Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 21, 2023

1,331 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $237.84/cwt +0.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,403/hd at 590 lb · 31 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $278.26/cwt -1.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,319/hd at 474 lb · 30 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $184.50/cwt -0.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,437/hd at 779 lb · 26 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,331 5,953 774
Feeder cattle 468 5,842 702
Slaughter cattle 155 111 34
Replacement cattle 708 — 38

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Today's sale consisted mostly of bred cows and pairs. Feeder steers and heifers to lightly tested for a comparison. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher advance on breakers and boners. Slaughter bulls mostly steady on the kind offered. Trade and demand moderate to good for calves, good for bred cows and pairs.

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
313–327 319 5 280.00–286.00 $282.46 $901 —
382 fancy 382 5 297.50 $297.50 $1,136 —
386 386 8 284.00 $284.00 $1,096 -8.00
441 441 12 280.00 $280.00 $1,235 +9.34
456–495 474 30 275.00–286.00 $278.26 $1,319 +7.64
556–595 590 31 236.00–239.00 $237.84 $1,403 +2.55
600–617 607 5 216.00–223.00 $220.15 $1,336 -1.72
765–780 779 26 184.50 $184.50 $1,437 -0.16
809 809 8 182.00 $182.00 $1,472 +1.49
866 866 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,516 -2.18

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316 316 7 226.00 $226.00 $714 —
412 412 20 215.00 $215.00 $886 -17.91
475–488 483 25 205.00–210.00 $207.24 $1,001 -24.78
510–546 537 17 196.00–203.00 $198.06 $1,064 -19.15
630 630 12 187.50 $187.50 $1,181 -6.47
653 653 3 180.00 $180.00 $1,175 +0.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421–443 431 20 200.00–207.50 $203.95 $879 —
590 590 6 182.50 $182.50 $1,077 —
604–637 612 8 180.00–181.00 $180.74 $1,106 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1587 1425 75-80% 4 85.00–87.00 $86.11 $1,227 —
1300–1755 1428 75-80% 41 92.50–98.00 $96.23 $1,374 —
1390–1531 1465 75-80% 19 99.00–101.00 $99.63 $1,460 +4.42
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1370 1215 80-85% 12 90.00–95.00 $92.39 $1,123 +8.33
1106–1405 1232 80-85% 13 80.00–88.00 $86.14 $1,061 +2.08
1270–1450 1356 80-85% 4 96.00–98.00 $96.71 $1,311 +0.71
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–970 902 85-90% 3 76.00–81.00 $78.82 $711 —
850–1160 1010 85-90% 3 68.00–75.00 $71.50 $722 —
1055–1155 1117 85-90% 6 82.00–88.00 $85.58 $956 +2.58

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1465–2055 1775 8 99.00–105.00 $101.16 $1,796 —
1640–1965 1813 6 95.00–100.00 $98.05 $1,778 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1114–1415 1215 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 25 1,200.00–1,350.00 $1,294.65
1110–1453 1275 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 110 1,850.00–1,960.00 $1,914.73
1228–1353 1277 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 14 1,650.00–1,700.00 $1,661.35
1140–1455 fancy 1289 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 48 2,000.00–2,050.00 $2,013.98
1340–1547 1422 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 33 1,850.00–1,950.00 $1,882.96
1345–1485 1437 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 39 1,400.00–1,650.00 $1,516.46
1358–1589 1513 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 16 1,675.00–1,750.00 $1,687.62
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1407–1658 1528 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 41 1,550.00–1,700.00 $1,634.69

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1053–1145 1096 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 28 2,000.00–2,100.00 $2,048.52

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200–1275 1227 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 23 1,525.00–1,650.00 $1,576.86 —
1230 1230 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 14 1,700.00 $1,700.00 —
1150–1350 1261 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 27 1,925.00–2,025.00 $1,996.22 —
1175–1325 1270 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 57 2,200.00–2,300.00 $2,257.60 —
1275 fancy 1275 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 10 2,200.00 $2,200.00 —
1280 1280 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 18 2,300.00 $2,300.00 —
1361 fancy 1361 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 19 2,525.00 $2,525.00 —

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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.