Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 21, 2023

1,264 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $237.96/cwt ≈ $1,245/hd at 523 lb · 49 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 2 heifers $219.39/cwt ≈ $1,244/hd at 567 lb · 46 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $274.86/cwt ≈ $1,432/hd at 521 lb · 43 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,264 1,272 1,016
Feeder cattle 704 498 691
Slaughter cattle 384 636 325
Replacement cattle 176 138 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was moderate. There was no trend activity due to lack of comparable trades. This is the first regular Tuesday sale of the season with all feeder sales being solely on Tuesdays from now on. The next sale will be next Tuesday November 28, 2023.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 2 292.50 $292.50 $921 —
365 365 1 307.50 $307.50 $1,122 -13.50
479 479 7 275.00 $275.00 $1,317 +18.00
549 549 15 237.00 $237.00 $1,301 —
555–588 576 40 221.00–243.00 $234.22 $1,349 —
606–632 612 40 224.00–233.00 $227.73 $1,394 +5.39
655–696 667 33 216.00–223.00 $220.99 $1,474 —
753–760 758 13 192.50–210.00 $205.99 $1,561 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–449 446 16 310.00 $310.00 $1,383 —
500–534 521 43 272.50–281.00 $274.86 $1,432 —
607–618 614 37 236.00–237.50 $236.60 $1,453 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
523 523 5 255.00 $255.00 $1,334 —
661–674 669 18 227.00 $227.00 $1,519 —
700 700 4 213.00 $213.00 $1,491 —
845 845 7 188.00 $188.00 $1,589 -22.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 5 270.00 $270.00 $932 —
363–390 382 7 245.00–255.00 $252.29 $964 —
425–441 436 11 227.00–240.00 $237.48 $1,035 —
483 483 5 225.00 $225.00 $1,087 —
515–516 516 17 221.00–222.50 $221.18 $1,141 —
554–584 567 46 212.50–220.00 $219.39 $1,244 —
602–634 623 14 202.00–215.50 $210.07 $1,309 —
657–682 667 23 180.50–202.50 $191.58 $1,278 —
708 708 3 182.50 $182.50 $1,292 -6.50
757 757 6 170.00 $170.00 $1,287 -21.74
857–874 866 32 170.00–179.00 $176.08 $1,525 +5.08
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–433 428 10 250.00–252.00 $251.62 $1,077 —
457–472 467 6 247.50–250.00 $249.18 $1,164 —
513–527 523 49 235.00–238.50 $237.96 $1,245 —
571 571 10 222.00 $222.00 $1,268 —
638 638 16 220.00 $220.00 $1,404 —
818 818 8 180.00 $180.00 $1,472 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
718 718 5 215.00 $215.00 $1,544 —
753 753 2 195.00 $195.00 $1,468 —
813 813 5 193.00 $193.00 $1,569 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,125 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
933–1230 1046 85-90% 6 93.00–99.00 $96.32 $1,008 —
1043–1065 1050 85-90% 4 51.00–60.00 $53.53 $562 -7.91
800–1285 1094 85-90% 95 61.00–83.00 $77.71 $850 +16.27
1020–1285 1190 85-90% 117 84.00–90.00 $85.97 $1,023 -2.15
1190 1190 85-90% 1 107.50 $107.50 $1,279 +19.38
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1475 1296 80-85% 30 86.00–91.00 $89.26 $1,157 —
1245–1485 1338 80-85% 53 71.00–85.50 $82.11 $1,099 -7.26
1395 1395 80-85% 1 66.00 $66.00 $921 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1715 1540 75-80% 22 86.00–91.00 $86.82 $1,337 —
1650–1705 1687 75-80% 3 96.00–99.00 $98.02 $1,654 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1475–1825 1675 5 94.00–96.00 $95.25 $1,595 —
1355–1920 1706 7 100.00–108.00 $104.41 $1,781 -2.71
1860–2045 1943 3 115.00–117.00 $115.66 $2,247 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
810–850 830 (<2 yrs)Open 2 130.00–140.00 $135.12 $1,121
925–1125 1034 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 58 120.00–147.50 $133.88 $1,384
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
853 853 (<2 yrs)Open 14 161.00 $161.00 $1,373
935–1030 958 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 15 150.00–166.00 $161.68 $1,549
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
800–865 835 (<2 yrs)Open 4 107.50–112.50 $109.99 $918
953–1090 997 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 9 112.50–119.00 $117.73 $1,174

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1117–1500 1242 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,125.00–1,400.00 $1,211.37
1333–1510 1378 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 12 1,100.00–1,350.00 $1,178.51
1260–1700 1408 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 23 1,125.00–1,450.00 $1,239.06
1285–1750 1425 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 1,150.00–1,460.00 $1,250.65
1565 1565 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,360.00 $1,360.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
885–925 905 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 825.00–975.00 $901.66
1036–1230 1103 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 875.00–950.00 $913.42
1103 1103 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 850.00 $850.00
1160–1280 1220 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 850.00–925.00 $885.66
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1048 1048 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,535.00 $1,535.00
1345 1345 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,475.00 $1,475.00
1655 1655 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1155 1155 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —
1415 1415 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,875.00 $1,875.00 —
1530 1530 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,400.00 $2,400.00 —

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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.