Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 8, 2025

1,079 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight L 1 steers $267.50/cwt ≈ $1,961/hd at 733 lb · 88 head
light 6-weight L 1 steers $296.20/cwt +4.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,842/hd at 622 lb · 67 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $286.79/cwt +9.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,509/hd at 526 lb · 63 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,079 2,364 1,588
Feeder cattle 836 2,001 1,016
Slaughter cattle 153 304 313
Replacement cattle 90 59 259

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was good. Feeder steers sold mostly 2.00 to 8.00 higher with instances of sharply higher across all weight classes. Feeder heifers sold mostly 2.00 to 10.00 higher with instances of sharply higher across all weight classes. Boner slaughter cows of average dressing sold 2.00 higher while lean cows sold 1.00 higher. Slaughter bulls of average dressing sold 1.00 higher. The next feeder calf and slaughter cow sale will be next Wednesday January 15, 2025.

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
290 290 2 430.00 $430.00 $1,247 -5.00
350–387 363 24 415.00–420.00 $416.61 $1,512 +1.84
419 419 10 410.00 $410.00 $1,718 +15.95
450–488 473 45 330.00–372.50 $360.31 $1,704 +7.47
504–546 536 41 325.00–337.50 $327.08 $1,753 -2.96
557–566 563 16 315.00–330.00 $320.57 $1,805 +5.97
606–635 609 20 275.00–294.00 $292.02 $1,778 +0.83
658 658 32 285.00 $285.00 $1,875 +12.34
705–726 719 6 256.00–270.00 $260.58 $1,874 +3.35
761 761 5 255.00 $255.00 $1,941 +12.00
828–840 833 5 231.00–240.00 $234.63 $1,954 -14.37
873 873 3 230.00 $230.00 $2,008 —
900 900 4 225.00 $225.00 $2,025 +5.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 8 347.50 $347.50 $1,682 —
615–643 622 67 271.00–305.00 $296.20 $1,842 +4.20
733 733 88 267.50 $267.50 $1,961 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381–395 386 6 390.00–405.00 $399.88 $1,544 +2.86
428–437 436 13 375.00–377.50 $375.38 $1,637 +1.76
451 451 10 315.00 $315.00 $1,421 -6.49
526–538 533 9 295.00–305.00 $299.39 $1,596 +12.41
692 692 7 250.00 $250.00 $1,730 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
542 542 6 282.50 $282.50 $1,531 ±0.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 3 365.00 $365.00 $1,361 +65.00
433 433 2 330.00 $330.00 $1,429 +8.69
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 3 335.00 $335.00 $1,474 +29.39

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
382 382 3 335.00 $335.00 $1,280 -11.11
405 405 10 350.00 $350.00 $1,418 +31.69
453–479 471 29 297.50–330.00 $315.64 $1,487 +1.74
518–548 526 63 276.00–297.50 $286.79 $1,509 +9.55
583–597 592 7 255.00–257.50 $256.78 $1,520 -12.04
618–640 638 33 247.50–257.50 $256.62 $1,637 -7.02
722 722 3 248.00 $248.00 $1,791 +5.61
803 803 2 222.50 $222.50 $1,787 +3.17
911–935 923 8 211.00–220.00 $215.56 $1,990 +24.01
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
506–542 515 12 267.50–275.00 $269.47 $1,388 —
610–634 619 34 255.00–267.00 $262.30 $1,624 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
726–1283 843 85-90% 13 61.00–86.00 $76.44 $644 -1.35
845–955 893 85-90% 3 101.00–105.00 $102.26 $913 —
780–1270 990 85-90% 47 110.00–119.50 $116.70 $1,155 —
1015–1165 1090 85-90% 2 110.00–115.00 $112.33 $1,224 —
1053–1290 1133 85-90% 34 120.50–131.00 $126.22 $1,430 +9.79
1255 1255 85-90% 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,355 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1308 1308 80-85% 2 119.50 $119.50 $1,563 —
1321–1479 1422 80-85% 29 126.00–131.00 $129.22 $1,838 +8.04
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1586 1586 75-80% 4 126.00 $126.00 $1,998 +8.56
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1723 1723 65-75% 2 126.00 $126.00 $2,171 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305 1305 1 126.00 $126.00 $1,644 —
950–2200 1711 9 136.00–161.00 $146.41 $2,505 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
770–1205 1041 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 26 140.00–160.00 $153.06 $1,593
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
740–1140 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 20 172.50–224.00 $187.42 $1,874
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
920–1360 1042 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 16 131.00–133.50 $131.14 $1,366

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1042 1042 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,525.00 $1,525.00
1275 1275 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00
1325 1325 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,775.00 $1,775.00
1327 1327 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,725.00 $1,725.00
1385 1385 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 1,710.00 $1,710.00
1440 1440 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,850.00 $1,850.00
1615 1615 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,075.00 $2,075.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1205 1205 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
815 815 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1255 1255 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00 -225.00
1605 1605 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 2,200.00 $2,200.00 —

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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.