Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 3, 2023

844 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $230.82/cwt -10.91 vs last sale · ≈ $2,103/hd at 911 lb · 60 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $245.86/cwt -9.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,522/hd at 619 lb · 41 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $238.00/cwt ≈ $1,821/hd at 765 lb · 34 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 844 1,752 1,772
Feeder cattle 701 1,490 1,539
Slaughter cattle 124 198 233
Replacement cattle 19 64 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, trade activity and demand moderate. Feeder stees under 500 lbs sold mostly unevenly steady, and over 500 lbs sold 10.00 to 16.00 lower with instances of sharply lower. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs sold sharply lower on a light test, over 600 lbs sold 6.00 lower. Average dressing slaughter cows sold 7.00 to 11.00 lower; slaughter bulls 14.00 lower. The next available report will be as receipts warrant coverage.

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
260 260 1 330.00 $330.00 $858 —
300–330 318 3 300.00–325.00 $309.54 $984 -14.92
416–422 418 5 296.00–301.00 $298.98 $1,250 +2.31
462–495 473 19 266.00–294.00 $288.14 $1,363 -2.79
528–536 532 26 260.00–266.00 $263.68 $1,403 -28.12
557–577 562 9 251.00–262.00 $257.83 $1,449 -24.17
637–642 638 13 260.00–267.00 $265.92 $1,697 —
682 682 14 258.00 $258.00 $1,760 —
716 716 18 254.00 $254.00 $1,819 +5.00
790 790 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,876 -15.54
885 885 7 234.00 $234.00 $2,071 —
900–919 911 60 230.50–232.50 $230.82 $2,103 -10.91
1065 1065 2 197.50 $197.50 $2,103 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
414 414 25 286.00 $286.00 $1,184 +2.17
477 477 3 264.00 $264.00 $1,259 -12.53
535–547 540 18 255.00–262.00 $259.24 $1,400 —
565–587 580 3 242.50–246.00 $244.86 $1,420 -22.32
612–627 619 41 241.00–251.00 $245.86 $1,522 -9.57
728–740 729 15 236.00–242.50 $236.44 $1,724 -6.39
875–890 883 2 217.50–224.00 $220.78 $1,949 —
910 910 10 229.50 $229.50 $2,088 -1.12
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 4 235.00 $235.00 $552 -60.00
360 360 1 283.00 $283.00 $1,019 +12.00
425–441 440 12 265.00–290.00 $287.99 $1,267 +15.49
635 635 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,476 -7.20
685 thin fleshed 685 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,593 —
710–746 742 10 212.50–227.50 $213.93 $1,587 -8.57
765 765 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,668 -8.76
810–840 834 5 197.50 $197.50 $1,647 -26.15
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
513 513 4 269.00 $269.00 $1,380 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
612 612 4 247.00 $247.00 $1,512 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 19 245.00 $245.00 $600 —
325–342 337 11 272.00–276.00 $273.05 $920 —
380 380 5 269.00 $269.00 $1,022 —
402–418 413 21 258.00–272.50 $263.56 $1,089 -20.44
470 470 3 261.00 $261.00 $1,227 -14.02
504–528 516 32 241.00–249.00 $244.68 $1,263 -16.42
575 575 1 233.00 $233.00 $1,340 -19.34
630 630 16 240.50 $240.50 $1,515 -5.50
660–675 674 16 222.50–236.00 $234.33 $1,579 —
723–730 725 18 231.00–236.00 $234.88 $1,703 —
765 765 34 238.00 $238.00 $1,821 —
837–840 837 20 230.00–232.50 $230.25 $1,927 -6.31
875 875 12 227.00 $227.00 $1,986 -6.17
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
216 216 2 211.00 $211.00 $456 —
375 375 1 231.00 $231.00 $866 -43.69
402 402 7 237.50 $237.50 $955 -28.66
480–490 488 4 221.00–241.00 $236.08 $1,152 -26.75
585 585 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,302 -23.50
639–645 640 31 237.50–239.00 $238.76 $1,528 -2.24
710 710 1 224.00 $224.00 $1,590 —
845 845 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,880 -7.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 231.00 $231.00 $936 -9.67
450 450 1 200.00 $200.00 $900 -42.50
515 515 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,094 —
605–647 621 27 227.50–231.00 $230.60 $1,432 +0.73
735 735 2 207.50 $207.50 $1,525 -22.50
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
521 521 8 241.00 $241.00 $1,256 —
850 850 6 228.00 $228.00 $1,938 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
332 332 2 260.00 $260.00 $863 —
620 620 2 224.00 $224.00 $1,389 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
984 984 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,722 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1450 1304 80-85% 33 92.00–108.00 $97.45 $1,271 -11.10
1320 1320 80-85% 1 86.00 $86.00 $1,135 -22.55
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1490–1695 1554 75-80% 6 96.00–116.00 $109.60 $1,703 -7.22
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1175 1076 85-90% 4 86.00–91.00 $88.69 $954 +1.05

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–2155 1660 2 127.00–128.00 $127.35 $2,114 —
1315–2215 1660 18 96.00–119.00 $105.53 $1,752 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1092 1092 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 2,125.00 $2,125.00
1015–1580 1298 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,675.00–2,000.00 $1,802.12
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1175 1175 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00
1445 1445 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00
1475 1475 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1090 1090 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1050 1050 (<2 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,010.00 $1,010.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1215 1215 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 2,600.00 $2,600.00 —

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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.