Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 18, 2022

5,427 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $163.64/cwt -2.37 vs last sale · ≈ $1,103/hd at 674 lb · 716 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $156.10/cwt +2.74 vs last sale · ≈ $971/hd at 622 lb · 415 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $158.03/cwt -1.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,146/hd at 725 lb · 360 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,427 6,884 5,654
Feeder cattle 5,165 6,615 5,590
Slaughter cattle 262 269 64

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last week: Steer's under 550 lbs mostly steady, 550 to 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, over 700 lbs steady to 1.00 lower. Heifer's under 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower, 600 to 700 lbs steady to 2.00 lower, over 700 lbs steady to 3.00 lower decline on 750 to 800 lbs. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. 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
352 thin fleshed 352 12 254.00 $254.00 $894 —
360 360 3 240.00 $240.00 $864 —
400–434 423 17 217.00–224.50 $220.05 $931 -10.55
455–493 478 42 204.00–212.50 $208.42 $996 +9.84
498 fancy 498 33 217.00 $217.00 $1,081 —
501–512 506 37 197.50–201.00 $199.94 $1,012 +9.03
560 thin fleshed 560 19 195.00 $195.00 $1,092 —
554–597 576 254 180.00–190.50 $186.49 $1,074 +9.17
600 fancy 600 16 182.00 $182.00 $1,092 —
613–639 628 146 173.00–178.00 $175.10 $1,100 +4.88
653–692 674 716 158.00–168.50 $163.64 $1,103 -2.37
702–747 725 360 154.00–161.10 $158.03 $1,146 -1.10
750–790 772 236 153.50–155.85 $155.26 $1,199 -0.82
801–835 809 161 151.00–154.00 $153.07 $1,238 -1.48
851–894 869 159 149.75–154.00 $152.08 $1,322 -0.22
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
483–492 490 22 197.50–198.00 $197.63 $968 —
535–536 536 22 180.00–186.00 $183.28 $982 —
559–595 582 49 173.00–175.50 $174.17 $1,014 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
619 619 17 169.00 $169.00 $1,046 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326–339 331 24 190.00–196.00 $193.69 $641 —
367–384 378 87 182.00–188.00 $184.53 $698 —
402 402 7 183.00 $183.00 $736 -5.64
431 fancy 431 18 191.00 $191.00 $823 -9.00
454–486 463 73 173.00–184.00 $176.04 $815 -4.74
503–538 522 88 160.00–169.00 $162.31 $847 -5.28
558–598 thin fleshed 569 37 166.00–168.00 $167.43 $953 —
550–590 570 265 153.00–161.00 $157.48 $898 -3.13
600–643 622 415 150.00–160.00 $156.10 $971 +2.74
650–690 658 151 147.00–156.00 $152.39 $1,003 +2.02
700–749 719 217 145.00–151.50 $148.59 $1,068 +0.04
763–792 777 26 142.00–145.50 $143.10 $1,112 -3.97
802 802 36 142.00–142.50 $142.36 $1,142 -3.14
811 fancy 811 62 147.85 $147.85 $1,199 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530–547 537 48 157.00–159.00 $157.89 $848 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508 508 8 156.00 $156.00 $792 —
564–591 578 29 156.00 $156.00 $902 +6.80
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
441 441 30 175.00 $175.00 $772 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180–1380 1202 80-85% 20 57.00–60.00 $59.33 $713 -2.16
1000–1385 1213 80-85% 40 60.00–66.00 $62.84 $762 +1.35
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1345–1760 1510 75-80% 17 63.00–66.00 $63.84 $964 —
1525 1525 75-80% 1 61.00 $61.00 $930 —
1570–1955 1752 75-80% 5 69.50–71.00 $69.98 $1,226 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1215 1033 85-90% 6 51.00–59.00 $54.90 $567 +2.37
930–1155 1048 85-90% 4 46.00–49.00 $47.46 $497 -5.07
1090 1090 85-90% 1 60.00 $60.00 $654 +13.68

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–2010 1694 6 80.00–89.00 $84.62 $1,433 -2.52
1430–2325 1888 9 92.00–99.00 $94.88 $1,791 —
2035–2185 2120 3 100.00–101.00 $100.34 $2,127 —

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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.