Cattle Market Pulse

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

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 31, 2023

3,107 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $187.53/cwt +2.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,263/hd at 673 lb · 301 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $189.78/cwt +6.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,004/hd at 529 lb · 288 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $195.53/cwt +5.77 vs last sale · ≈ $921/hd at 471 lb · 259 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,107 1,282 2,416
Feeder cattle 2,960 1,150 2,081
Slaughter cattle 147 74 335
Replacement cattle — 58 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Steer calves mostly steady. Heifer calves under 550 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 higher instances 10.00 higher on heifer calves under 500 lbs. Yearling feeder steers 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Yearling feeder heifers steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter cows 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Slaughter bulls mostly steady. Trade activity and demand good. Todays sale consisted mostly of calves weaned 45 days or longer in thin flesh condition.

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
368–376 371 20 265.00–272.00 $268.18 $995 +6.23
411–422 421 39 240.00–244.00 $243.70 $1,026 +0.57
452–474 value added 460 43 231.00–235.00 $233.41 $1,074 —
458–498 480 101 220.00–229.00 $224.84 $1,079 -8.16
501–539 518 238 211.00–221.75 $218.45 $1,132 +2.82
554–586 569 151 206.00–211.00 $208.29 $1,185 -3.47
602–627 606 128 200.00–206.00 $203.84 $1,235 +9.24
653–657 value added 654 58 192.00–197.50 $195.60 $1,279 —
654–689 678 243 180.00–188.25 $185.60 $1,258 +2.57
720–730 727 31 178.00–179.50 $179.12 $1,302 +2.54
757–787 769 71 175.00–179.00 $176.54 $1,358 +4.29
802 802 13 173.50 $173.50 $1,391 —
852–886 873 99 171.50–173.00 $172.36 $1,505 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
476 476 16 213.00 $213.00 $1,014 —
630–638 634 17 190.00–192.00 $191.05 $1,211 +3.05
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
371 371 22 248.00 $248.00 $920 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
321 321 3 230.00 $230.00 $738 +29.00
353–363 355 15 210.00–217.00 $211.43 $751 —
410–441 426 65 193.00–199.00 $196.18 $836 +9.83
409–441 fancy 433 38 201.00–210.00 $203.24 $880 —
455–496 471 259 189.00–199.00 $195.53 $921 +8.72
506–546 529 288 188.00–193.00 $189.78 $1,004 +6.22
563–598 584 100 177.00–187.00 $181.85 $1,062 +0.90
606–645 628 30 173.00–185.00 $178.02 $1,118 +6.49
650–670 659 90 172.50–181.00 $177.68 $1,171 +8.75
731–736 733 57 169.00–171.00 $170.19 $1,247 +0.19
747 747 70 166.00 $166.00 $1,240 —
876 876 56 173.25 $173.25 $1,518 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
486 486 16 202.00 $202.00 $982 —
511 511 13 190.00 $190.00 $971 —
574 574 36 188.00 $188.00 $1,079 —
600–634 622 29 170.50–175.00 $171.33 $1,066 —
700 700 8 172.50 $172.50 $1,208 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1142–1370 1171 80-85% 29 81.00–84.50 $82.01 $960 —
1115–1330 1260 80-85% 14 87.00–90.00 $87.91 $1,108 +10.58
1264–1280 1269 80-85% 13 86.00–87.00 $86.69 $1,100 +9.36
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1048 1036 85-90% 6 72.00–74.00 $73.35 $760 —
940–1270 1042 85-90% 6 65.00–69.00 $66.62 $694 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1398 1398 75-80% 5 91.00 $91.00 $1,272 —
1260–1640 1418 75-80% 6 85.00–89.00 $86.89 $1,232 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395 1395 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,507 —
1600–1635 1618 2 96.00 $96.00 $1,553 —
1640–1870 1755 2 96.00–97.00 $96.53 $1,694 +2.55
1595–1870 1810 8 97.00–103.50 $102.05 $1,847 —

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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.