Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 2, 2023

1,815 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $242.04/cwt +34.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,345/hd at 556 lb · 207 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $213.52/cwt +14.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,315/hd at 616 lb · 135 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $241.15/cwt +7.95 vs last sale · ≈ $1,469/hd at 609 lb · 112 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,815 1,050 1,337
Feeder cattle 1,626 567 1,189
Slaughter cattle 189 218 148
Replacement cattle — 265 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Tuesday: No trend is available this week due to the lack of receipts from the prior week, but a much higher undertone was noted. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady. Trade activity and demand was very good for calves with quality and 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
315 315 8 296.00 $296.00 $932 —
373–396 382 15 260.00–272.00 $267.47 $1,022 +7.47
423–424 424 8 260.00–265.00 $263.13 $1,116 +10.13
450–463 455 10 251.00–253.00 $252.19 $1,147 —
462 thin fleshed 462 15 268.00 $268.00 $1,238 —
503–518 fancy 509 31 261.00–266.00 $264.11 $1,344 —
572 fancy 572 23 264.00 $264.00 $1,510 —
563–595 580 37 250.00–259.00 $253.01 $1,467 +9.01
603–608 thin fleshed 607 101 241.75–243.00 $241.89 $1,468 —
613–633 628 11 233.00–238.00 $234.33 $1,472 +8.33
665 value added 665 25 240.00 $240.00 $1,596 —
665–684 678 40 221.00–227.50 $225.43 $1,528 +14.39
678 fancy 678 15 235.00 $235.00 $1,593 —
713–739 734 33 201.00–205.50 $204.71 $1,503 -1.29
805–845 819 25 190.00–195.00 $192.56 $1,577 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 6 247.50 $247.50 $1,114 +16.50
521–546 533 22 245.00–252.50 $248.15 $1,323 +22.15
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 19 212.00 $212.00 $848 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
222 222 5 800.00 $800.00 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 8 299.00 $299.00 $762 —
359–385 366 7 243.00–245.00 $244.40 $895 —
444 fancy 444 32 266.00 $266.00 $1,181 —
458–460 459 29 240.00–244.00 $241.10 $1,107 —
485 value added 485 50 260.00 $260.00 $1,261 —
502–525 520 67 236.00–243.00 $241.26 $1,255 +26.18
553 553 22 232.00 $232.00 $1,283 —
552–566 value added 556 185 241.00–244.00 $243.23 $1,352 —
610–634 616 135 206.00–215.75 $213.52 $1,315 +14.41
655 655 22 207.00–209.00 $207.91 $1,362 —
713–740 730 35 189.00–194.00 $190.56 $1,391 +2.56
809 809 5 182.50 $182.50 $1,476 —
911 911 7 177.00 $177.00 $1,612 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
463–479 474 22 227.00–235.00 $230.41 $1,092 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 17 213.00 $213.00 $895 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,080 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1335 1099 80-85% 7 84.00–89.00 $87.40 $961 —
1005–1280 1163 80-85% 15 91.00–93.00 $92.63 $1,077 —
1275–1345 1310 80-85% 2 100.00–106.00 $103.08 $1,350 —
1190–1363 1316 80-85% 27 91.00–95.00 $94.19 $1,240 +1.24
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1315–1340 1319 75-80% 6 103.00–105.00 $103.34 $1,363 —
1250–1775 1467 75-80% 38 92.00–99.00 $96.29 $1,413 +10.80
1348–2115 1689 75-80% 5 87.00–92.00 $89.33 $1,509 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835 835 85-90% 1 78.00 $78.00 $651 —
915–1090 1003 85-90% 2 92.00–95.00 $93.37 $937 +21.84
950–1075 1013 85-90% 2 67.00–73.00 $69.81 $707 -1.72
1125–1220 1160 85-90% 3 85.00–91.00 $88.07 $1,022 +3.30
1162 1162 85-90% 11 92.00 $92.00 $1,069 +7.23

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1298–1845 1662 5 94.00–103.00 $99.61 $1,656 —
1795–2000 1891 5 108.00–116.00 $110.13 $2,083 —
1890–2325 2163 3 118.50–125.00 $123.11 $2,663 —

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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.