Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report, La Junta, CO

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 29, 2022

4,580 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $186.82/cwt +8.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,072/hd at 574 lb · 392 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $181.61/cwt +10.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,231/hd at 678 lb · 387 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $186.13/cwt +5.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,162/hd at 624 lb · 380 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,580 1,016 3,375
Feeder cattle 4,188 691 2,966
Slaughter cattle 392 325 409

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with two weeks ago, Steer calves steady to 3.00 higher except for 500 to 600 lb preconditioned weaned calves 8.00 to 10.00 higher. Heifer calves under 500 lbs preconditioned and weaned for 45 days or longer 10.00 to 12.00 higher, over 500 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers steady to 2.00 higher. Yearling feeder heifers mostly steady. Demand good especially for preconditioned and calves weaned over 45 days or longer. Slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady. 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
320–343 333 14 233.00–236.00 $234.77 $782 —
371 fancy 371 18 243.00 $243.00 $902 —
410–447 418 61 214.00–235.00 $228.66 $956 +26.33
419 unweaned 419 22 215.00 $215.00 $901 —
450 fancy 450 4 227.00 $227.00 $1,022 —
468–484 477 55 211.00–220.00 $213.54 $1,019 +8.50
500–529 506 134 201.00–209.00 $207.15 $1,048 +13.15
513 value added 513 66 219.50 $219.50 $1,126 —
507–519 unweaned 514 40 187.00–196.00 $190.77 $981 +9.77
552–574 unweaned 565 111 180.50–185.00 $182.70 $1,032 +6.70
563–590 577 267 187.00–190.00 $187.69 $1,083 +6.91
588 value added 588 14 203.00 $203.00 $1,194 —
600–639 621 234 186.50–195.00 $191.05 $1,186 —
608–647 unweaned 630 146 172.00–181.00 $178.24 $1,123 +6.24
659–697 unweaned 670 197 167.00–178.00 $173.84 $1,165 +8.22
657–698 684 110 181.00–187.50 $183.49 $1,255 +6.73
686–690 value added 689 80 197.50–198.50 $198.15 $1,365 —
708 thin fleshed 708 10 185.00 $185.00 $1,310 —
711–728 720 63 170.00–179.00 $175.65 $1,265 +1.42
700–745 unweaned 721 114 164.00–168.00 $166.49 $1,200 —
814–822 818 21 172.00–178.00 $175.13 $1,433 —
913 913 59 171.50 $171.50 $1,566 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–376 366 25 203.00–213.00 $206.84 $757 +31.84
366–382 value added 375 27 219.00–225.00 $222.40 $834 —
400–418 fancy 410 30 201.00–205.00 $204.09 $837 —
411–422 415 28 191.00–199.00 $193.79 $804 +22.55
419 unweaned 419 7 190.00 $190.00 $796 —
451–465 value added 458 83 190.00–192.50 $191.22 $876 —
453–481 462 24 181.00–185.00 $182.54 $843 +20.35
466–495 unweaned 483 53 171.00–175.00 $173.32 $837 —
501–540 519 220 175.00–181.00 $176.28 $915 +11.22
506–547 unweaned 529 109 167.00–174.50 $169.89 $899 —
563–592 578 169 165.00–176.00 $170.04 $983 +4.90
567–597 unweaned 586 119 160.00–168.00 $164.91 $966 +6.91
600–647 620 102 170.00–174.50 $172.06 $1,067 +7.06
604–635 unweaned 622 180 160.00–167.50 $162.75 $1,012 +8.41
754 754 48 170.35 $170.35 $1,284 +4.35
808 808 35 158.75 $158.75 $1,283 -6.75
883 883 33 159.25 $159.25 $1,406 -0.75
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
506 506 40 165.00 $165.00 $835 —
589 589 18 157.00 $157.00 $925 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1383 1290 80-85% 55 64.00–71.00 $68.35 $882 +5.30
1070–1405 1301 80-85% 45 60.00–66.75 $63.87 $831 —
1100–1438 1345 80-85% 22 66.00–72.00 $68.34 $919 —
1262–1460 1359 80-85% 17 62.00–68.00 $65.93 $896 -1.61
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995 995 85-90% 7 67.00 $67.00 $667 —
1035–1073 1058 85-90% 5 57.00–61.00 $59.43 $629 +2.85
870–1345 1059 85-90% 17 54.00–60.00 $58.08 $615 +1.50
1000–1290 1083 85-90% 11 60.00–63.00 $61.03 $661 +4.45
940–1350 1122 85-90% 83 60.50–63.00 $61.34 $688 —
1310–1330 1323 85-90% 3 65.00–68.00 $66.68 $882 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290–1555 1424 75-80% 8 66.00–69.00 $67.77 $965 —
1320–1590 1494 75-80% 24 72.00–78.00 $73.35 $1,096 —
1515–1895 1744 75-80% 4 80.00–83.00 $82.11 $1,432 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1805–1980 1915 3 90.00–96.00 $93.43 $1,789 —
1670–2300 1919 14 84.00–89.00 $86.47 $1,659 —

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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.