Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 12, 2022

1,760 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $146.66/cwt -1.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,189/hd at 811 lb · 103 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $159.09/cwt ≈ $1,061/hd at 667 lb · 100 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.43/cwt ≈ $1,092/hd at 761 lb · 47 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,760 4,108 1,881
Feeder cattle 1,432 3,939 1,209
Slaughter cattle 206 149 260
Replacement cattle 122 20 412

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday feeder steer's under 650 lbs lightly tested, 650 to 700 lbs 1.00 to 2.00 lower, over 700 lbs steady to 2.00 lower. Feeder heifer's under 700 lbs lightly tested, 700 to 750 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 lower, over 750 lbs steady. Slaughter cow's steady to 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls mostly steady. Trade and demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 4 207.50 $207.50 $820 +0.50
416 416 22 199.00 $199.00 $828 -7.75
503–537 522 28 178.00–184.00 $180.48 $942 -11.92
562 562 22 175.00 $175.00 $984 -10.75
644 644 15 161.00 $161.00 $1,037 -17.45
651–686 667 100 158.50–161.00 $159.09 $1,061 —
701 701 4 156.00 $156.00 $1,094 —
751 751 9 147.00 $147.00 $1,104 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
607–641 621 19 170.00–172.00 $171.13 $1,063 -13.04
669 669 5 170.00 $170.00 $1,137 -1.87
720–727 725 8 164.50–166.00 $164.87 $1,195 -0.20
800–839 811 103 145.00–151.00 $146.66 $1,189 -1.34
861 861 10 140.50 $140.50 $1,210 -3.17
922 922 45 141.00 $141.00 $1,300 ±0.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
604–632 621 28 160.00–166.00 $163.71 $1,017 -9.01
725–744 739 43 142.50–144.00 $143.62 $1,061 -5.41
755–763 761 47 141.00–144.00 $143.43 $1,092 —
816 816 31 136.00 $136.00 $1,110 +2.93
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
541 541 6 154.00 $154.00 $833 —
615 615 7 149.00 $149.00 $916 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
110–135 122 3 210.00–225.00 $215.55 —
150–170 160 2 250.00–275.00 $263.28 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
100–115 110 5 225.00–325.00 $262.09 —
160 160 1 325.00 $325.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1301–1335 1304 75-80% 16 81.00–82.00 $81.87 $1,068 —
1345–1520 1428 75-80% 19 79.00–82.50 $81.51 $1,164 -1.95
1345–1670 1556 75-80% 32 82.00–87.00 $83.55 $1,300 —
1874 1874 75-80% 14 88.25 $88.25 $1,654 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1315 1212 80-85% 11 78.00–82.50 $79.73 $966 —
1103–1388 1225 80-85% 21 78.00–81.50 $79.89 $979 —
1080–1300 1228 80-85% 13 82.00–84.00 $82.55 $1,014 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1290 1045 85-90% 7 71.00–76.00 $73.42 $767 —
940–1250 1092 85-90% 5 61.00–68.00 $63.03 $688 -8.81
1125–1275 1218 85-90% 3 77.00–80.00 $78.03 $950 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1590–1980 1754 7 93.50–98.00 $95.56 $1,676 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1193–1427 1345 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 29 1,400.00–1,550.00 $1,465.25
1360 1360 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 1,100.00 $1,100.00
1502 1502 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 14 1,425.00 $1,425.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100–1300 1146 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 24 1,275.00–1,450.00 $1,337.20 —
1025–1284 1192 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 26 1,675.00–1,800.00 $1,746.99 —
1000–1487 1236 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 36 1,725.00–1,950.00 $1,782.20 —
1100–1400 1280 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 49 1,450.00–1,650.00 $1,533.41 —
1303–1370 fancy 1338 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 31 2,075.00–2,225.00 $2,145.70 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
985 985 (<2 yrs)Open 10 2,050.00 $2,050.00 —
1200 fancy 1200 (<2 yrs)Open 9 2,500.00 $2,500.00 —

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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.