Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 23, 2021

599 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $154.25/cwt ≈ $888/hd at 576 lb · 36 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $118.10/cwt ≈ $1,088/hd at 921 lb · 35 head
light 8-weight M 1 steers $119.00/cwt ≈ $1,002/hd at 842 lb · 33 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 599 805 857
Feeder cattle 439 754 754
Slaughter cattle 45 51 103
Replacement cattle 115 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steers and heifers under 700 lbs in a light test steady to 2.00 lower. Feeder steers and heifers over 700 lbs 1.00 to 2.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. Trade and demand moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470–478 475 18 171.00–176.00 $172.65 $820 -3.35
510 510 8 167.50 $167.50 $854 +6.69
568–583 576 36 151.00–157.50 $154.25 $888 —
608–640 624 16 141.00–145.00 $143.20 $894 -6.06
668 668 5 140.00 $140.00 $935 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
743 743 29 119.50 $119.50 $888 —
842 842 33 119.00 $119.00 $1,002 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
721 721 5 128.00 $128.00 $923 -5.63
917–924 921 35 117.50–119.00 $118.10 $1,088 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 6 153.00 $153.00 $704 -5.48
535 535 3 153.00 $153.00 $819 —
568 568 8 147.00 $147.00 $835 —
607–630 616 16 134.00 $134.00 $825 —
721 721 14 126.00 $126.00 $908 -1.37
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570–582 577 5 132.00–136.00 $133.58 $771 —
786 786 5 118.00 $118.00 $927 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1295 1210 80-85% 14 63.00–65.00 $63.46 $768 -8.31
1325 1325 80-85% 1 56.00 $56.00 $742 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1075 995 85-90% 2 50.00–54.00 $52.16 $519 —
995–1115 1055 85-90% 2 47.00–48.00 $47.53 $501 -2.00
990–1350 1113 85-90% 8 57.00–62.00 $59.43 $661 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1390 1390 75-80% 4 66.00 $66.00 $917 +3.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405–1670 1538 2 77.00–78.00 $77.46 $1,191 —
1242–2170 1578 12 84.00–88.00 $86.03 $1,358 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
995–1343 1154 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 102 59.00–66.00 $62.97 $727

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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.