Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 14, 2021

7,071 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $162.78/cwt -1.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,173/hd at 721 lb · 497 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $164.88/cwt -12.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,024/hd at 621 lb · 396 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $159.88/cwt +7.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,228/hd at 768 lb · 385 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 7,071 7,553 3,508
Feeder cattle 6,531 7,134 3,322
Slaughter cattle 540 419 186

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday's higher market: Feeder steers under 400 lbs steady, 400 to 550 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 instances 10.00 lower, 550 to 650 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 650 to 700 lbs steady, over 700 lbs steady to 3.00 higher advance on 750 to 800 lbs . Feeder heifer under 600 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 instances 8.00 lower, 600 to 700 lbs steady to 5.00 higher advance on 650 to 700 lbs, over 700 lbs steady. Slaughter cows mostly steady. Slaughter bulls steady to 2.00 higher. Trade and 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
327 327 3 228.00 $228.00 $746 +1.00
379 379 7 221.00 $221.00 $838 -6.67
408–424 thin fleshed 413 19 210.00–216.00 $214.06 $884 —
435 435 13 200.00 $200.00 $870 -25.60
456 thin fleshed 456 15 205.00 $205.00 $935 —
451–477 460 27 190.00–194.00 $190.97 $878 -19.00
506–545 520 155 174.00–183.00 $179.25 $932 -14.71
522 thin fleshed 522 56 199.50 $199.50 $1,041 —
551–594 576 82 173.00–183.00 $178.86 $1,030 -5.53
603–648 unweaned 616 141 155.00–163.00 $158.54 $977 -7.46
600–648 624 255 165.00–177.00 $168.39 $1,051 -9.55
655–695 unweaned 676 83 151.00–159.50 $156.36 $1,057 +2.36
657–688 677 249 164.00–170.00 $168.06 $1,138 +13.54
701–741 720 402 159.50–169.00 $165.18 $1,189 +3.61
718–745 unweaned 723 95 151.00–154.00 $152.64 $1,104 +0.28
750 unweaned 750 21 146.00 $146.00 $1,095 +1.41
750–787 769 364 158.00–166.00 $160.68 $1,236 +2.42
809–833 816 279 155.25–161.00 $159.29 $1,300 +3.44
845 unweaned 845 34 151.50 $151.50 $1,280 —
855–857 856 150 157.00–159.00 $158.17 $1,354 +2.64
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
516–534 526 55 170.00–173.50 $171.94 $904 —
552–593 573 77 160.00–165.00 $163.24 $935 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
581 581 17 161.00 $161.00 $935 —
662–663 unweaned 662 56 145.00–148.00 $146.16 $968 +0.22
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584–598 594 31 160.00–165.00 $161.43 $959 -7.63

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–385 367 11 183.00–187.00 $184.91 $679 +5.49
405–447 428 40 170.00–178.00 $175.25 $750 +1.50
450–488 470 162 160.00–170.00 $165.16 $776 -3.12
500–543 522 168 152.00–163.00 $156.15 $815 -12.81
558–589 579 133 151.00–162.00 $156.54 $906 -7.43
591 fancy 591 24 173.00 $173.00 $1,022 —
600–639 616 198 151.00–158.50 $154.60 $952 -2.38
605–645 unweaned 621 81 140.00–148.00 $144.02 $894 -1.80
650–697 665 129 150.00–156.00 $152.63 $1,015 +4.33
654–687 fancy 678 167 158.00–159.00 $158.09 $1,072 —
668–693 unweaned 679 66 141.50–144.50 $142.80 $970 -0.43
703–726 unweaned 715 75 131.00–138.50 $135.91 $972 —
704–742 732 125 145.00–153.00 $150.43 $1,101 -1.22
751 unweaned 751 7 131.00 $131.00 $984 —
753–777 775 73 148.00–150.50 $150.30 $1,165 -0.12
834 834 26 146.50 $146.50 $1,222 +3.50
924 924 14 134.00 $134.00 $1,238 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500–547 539 102 144.00–145.00 $144.65 $780 -10.29
558–597 576 81 141.00–147.75 $144.73 $834 -2.20
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560–571 564 77 141.00–149.00 $147.54 $832 —
675 675 23 145.50 $145.50 $982 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
446 446 17 165.00 $165.00 $736 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1054 1054 80-85% 9 55.00 $55.00 $580 —
1090 1090 80-85% 1 70.00 $70.00 $763 —
1055–1450 1168 80-85% 80 50.00–60.00 $55.40 $647 —
1154–1390 1273 80-85% 56 61.00–69.00 $63.21 $805 +7.46
1163–1412 1333 80-85% 46 60.50–68.00 $62.95 $839 +2.40
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1360–1660 1473 75-80% 6 55.00–61.00 $59.82 $881 —
1439–1550 1491 75-80% 28 62.00–70.00 $65.29 $973 —
1445–1705 1503 75-80% 10 63.00–65.00 $64.59 $971 -0.81
1600 1600 75-80% 1 73.00 $73.00 $1,168 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
893 893 85-90% 6 59.00 $59.00 $527 —
900–1250 1025 85-90% 11 42.00–49.00 $46.31 $475 —
845–1165 1030 85-90% 7 37.00–42.00 $39.68 $409 —
990–1110 1070 85-90% 16 51.00–58.00 $53.43 $572 +8.50

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1610–1860 1748 4 77.00–82.00 $79.54 $1,390 —
1505–2213 1891 24 88.00–96.00 $92.50 $1,749 +3.89
1780–1995 1925 6 97.00–99.50 $98.69 $1,900 —

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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.