Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 13, 2022

612 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $187.11/cwt +6.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,035/hd at 553 lb · 56 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $160.00/cwt ≈ $1,282/hd at 801 lb · 36 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.67/cwt +5.63 vs last sale · ≈ $903/hd at 523 lb · 28 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 612 894 0
Feeder cattle 524 486 0
Slaughter cattle 78 268 0
Replacement cattle 10 140 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

No trend available this week as the last covered auction was June 14, 2022. 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
346 346 3 223.00 $223.00 $772 —
376–393 385 11 212.50–217.50 $214.99 $828 +14.99
417–420 419 5 208.00 $208.00 $872 —
456 456 12 205.00 $205.00 $935 +24.00
504–538 517 25 185.00–190.00 $188.07 $972 +4.07
550–593 553 56 180.00–188.50 $187.11 $1,035 +12.11
600–640 unweaned 607 22 180.00–184.00 $183.23 $1,112 —
660–695 unweaned 666 17 175.00–176.00 $175.82 $1,171 —
764 764 12 177.50 $177.50 $1,356 +27.00
875–891 889 28 160.00–163.00 $160.32 $1,425 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
382–390 386 9 189.00–195.00 $193.22 $746 —
407–433 426 26 181.00–183.00 $182.49 $777 —
478 478 3 171.00 $171.00 $817 +5.00
518–527 523 28 169.00–175.00 $172.67 $903 +5.63
555–597 578 20 169.00–173.00 $170.73 $987 —
606–632 unweaned 625 15 165.00–173.50 $169.01 $1,056 —
654–687 unweaned 667 10 166.00–171.00 $168.94 $1,127 —
751 751 17 166.00 $166.00 $1,247 —
801 801 36 160.00 $160.00 $1,282 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
463–498 481 14 165.00–169.00 $167.07 $804 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1005 1000 85-90% 2 78.00–82.00 $80.01 $800 —
840–1350 1084 85-90% 9 62.00–69.00 $66.09 $716 —
970–1310 1184 85-90% 11 70.00–76.00 $73.82 $874 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1223–1350 1277 80-85% 9 78.00–84.00 $82.27 $1,051 +11.73
1195–1410 1293 80-85% 10 74.00–78.00 $76.15 $985 +5.61
1380 1380 80-85% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,242 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370–1410 1380 75-80% 4 80.00–83.00 $82.23 $1,135 —
1420–1587 1560 75-80% 14 86.00–89.00 $86.46 $1,349 +4.05

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1505–2310 1791 14 91.00–97.00 $94.90 $1,700 —
1720–2150 1951 4 101.00–108.00 $103.48 $2,019 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200 1200 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 3 1,575.00 $1,575.00 +75.00
1000–1280 1217 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 7 1,600.00–1,750.00 $1,704.81 +389.52

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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.