —
430 430 2 290.00 $290.00 $1,247 -8.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 4 351.00 $351.00 $1,337 —
465 465 2 332.00 $332.00 $1,544 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
842 842 3 197.50 $197.50 $1,663 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
713–1075 781 85-90% 7 71.00–81.00 $76.22 $595 —
810–1090 955 85-90% 5 95.00–102.00 $99.27 $948 —
1005 1005 85-90% 1 91.00 $91.00 $915 +8.45
820–1255 1018 85-90% 83 104.00–136.00 $115.42 $1,175 +32.87
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1485 1347 80-85% 13 119.00–140.00 $130.79 $1,762 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–1605 1573 75-80% 3 130.00–131.00 $130.49 $2,053 +13.49

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050 1050 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,102 —
1050–2105 1613 20 116.00–161.50 $141.28 $2,279 —
1480–1980 1730 2 118.00–140.00 $130.59 $2,259 -3.37

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
693 thin fleshed 693 (<2 yrs)Open 1 201.00 $201.00 $1,393
705 705 (<2 yrs)Open 1 163.00 $163.00 $1,149
740–943 828 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 32 160.00–188.00 $178.66 $1,479
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
675 675 (<2 yrs)Open 1 142.50 $142.50 $962
815–1185 1018 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 15 145.00–154.00 $148.29 $1,510
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
830–1125 1030 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 115.00–136.00 $129.14 $1,330

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1145–1295 1265 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,175.00–1,475.00 $1,420.69
1280 1280 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,500.00 $1,500.00
1220–1325 1290 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,425.00–1,775.00 $1,664.66
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
815 815 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 625.00 $625.00
870–900 885 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 900.00–1,000.00 $950.85

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
1205 1205 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,510.00 $1,510.00 —

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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.