Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 5, 2021

4,212 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $152.07/cwt ≈ $941/hd at 619 lb · 270 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $144.50/cwt +2.36 vs last sale · ≈ $824/hd at 571 lb · 265 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $142.32/cwt +3.79 vs last sale · ≈ $956/hd at 672 lb · 265 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,212 809 6,109
Feeder cattle 3,744 586 5,709
Slaughter cattle 62 45 166
Replacement cattle 406 178 234

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with a couple of weeks ago: steer calves under 400 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, 400 to 600 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder steers over 700 lbs steady to 3.00 lower decline over 750 lbs. Heifers calves uneven 300 to 400 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 400 to 550 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, over 550 lbs steady. Feeder heifers over 700 lbs steady. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls 1.00 to 2.00 higher. 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
335–340 337 14 217.00–221.00 $219.15 $739 +2.63
359 thin fleshed 359 6 220.00 $220.00 $790 —
383–395 390 7 203.00–209.00 $205.53 $802 +0.16
418 thin fleshed 418 13 201.00 $201.00 $840 —
408–437 433 32 192.00–194.00 $192.24 $832 -2.69
450–479 457 63 178.00–187.00 $184.43 $843 —
468 fancy 468 10 189.00 $189.00 $885 —
519 thin fleshed 519 8 186.00 $186.00 $965 —
505–537 528 135 170.00–181.00 $174.21 $920 +11.21
528–541 unweaned 535 15 162.00–162.50 $162.23 $868 —
552 thin fleshed 552 6 167.50 $167.50 $925 —
553–593 577 93 154.00–165.00 $159.31 $919 +6.75
604–641 618 198 150.00–159.00 $154.65 $956 —
607–647 unweaned 622 72 143.50–146.50 $144.96 $902 —
651–684 671 219 139.00–147.00 $143.52 $963 +3.51
658–683 unweaned 677 46 134.50–138.00 $136.62 $925 +2.19
722 thin fleshed 722 50 145.75 $145.75 $1,052 —
700–745 726 207 133.00–142.00 $137.28 $997 —
751–772 762 94 129.00–136.00 $133.74 $1,019 —
802–814 810 14 128.00–132.50 $130.91 $1,060 —
883–889 886 46 128.00–130.00 $129.13 $1,144 —
926 926 50 127.00 $127.00 $1,176 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 46 132.00 $132.00 $904 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
494 494 17 172.00 $172.00 $850 —
546 unweaned 546 9 164.00 $164.00 $895 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 unweaned 595 18 147.00 $147.00 $875 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
324 324 9 163.00 $163.00 $528 —
357–394 383 32 156.00–164.00 $160.63 $615 -2.37
429–434 thin fleshed 432 16 166.50–167.00 $166.75 $720 —
418–445 436 42 155.00–165.00 $157.39 $686 —
450–486 470 104 153.00–158.00 $155.53 $731 +5.42
504–536 517 184 149.00–157.00 $153.01 $791 +10.69
550 thin fleshed 550 18 150.50 $150.50 $828 —
550–591 572 247 137.00–148.00 $144.06 $824 +1.92
604 fancy 604 13 144.00 $144.00 $870 —
604–647 629 186 134.00–140.00 $137.05 $862 +12.05
636 unweaned 636 10 127.50 $127.50 $811 —
662–675 unweaned 671 20 124.00–126.50 $125.51 $842 +2.51
650–697 678 172 127.00–135.00 $129.86 $880 —
764 764 45 121.00–125.50 $123.10 $940 —
805 fancy 805 37 125.50 $125.50 $1,010 —
825 unweaned 825 12 118.00 $118.00 $974 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–448 416 17 151.00–154.00 $152.74 $635 —
516–534 523 15 146.00–147.50 $146.89 $768 —
572–597 586 36 133.50–136.00 $134.58 $789 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
586 586 49 136.00 $136.00 $797 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
644 644 32 128.50 $128.50 $828 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
844–1105 928 85-90% 8 47.00–52.00 $48.01 $446 —
820–1130 1003 85-90% 5 39.00–43.00 $41.12 $412 —
880–1195 1029 85-90% 17 44.00–46.00 $45.09 $464 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1360 1196 80-85% 6 48.00–51.00 $49.70 $594 —
1080–1280 1209 80-85% 5 51.00–55.00 $53.18 $643 -1.35
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1530 1468 75-80% 8 54.00–57.00 $55.00 $807 —
1485–1520 1503 75-80% 2 51.00–52.00 $51.49 $774 -0.93

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1845–1975 1906 4 85.50–87.50 $86.26 $1,644 —
1510–2200 1916 7 79.00–84.50 $80.84 $1,549 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
980–1925 1210 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 207 47.00–58.00 $53.13 $643

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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.