Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 1, 2022

1,340 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $161.34/cwt -10.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,030/hd at 639 lb · 132 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.88/cwt -5.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,004/hd at 581 lb · 119 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $150.13/cwt -1.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,166/hd at 776 lb · 91 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,340 1,629 2,265
Feeder cattle 1,202 1,538 2,130
Slaughter cattle 138 91 135

Compared with last Tuesday: Steer's under 700 lbs steady to 3.00 lower decline on 650 to 700 lbs, over 700 lbs lightly tested. Heifer's under 600 lbs steady to 2.00 higher advance on 450 to 500 lbs , 600 to 700 lbs 3.00 to 500 lower, over 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Demand moderate to good. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
377 377 2 220.00 $220.00 $829 -3.03
525 thin fleshed 525 4 218.00 $218.00 $1,144
514–548 535 53 209.00–210.00 $209.29 $1,120 +6.30
612 thin fleshed 612 35 192.00 $192.00 $1,175 -2.00
609–635 623 49 185.00–188.50 $186.88 $1,164 +4.49
658–665 660 9 173.00–174.00 $173.66 $1,146 +4.11
715 715 13 159.75 $159.75 $1,142 -6.08
762–768 766 17 152.00–154.00 $152.58 $1,169 -4.92
804 804 10 152.75 $152.75 $1,228 -4.69

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352 352 2 190.00 $190.00 $669
422–449 438 11 189.00–191.50 $190.36 $834 +9.36
469–472 470 28 181.00–189.00 $184.70 $868 +5.55
498 thin fleshed 498 13 191.00 $191.00 $951
511–548 523 24 178.00–184.00 $181.91 $951 +4.91
576–593 581 119 166.00–175.00 $172.88 $1,004 +0.90
603–648 638 120 158.00–165.00 $160.67 $1,025 -4.47
646 fancy 646 12 168.00 $168.00 $1,085 -9.50
656–694 671 62 152.00–162.00 $157.25 $1,055
728 728 15 152.00 $152.00 $1,107 -2.44
764 764 46 155.00 $155.00 $1,184 +3.36
773–795 789 45 143.00–146.00 $145.15 $1,145 -6.49
861 861 21 139.00 $139.00 $1,197

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1099–1485 1277 80-85% 30 82.00–87.00 $84.23 $1,076
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1690 1545 75-80% 14 84.00–88.00 $86.88 $1,342
1585 1585 75-80% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,426
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075 1075 85-90% 1 81.00 $81.00 $871
970–1450 1122 85-90% 7 75.00–77.00 $76.49 $858 +30.63
1165–1240 1203 85-90% 2 68.00–69.00 $68.48 $824

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1660–2315 1889 7 101.00–107.00 $104.09 $1,966
1935 1935 1 94.50 $94.50 $1,829 -6.25
1910–2215 2063 2 111.00–118.50 $114.47 $2,362

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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.