Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 20, 2022

814 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $177.44/cwt +6.44 vs last sale · ≈ $845/hd at 476 lb · 61 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $172.97/cwt +2.24 vs last sale · ≈ $995/hd at 575 lb · 54 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $201.47/cwt -3.53 vs last sale · ≈ $979/hd at 486 lb · 54 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 814 612 816
Feeder cattle 664 524 739
Slaughter cattle 150 78 77
Replacement cattle 10

Compared with last Tuesday: Steer calve's under 500 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, 500 to 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher over 600 lbs steady to 1.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers over 700 lbs steady to 1.00 higher. Heifer calves steady to 2.00 higher. Yearling feeder heifer's scarce. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady to 2.00 lower. Trade and demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–347 341 19 227.50–230.00 $228.13 $778 +5.13
363 thin fleshed 363 3 235.00 $235.00 $853
391 391 4 222.50 $222.50 $870 +7.51
407–437 429 28 208.00–215.00 $209.60 $899 +1.60
461–498 486 54 199.00–205.00 $201.47 $979 -3.53
513–545 525 50 189.00–192.00 $191.24 $1,004 +3.17
561 561 13 191.00–192.00 $191.62 $1,075 +4.51
610–643 unweaned 631 37 178.00–183.00 $181.86 $1,148 -1.37
651–655 unweaned 652 21 179.00–180.00 $179.14 $1,168 +3.32
659 659 22 180.00 $180.00 $1,186
730 730 3 177.00 $177.00 $1,292
732 unweaned 732 2 172.50 $172.50 $1,263
760 unweaned 760 2 170.00 $170.00 $1,292
913–917 917 44 160.00–163.25 $162.96 $1,494

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
331 331 10 200.00 $200.00 $662
351–397 388 27 190.00–197.50 $191.26 $742 -1.96
405–433 423 26 180.00–190.00 $184.00 $778 +1.51
452–493 476 61 172.50–181.00 $177.44 $845 +6.44
550–591 575 54 170.00–175.00 $172.97 $995 +2.24
612–617 unweaned 614 30 169.00–172.00 $170.79 $1,049 +1.78
675 unweaned 675 5 168.00 $168.00 $1,134 -0.94
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
527 527 6 167.50 $167.50 $883

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1755 1480 75-80% 14 76.50–81.00 $78.70 $1,165
1416–1602 1548 75-80% 14 81.50–84.25 $83.98 $1,300
1535–1720 1628 75-80% 2 81.50–86.00 $83.88 $1,366
1632 1632 75-80% 10 79.00 $79.00 $1,289
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1250 1081 85-90% 9 63.00–67.00 $65.51 $708 -0.58
840–1290 1081 85-90% 19 68.00–71.00 $69.18 $748 +3.09
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1365 1302 80-85% 21 70.00–75.00 $72.97 $950
1140–1520 1330 80-85% 2 79.00–81.00 $79.86 $1,062

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1317–1671 1535 22 90.00–95.50 $94.67 $1,453
1400–1875 1702 6 92.00–98.00 $94.93 $1,616
1560–2095 1964 6 100.00–105.50 $102.27 $2,009 -1.21

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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.