Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 19, 2022

920 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $149.66/cwt +6.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,069/hd at 714 lb · 113 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $152.74/cwt +5.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,182/hd at 774 lb · 68 head
light 8-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $126.00/cwt ≈ $1,053/hd at 836 lb · 48 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 920 1,760 807
Feeder cattle 756 1,432 617
Slaughter cattle 164 206 190
Replacement cattle — 122 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steer's and heifer's under 700 lbs lightly tested, over 700 lbs in a light test mostly steady. Slaughter cows and bull's steady. Trade and demand moderate.

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
540 540 12 190.00 $190.00 $1,026 —
550–566 554 25 180.00–184.00 $183.02 $1,014 —
664–669 668 39 164.00–168.00 $167.29 $1,117 -2.71
906–916 914 36 139.00–141.50 $141.09 $1,290 +0.09
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
612–635 627 19 165.00–168.00 $166.92 $1,047 +5.92
766–775 774 68 151.00–153.00 $152.74 $1,182 +5.74

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
714–715 714 113 148.00–150.50 $149.66 $1,069 +6.04
859 859 42 136.50 $136.50 $1,173 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
496 496 18 159.00 $159.00 $789 —
623–642 637 25 155.00–156.00 $155.73 $992 +6.73
817–841 836 48 126.00 $126.00 $1,053 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1410 1306 75-80% 6 81.00–84.00 $82.56 $1,078 +0.69
1359–1645 1529 75-80% 44 84.00–89.00 $87.00 $1,330 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1138–1346 1260 80-85% 21 78.00–82.00 $80.51 $1,014 —
1125–1400 1269 80-85% 20 83.00–87.50 $84.08 $1,067 —
1280 1280 80-85% 2 90.00 $90.00 $1,152 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1045 1030 85-90% 15 66.00–69.00 $68.80 $709 -4.62
995–1193 1144 85-90% 4 77.50–79.00 $77.83 $890 —
1015–1390 1213 85-90% 13 73.00–76.00 $74.73 $906 -3.30

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1700–2475 1990 4 95.00–102.50 $98.48 $1,960 —
1790–2280 1994 13 104.00–110.00 $105.51 $2,104 —
1885–2175 2018 4 111.00–112.50 $111.48 $2,250 —

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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.