Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 31, 2023

1,215 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $229.17/cwt -9.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,671/hd at 729 lb · 37 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $226.42/cwt -14.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,782/hd at 787 lb · 36 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $227.00/cwt -3.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,573/hd at 693 lb · 28 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,215 1,741 1,531
Feeder cattle 553 1,118 994
Slaughter cattle 412 418 537
Replacement cattle 250 205 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, trade activity and demand for feeder cattle was too thin to test for an accurate trend. Slaughter cows were steady to 1.75 higher. Slaughter bulls sold steady to good. The next slaughter cow and bull sale and replacement sale will be next Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

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
713–740 729 37 227.00–230.00 $229.17 $1,671 -9.83
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
553 553 2 248.00 $248.00 $1,371 +5.47
605–641 625 18 217.50–234.00 $226.65 $1,417 -8.73
650 650 5 220.00 $220.00 $1,430 -13.35
910 910 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,774 -12.96
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
623 623 4 212.50 $212.50 $1,324 -20.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
693 693 28 227.00 $227.00 $1,573 -3.00
730 730 3 230.00 $230.00 $1,679 -2.50
787–788 787 36 220.00–227.00 $226.42 $1,782 -14.08
828 828 8 226.00 $226.00 $1,871 -14.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
652 652 6 220.00 $220.00 $1,434 —
869 869 20 209.00 $209.00 $1,816 +1.78
968 968 19 196.00 $196.00 $1,897 -9.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
272 272 3 247.50 $247.50 $673 —
490 490 2 236.00 $236.00 $1,156 +6.79
520 520 2 217.50 $217.50 $1,131 -16.90
909 909 9 189.00 $189.00 $1,718 -0.98
955–986 965 16 179.00–181.00 $180.36 $1,740 —
1070 1070 1 172.50 $172.50 $1,846 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 5 235.00 $235.00 $1,375 —
725 725 3 207.50 $207.50 $1,504 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481 481 4 236.00 $236.00 $1,135 —
660 660 3 197.50 $197.50 $1,304 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
908 908 6 142.50 $142.50 $1,294 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1260 1007 85-90% 19 99.00–125.00 $108.77 $1,095 —
825–1333 1121 85-90% 120 67.00–97.00 $86.24 $967 —
923–1333 1152 85-90% 97 84.00–99.00 $89.57 $1,032 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255–1485 1348 80-85% 9 106.00–113.00 $109.15 $1,471 —
1285–1490 1357 80-85% 9 79.00–89.00 $85.29 $1,157 —
1270–1495 1363 80-85% 56 90.00–103.00 $94.57 $1,289 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1575 1538 75-80% 5 94.00–98.00 $96.42 $1,483 -0.86
1563–1580 1569 75-80% 3 87.00–89.00 $87.67 $1,376 —
1552–1775 1592 75-80% 13 106.00–119.00 $110.10 $1,753 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1012–2210 1750 14 112.00–127.00 $120.88 $2,115 —
1672–1915 1776 4 92.50–99.00 $95.58 $1,698 —
1535–2045 1783 6 100.00–109.00 $105.45 $1,880 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
955 955 (<2 yrs)Open 1 167.00 $167.00 $1,595
875–1135 979 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 111.00–176.00 $145.86 $1,428

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
958–1065 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 1,075.00–1,725.00 $1,466.89
938–1410 1062 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 14 1,600.00–2,000.00 $1,864.81
1152 1152 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 1,475.00 $1,475.00
985–1255 1174 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,650.00–1,825.00 $1,781.69
1060–1585 1185 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 17 1,200.00–1,850.00 $1,431.75
1058–1420 1289 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 80 1,125.00–2,450.00 $1,879.67
1292–1365 1321 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 11 1,250.00–1,475.00 $1,327.01
1000–1498 1347 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 30 1,450.00–2,350.00 $2,132.26
1373–1401 1392 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,400.00–1,450.00 $1,433.56
1395 1395 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1033 1033 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,050.00 $1,050.00
955–1075 1058 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 1,100.00–1,550.00 $1,158.04
1122 1122 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 7 1,250.00 $1,250.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
960 960 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00
1155 1155 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00

↑ Back to top

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.