Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 4, 2021

1,148 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $147.62/cwt -15.64 vs last sale · ≈ $613/hd at 415 lb · 107 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $116.00/cwt ≈ $937/hd at 808 lb · 70 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.12/cwt -8.88 vs last sale · ≈ $784/hd at 612 lb · 66 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,148 728 3,459
Feeder cattle 831 552 3,309
Slaughter cattle 152 95 100
Replacement cattle 165 81 50

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steers under 700 lbs in a light test steady to 2.00 lower, Feeder heifers under 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Yearling feeder steers over 700 lbs too lightly tested last week for an accurate trend. Yearling feeder heifers over 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls steady to 1.00 lower. 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
385–394 392 13 167.00–169.00 $167.45 $656 —
411–432 425 17 167.00–169.00 $167.68 $713 -7.32
458 458 5 163.00 $163.00 $747 -0.83
460–478 thin fleshed 470 44 171.00–173.00 $171.84 $808 —
517–543 537 26 152.00–154.00 $152.44 $819 -2.22
561–575 569 19 147.50–149.00 $148.12 $843 -2.18
617 617 17 149.50 $149.50 $922 —
652 652 9 143.00 $143.00 $932 —
865 865 60 126.50 $126.50 $1,094 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 5 140.00 $140.00 $770 —
659 659 16 134.00 $134.00 $883 -1.00
885 885 30 118.25 $118.25 $1,047 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–448 415 107 142.00–150.50 $147.62 $613 -15.64
458–488 471 65 138.00–146.50 $143.50 $676 -11.59
506–528 520 43 133.00–140.00 $136.54 $710 -12.46
600–635 612 66 123.50–131.00 $128.12 $784 -8.88
708 708 3 120.00 $120.00 $850 -3.52
808 808 70 116.00 $116.00 $937 —
852 852 13 115.00 $115.00 $980 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
467 467 5 136.00 $136.00 $635 -4.77
756 756 11 114.50 $114.50 $866 —
841 841 6 113.50 $113.50 $955 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
110–135 123 3 285.00–325.00 $313.11 —
185–195 190 2 335.00–375.00 $354.47 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
115–120 117 3 285.00–335.00 $314.57 —
150–155 153 2 360.00–425.00 $393.03 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1390 1127 80-85% 36 58.00–64.50 $62.02 $699 —
1105–1355 1293 80-85% 13 64.50–66.50 $65.43 $846 -4.07
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1740 1421 75-80% 11 65.50–66.50 $66.17 $940 -0.64
1285–1955 1539 75-80% 9 63.00–65.00 $64.21 $988 —
1631 1631 75-80% 6 72.00 $72.00 $1,174 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1115 1008 85-90% 5 47.00–51.00 $49.68 $501 -4.06
855–1265 1039 85-90% 5 54.00–57.00 $55.17 $573 -5.05
915–1270 1067 85-90% 5 58.50–62.00 $59.88 $639 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1680 1680 1 95.50 $95.50 $1,604 —
1748–2310 1899 7 83.00–86.50 $84.63 $1,607 —
1835–2090 1931 4 87.00–91.50 $89.00 $1,719 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
855–1441 1220 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 81 61.00–69.50 $65.05 $794

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000–1050 1021 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 1,450.00–1,500.00 $1,472.03 —
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 9 1,160.00 $1,160.00 —
1125 1125 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,100.00 $1,100.00 —

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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.