Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 15, 2022

2,831 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $165.49/cwt -13.49 vs last sale · ≈ $1,187/hd at 717 lb · 203 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $195.58/cwt -7.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,185/hd at 606 lb · 194 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $171.11/cwt -11.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,158/hd at 677 lb · 187 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,831 4,643 805
Feeder cattle 2,648 4,531 754
Slaughter cattle 80 112 51
Replacement cattle 103 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steers under 500 lbs mostly steady, 500 to 600 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 600 to 800 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 instances 8.00 lower, over 800 lbs steady. Feeder heifer's under 500 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, 500 to 600 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 lower, 600 to 700 lbs steady, over 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls steady. 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
410–436 423 25 217.50–224.00 $221.04 $935 -0.55
452–478 thin fleshed 466 53 225.00–227.00 $225.29 $1,050 -9.78
450–497 473 104 215.00–222.00 $219.23 $1,037 -5.86
505–508 thin fleshed 506 36 221.00 $221.00 $1,118 +3.34
507–520 512 53 209.00–214.00 $210.93 $1,080 +2.50
550–588 561 126 198.00–205.00 $199.79 $1,121 -8.54
604 thin fleshed 604 33 203.00 $203.00 $1,226 -7.00
601–608 606 161 192.00–199.00 $194.06 $1,176 -7.54
650 thin fleshed 650 20 185.00 $185.00 $1,202 -4.30
665–688 680 167 166.00–174.00 $169.45 $1,152 -9.25
701–726 fancy 714 88 172.50 $172.50 $1,232 -6.48
704–727 720 115 159.00–161.00 $160.12 $1,153 —
760–777 764 67 153.00–156.50 $155.83 $1,191 +2.35
773 fancy 773 31 166.00 $166.00 $1,283 —
805 805 23 147.50 $147.50 $1,187 +0.29
890 890 16 142.50 $142.50 $1,268 +1.90
917 917 26 140.25 $140.25 $1,286 +1.15
962 962 4 138.00 $138.00 $1,328 +5.76
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353–362 358 10 216.00–217.00 $216.39 $775 —
485–492 486 51 200.00–206.00 $201.18 $978 —
548 548 17 198.00 $198.00 $1,085 —
568–598 582 26 186.00–192.00 $189.20 $1,101 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 44 188.50 $188.50 $1,093 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
416–443 426 45 182.00–184.00 $182.70 $778 -6.00
475–491 487 68 174.00–180.00 $177.01 $862 -9.15
500–506 503 23 171.00–181.00 $174.71 $879 -15.56
556–590 567 144 160.00–168.50 $167.33 $949 -8.28
610–623 618 133 156.00–163.00 $161.30 $997 +3.05
634 634 30 174.00 $174.00 $1,103 +15.75
656–669 661 41 153.50–156.50 $155.53 $1,028 +1.53
711–748 724 76 144.00–151.00 $148.79 $1,077 +6.36
758 758 55 152.00 $152.00 $1,152 +9.05
787 787 26 138.50–142.50 $139.42 $1,097 -3.53
818 818 16 135.00 $135.00 $1,104 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409 409 10 190.00 $190.00 $777 —
474 474 13 189.00 $189.00 $896 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1390 1274 80-85% 17 82.00–86.00 $84.59 $1,078 —
1346–1525 1373 80-85% 10 78.00–80.00 $78.43 $1,077 -7.09
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
855–1195 1069 85-90% 11 71.00–76.00 $74.13 $792 -3.72
950–1330 1120 85-90% 9 76.00–80.00 $78.40 $878 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1670 1401 75-80% 5 80.00–82.00 $81.59 $1,143 —
1285–1680 1478 75-80% 7 84.00–88.00 $86.94 $1,285 +0.75

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1560–1850 1736 4 94.00–98.00 $96.29 $1,672 —
1180–2325 2051 7 101.00–108.00 $105.68 $2,167 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1037–1258 1160 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 18 1,100.00–1,175.00 $1,145.20
1221 1221 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,250.00 $1,250.00
1132–1292 1256 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 1,550.00–1,600.00 $1,560.01

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1119–1190 1159 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 37 1,575.00–1,700.00 $1,647.82
1248 fancy 1248 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 1,785.00 $1,785.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1045–1055 1047 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 11 1,050.00–1,100.00 $1,059.16 —
1000–1150 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 1,300.00–1,400.00 $1,336.51 —
1200 1200 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,700.00 $1,700.00 —
1200–1250 1240 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 5 1,325.00 $1,325.00 —
1210–1610 1310 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,600.00–1,650.00 $1,615.36 —

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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.