Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 22, 2020

809 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.32/cwt -6.43 vs last sale · ≈ $741/hd at 521 lb · 77 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $138.53/cwt -7.72 vs last sale · ≈ $937/hd at 676 lb · 68 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $152.56/cwt -7.57 vs last sale · ≈ $889/hd at 583 lb · 55 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 809 3,843 0
Feeder cattle 586 3,322 0
Slaughter cattle 45 186 0
Replacement cattle 178 335 0

Compared with last Tues: Steer calves in a light test mostly steady except for 400 to 450 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Heifer calves in a light test mostly steady except for 500 to 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Demand moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306–333 320 14 216.00–217.00 $216.52 $693 +1.78
368–376 375 23 204.00–212.00 $205.37 $770 +3.73
408–441 431 17 192.50–198.00 $194.93 $840 +8.24
521 521 12 163.00 $163.00 $849 -5.05
557–589 583 55 150.00–155.00 $152.56 $889 -3.09
653–688 unweaned 672 18 134.00–135.00 $134.43 $903 +0.71
671–680 678 50 137.50–141.00 $140.01 $949 -5.88

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358 358 5 163.00 $163.00 $584 -4.21
458–475 470 18 145.00–152.00 $150.11 $706 -0.27
514–548 521 77 140.00–145.00 $142.32 $741 -6.43
578–580 579 49 140.00–143.00 $142.14 $823 -0.31
620–622 621 39 131.00–134.00 $132.46 $823 +1.00
636 636 11 125.00 $125.00 $795 -6.46
682 unweaned 682 10 123.00 $123.00 $839 ±0.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
397 397 7 152.00 $152.00 $603
459 459 16 139.00 $139.00 $638
632 632 6 123.00 $123.00 $777

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1395 1215 80-85% 12 50.00–57.00 $54.53 $663
1070–1283 1242 80-85% 6 51.00–53.00 $51.29 $637
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1250 1161 85-90% 9 47.00–50.00 $47.74 $554 +2.88
1265 1265 85-90% 1 46.00 $46.00 $582
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1414 1413 75-80% 6 57.00–58.00 $57.67 $815
1440–1785 1526 75-80% 4 51.00–53.00 $52.42 $800

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1725 1725 1 83.00 $83.00 $1,432 +6.26
1665–2285 1861 6 71.00–79.50 $74.20 $1,381 -8.87

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
965–1545 1195 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 71 49.00–57.50 $54.54 $652

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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.