Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 7, 2023

1,679 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $194.39/cwt +13.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,306/hd at 672 lb · 152 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $224.99/cwt +7.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,306/hd at 580 lb · 152 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $201.35/cwt +15.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,262/hd at 627 lb · 138 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,679 1,511 4,643
Feeder cattle 1,564 1,397 4,531
Slaughter cattle 115 86 112
Replacement cattle 28

Compared with last Tuesday: Steers 300 to 400 lbs mostly steady, 400 to 500 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 higher, 500 to 600 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, 600 to 700 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 instances 10.00 to 12.00 higher, over 700 lbs mostly steady. Heifers under 500 lbs mostly steady, 500 to 700 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, over 700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter cows 1.00 to 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady to 1.00 lower. Trade and demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 3 302.50 $302.50 $908 +2.50
358 358 6 259.00 $259.00 $927 -31.00
440–444 443 13 255.00–260.00 $258.47 $1,145
450–498 489 38 256.00–258.00 $256.67 $1,255 +13.31
503 value added 503 7 243.00 $243.00 $1,222 +2.00
521–548 539 44 232.00–239.00 $236.49 $1,275 +6.24
561 value added 561 38 233.00–237.50 $236.32 $1,326
563–597 587 114 218.00–224.00 $221.21 $1,299 +4.66
618 fancy 618 17 221.00 $221.00 $1,366 +17.00
626–638 628 86 210.00–216.00 $214.65 $1,348 +25.74
675 value added 675 16 216.00 $216.00 $1,458
651–695 681 49 195.50–200.00 $198.01 $1,348 +9.80
740 740 51 188.50 $188.50 $1,395 +0.33
762–784 774 19 184.00–184.50 $184.23 $1,426 -0.96
914 914 7 177.50 $177.50 $1,622 +10.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 5 214.50 $214.50 $1,169

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 8 224.00 $224.00 $876 +7.00
435–446 442 13 214.00–215.00 $214.38 $948 +6.10
495 495 2 213.00 $213.00 $1,054
500–546 513 101 210.00–220.50 $217.36 $1,115 +9.44
557–596 579 51 192.50–203.00 $199.81 $1,157 +11.33
561–593 value added 586 36 207.00–208.00 $207.21 $1,214 +3.21
606–639 621 105 199.00–206.00 $203.49 $1,264 +17.61
641–648 646 33 190.00–196.00 $194.56 $1,257 +8.68
664–683 670 84 196.00–205.00 $199.06 $1,334 +18.23
651–687 674 68 187.50–190.00 $188.62 $1,271 +7.79
720 720 45 189.00 $189.00 $1,361 +13.00
712–741 731 55 176.00–179.00 $177.15 $1,295 +1.15
750–783 755 66 175.50–179.50 $178.87 $1,350 +4.87
758 758 15 184.00 $184.00 $1,395 +10.00
824–840 836 39 169.00–171.00 $170.55 $1,426 +10.16

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
725–1055 883 85-90% 3 64.00–72.00 $68.14 $602
1000 1000 85-90% 11 78.00 $78.00 $780
1037–1135 1084 85-90% 5 82.00–86.00 $83.80 $908 +19.87
940–1265 1091 85-90% 6 75.00–81.00 $77.96 $851 +14.03
1240 1240 85-90% 10 90.50 $90.50 $1,122
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1860 1490 75-80% 7 84.00–89.00 $87.56 $1,305
1329–1647 1492 75-80% 28 92.00–96.00 $94.56 $1,411
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1256 1156 80-85% 7 85.00–89.00 $87.24 $1,008
1100–1240 1186 80-85% 10 89.00–93.00 $89.98 $1,067
1255 1255 80-85% 2 99.00 $99.00 $1,242 +10.64
1185–1342 1316 80-85% 6 86.00–89.00 $88.55 $1,165

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1495–2100 1724 6 94.00–101.50 $98.43 $1,697
1520–2170 1845 2 95.00–101.00 $98.53 $1,818
1610–2170 1883 11 103.50–111.00 $105.82 $1,993

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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.