Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 4, 2023

3,486 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $191.26/cwt +4.48 vs last sale · ≈ $1,309/hd at 684 lb · 203 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $215.69/cwt ≈ $1,249/hd at 579 lb · 191 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $204.91/cwt +7.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,268/hd at 619 lb · 174 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,486 1,384 4,088
Feeder cattle 3,387 1,230 3,939
Slaughter cattle 99 129 149
Replacement cattle — 25 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: Feeder steers under 700 lbs steady to 5.00 higher full advance on 600 to 700 lbs, over 700 lbs steady to 5.00 higher advance over 800 lbs. Feeder heifers under 400 lbs scarce, 400 to 700 lbs 10.00 to 15.00 higher, over 700 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher advance on lean cows. Slaughter bulls 2.00 higher. Trade and 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
330 330 5 301.00 $301.00 $993 —
385–397 392 16 286.00–292.00 $288.58 $1,131 —
403–418 409 18 274.00–278.00 $275.91 $1,128 —
450–498 468 37 268.00–277.00 $272.83 $1,277 —
507 thin fleshed 507 7 268.00 $268.00 $1,359 —
506–547 530 89 250.00–259.00 $254.47 $1,349 -6.46
550–594 572 83 234.00–246.00 $241.82 $1,383 -5.18
626–631 627 29 213.00–217.00 $216.17 $1,355 -2.77
641–645 thin fleshed 643 42 221.00–226.00 $223.14 $1,435 —
662 thin fleshed 662 14 215.00 $215.00 $1,423 —
662–696 680 15 201.00–202.00 $201.27 $1,369 +10.91
720–745 736 81 201.00–204.00 $201.65 $1,484 +9.93
754–759 755 21 200.00–202.00 $201.43 $1,521 —
806 806 8 190.00 $190.00 $1,531 +3.10
850 850 46 186.50 $186.50 $1,585 +10.22
900 900 36 179.00 $179.00 $1,611 +6.50
976 976 27 169.50 $169.50 $1,654 —
1070 1070 10 163.00 $163.00 $1,744 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 5 278.00 $278.00 $1,056 —
400–410 405 21 262.50–269.00 $264.27 $1,070 -5.73
456–488 482 25 260.00–264.00 $263.24 $1,269 -3.76
511–542 526 67 241.00–245.00 $242.92 $1,278 —
624–642 638 24 201.50–207.00 $202.85 $1,294 —
700–701 700 26 188.00–189.00 $188.35 $1,318 —
750–790 776 45 181.00–188.00 $184.14 $1,429 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
519 519 21 241.00 $241.00 $1,251 —
624 624 27 210.00 $210.00 $1,310 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
635 635 7 208.00 $208.00 $1,321 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
638 638 4 207.00 $207.00 $1,321 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 fancy 353 3 270.00 $270.00 $953 —
350–381 370 23 259.00–267.00 $261.43 $967 —
423–442 431 18 238.00–246.00 $242.51 $1,045 +30.69
454–498 475 89 225.00–235.00 $230.21 $1,093 —
456–494 thin fleshed 479 40 240.00–241.00 $240.62 $1,153 —
500–537 519 70 216.00–226.00 $221.92 $1,152 +13.20
520–540 fancy 530 14 228.00–232.00 $229.96 $1,219 —
552 thin fleshed 552 39 227.00 $227.00 $1,253 —
560–597 586 152 206.00–216.50 $212.79 $1,247 —
605 fancy 605 26 213.00 $213.00 $1,289 —
600–645 621 148 200.50–209.00 $203.49 $1,264 +6.92
677 value added 677 17 201.00 $201.00 $1,361 —
662–693 681 92 181.00–190.00 $185.44 $1,263 +0.91
668–691 fancy 689 94 195.00–197.00 $195.19 $1,345 —
715 fancy 715 34 191.00 $191.00 $1,366 —
703–730 717 85 178.00–185.00 $181.62 $1,302 -5.08
720 720 40 200.00 $200.00 $1,440 +13.30
752 fancy 752 26 188.00 $188.00 $1,414 —
757–765 762 45 177.50–179.00 $178.17 $1,358 -2.57
802 802 4 171.50 $171.50 $1,375 -2.50
855 855 4 167.00 $167.00 $1,428 +4.02
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466–480 472 33 214.00–220.00 $217.78 $1,028 —
522 522 20 213.00 $213.00 $1,112 —
552–560 554 25 200.00–201.00 $200.24 $1,109 —
600–632 615 45 193.00–198.00 $194.69 $1,197 +11.52

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1630 1377 75-80% 32 98.00–104.00 $98.62 $1,358 —
1350–1620 1492 75-80% 5 92.00–95.00 $93.65 $1,397 —
1690 1690 75-80% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,791 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1475 1187 80-85% 5 90.00–93.00 $91.62 $1,088 +2.30
1157–1255 1194 80-85% 4 100.00–102.00 $100.53 $1,200 +11.21
1250–1363 1285 80-85% 11 97.00–99.50 $97.91 $1,258 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1205 959 85-90% 5 67.00–76.00 $71.91 $690 —
1015–1205 1110 85-90% 2 80.00–83.00 $81.63 $906 —
1050–1170 1110 85-90% 2 87.00–90.00 $88.58 $983 —
1150–1190 1174 85-90% 5 91.00–93.00 $91.78 $1,077 +7.81

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1640–2145 1852 10 105.00–114.50 $108.09 $2,002 +12.03
1565–2125 1873 4 101.50–104.00 $103.13 $1,932 +7.07
2040–2045 2043 2 121.00–123.50 $122.25 $2,498 —

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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.