Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 16, 2021

805 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $149.26/cwt +3.26 vs last sale · ≈ $919/hd at 616 lb · 58 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $133.11/cwt +4.22 vs last sale · ≈ $972/hd at 730 lb · 49 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $158.48/cwt -0.43 vs last sale · ≈ $750/hd at 473 lb · 35 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 805 7,327 0
Feeder cattle 754 7,154 0
Slaughter cattle 51 84 0
Replacement cattle 89

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steers and heifers under 700 lbs too lightly tested for a comparison, over 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower quality considered. Slaughter cows 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls mostly steady. Demand moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454 454 5 176.00 $176.00 $799
529–532 531 32 160.00–161.00 $160.81 $854
613–628 616 58 145.00–150.00 $149.26 $919 +3.26
745 745 5 130.00 $130.00 $968
764 764 8 129.00 $129.00 $986
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
722–726 724 30 131.50–135.50 $133.63 $967 -2.73
807 807 23 124.50 $124.50 $1,005 -6.28
891 891 35 120.00 $120.00 $1,069 -7.81

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–480 473 35 156.00–165.00 $158.48 $750 -0.43
703–743 728 39 127.00–128.00 $127.37 $927 -1.52
739–741 740 10 155.00–156.00 $155.50 $1,151 +26.61
753–760 758 30 152.00–159.00 $154.32 $1,170 +27.77

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900 900 80-85% 1 45.00 $45.00 $405
1030–1278 1177 80-85% 6 60.00–62.50 $60.70 $714
1000–1335 1183 80-85% 16 63.00–68.00 $65.42 $774
1080–1365 1223 80-85% 2 70.00–74.00 $71.77 $878 +14.18
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1280 1280 75-80% 1 77.00 $77.00 $986
1355 1355 75-80% 1 63.00 $63.00 $854
1375–1610 1534 75-80% 17 64.00–69.00 $66.75 $1,024
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835 835 85-90% 1 58.00 $58.00 $484
1045–1070 1058 85-90% 2 47.00–52.00 $49.53 $524

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1444–2335 1727 11 74.00–80.00 $76.10 $1,314
2035–2170 2080 3 81.00–82.50 $81.98 $1,705 -6.79

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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.