Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 21, 2023

989 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $182.04/cwt +6.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,487/hd at 817 lb · 73 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $176.00/cwt +2.06 vs last sale · ≈ $1,579/hd at 897 lb · 61 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $184.06/cwt +7.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,430/hd at 777 lb · 60 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 989 3,349 1,629
Feeder cattle 854 3,144 1,538
Slaughter cattle 120 182 91
Replacement cattle 15 23 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Steers under 500 lbs in a light test steady to 2.00 lower, 500 to 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. Heifers 400 to 500 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, 500 to 700 lbs steady to 2.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers 700 to 850 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 higher, over 850 lbs steady. Yearling feeder heifers mostly steady. Slaughter cows 1.00 to 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady. Trade and demand 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
359 359 10 247.00 $247.00 $887 —
428–446 442 49 245.00–248.00 $247.35 $1,093 -12.65
458–493 469 10 230.00 $230.00 $1,079 -7.14
503–534 530 39 218.00–219.00 $218.93 $1,160 -3.99
552 value added 552 7 222.50 $222.50 $1,228 —
576 576 16 211.00 $211.00 $1,215 -3.14
660–688 676 55 186.00–191.50 $189.75 $1,283 +1.48
708–713 712 36 185.00–187.00 $186.28 $1,326 +4.38
767–786 777 60 183.00–185.50 $184.06 $1,430 +7.99
816–830 817 73 177.00–182.50 $182.04 $1,487 +6.33
897 897 61 176.00 $176.00 $1,579 —
937 937 12 166.00 $166.00 $1,555 -5.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575–594 591 28 204.00–206.00 $205.72 $1,216 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
411–417 412 20 210.00–215.00 $214.49 $884 +7.64
480 480 2 209.00 $209.00 $1,003 +5.01
500–548 517 34 198.00–203.00 $200.46 $1,036 +6.66
557–564 563 20 180.00–183.00 $182.41 $1,027 -4.20
610 610 23 185.00 $185.00 $1,128 +1.04
663–687 683 27 174.50–175.00 $174.57 $1,192 +2.29
713–731 723 21 174.00–175.00 $174.42 $1,261 -0.77
751–755 752 13 174.00–175.00 $174.15 $1,310 —
814–815 814 8 163.00–164.00 $163.38 $1,330 +2.54
860 860 14 158.00 $158.00 $1,359 -4.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
503 503 6 198.00 $198.00 $996 —
696 696 9 173.00 $173.00 $1,204 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1277 1277 75-80% 2 84.50 $84.50 $1,079 —
1275–1560 1302 75-80% 34 85.50–89.00 $86.38 $1,125 —
1310–1657 1466 75-80% 7 92.00–96.50 $93.61 $1,372 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1141–1320 1156 80-85% 17 79.00–81.00 $80.43 $930 —
1213 1213 80-85% 4 89.00 $89.00 $1,080 —
1150–1505 1281 80-85% 11 83.00–88.00 $85.58 $1,096 +4.49
1270–1465 1368 80-85% 2 90.00–92.50 $91.34 $1,250 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
487–1285 927 85-90% 5 77.00–80.00 $77.83 $721 —
1015–1220 1088 85-90% 5 70.50–75.00 $71.92 $782 —
1065–1170 1118 85-90% 2 79.00–79.50 $79.26 $886 +8.24
1250 1250 85-90% 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,062 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470–1812 1620 8 97.00–101.00 $99.48 $1,612 —
1630–2095 1870 12 103.00–110.00 $106.06 $1,983 +6.83
2020 2020 1 117.50 $117.50 $2,374 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1075–1145 1117 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 10 1,285.00–1,350.00 $1,324.98 —
1175 1175 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 5 1,485.00 $1,485.00 —

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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.