Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 27, 2020

1,047 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Winter Livestock (Tuesday) report →

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $127.97/cwt -5.03 vs last sale · ≈ $933/hd at 729 lb · 55 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $119.78/cwt ≈ $1,170/hd at 977 lb · 45 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $115.43/cwt ≈ $698/hd at 605 lb · 29 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,047 1,045 1,340
Feeder cattle 438 422 990
Slaughter cattle 320 260 350
Replacement cattle 289 363 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Steer and heifer calves scarce. Yearling feeder steers and heifers in a light test mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. 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
711 unweaned 711 15 122.00 $122.00 $867 —
728–743 736 40 129.00–132.00 $130.21 $958 -2.79
752 752 9 131.50 $131.50 $989 —
834 834 15 127.00 $127.00 $1,059 -7.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 7 161.00 $161.00 $620 —
453 453 5 155.00 $155.00 $702 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
678–684 681 23 121.00–122.00 $121.52 $828 -3.48
746 746 7 123.00 $123.00 $918 —
935 935 19 120.00 $120.00 $1,122 —
968–985 977 45 119.50–120.00 $119.78 $1,170 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600–636 605 29 115.00–115.50 $115.43 $698 —
673 673 4 118.00 $118.00 $794 +2.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1058–1475 1201 80-85% 63 49.00–54.50 $51.77 $622 —
1218–1308 1281 80-85% 9 55.00–57.00 $56.24 $720 +1.80
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240–1570 1419 75-80% 20 52.00–59.00 $52.96 $752 —
1260–1631 1474 75-80% 33 57.00–62.00 $61.00 $899 +5.64
1515–1580 1548 75-80% 2 63.00–65.00 $63.98 $990 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
938–1090 1014 85-90% 2 50.00–53.00 $51.39 $521 —
905–1420 1079 85-90% 38 33.00–43.00 $39.56 $427 —
1055–1475 1242 85-90% 8 44.00–49.50 $46.56 $578 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1438–1955 1785 13 79.00–83.00 $81.52 $1,455 +9.73
2035 2035 1 73.00 $73.00 $1,486 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1014–1275 1032 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 58 36.50–49.00 $39.16 $404
861–1470 1192 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 116 51.50–63.00 $54.52 $650

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1058–1334 1117 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 25 625.00–725.00 $645.99
1406–1474 1440 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 14 810.00–875.00 $843.27

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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.