Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 12, 2023

4,879 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $263.68/cwt +0.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,516/hd at 575 lb · 339 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $278.46/cwt -4.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,476/hd at 530 lb · 227 head

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $239.71/cwt -6.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,505/hd at 628 lb · 225 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	4,879	5,188	6,430
Feeder cattle	4,244	4,676	5,918
Slaughter cattle	458	316	512
Replacement cattle	177	196	0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was good. Feeder steers sold 1.00 to 8.00 higher across all weight brackets with instances of 4.00 lower on 500-550lb steers and 600-650lb steers. Feeder heifers under 400lbs sold 2.00 higher. Feeder heifers between 400-750lbs sold 1.00 to 7.00 lower and over 750lbs sold 2.00 higher. Slaughter cows of average dressing sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher across all weight classes. Slaughter bulls sold 1.00 higher. The next feeder calf and slaughter cow and bull sale will be next Tuesday December 19, 2023.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
355–399	386	58	320.00–332.00	$325.88	$1,258	-3.20
400–443	423	54	314.00–318.00	$316.66	$1,339	+7.14
462–496	482	144	305.00–312.00	$309.20	$1,490	+9.70
503–549	530	227	271.00–288.00	$278.46	$1,476	-4.87
555–599	575	339	254.00–268.00	$263.68	$1,516	+0.47
600–649	628	225	235.00–250.00	$239.71	$1,505	-6.67
655–697	673	145	225.00–237.50	$230.66	$1,552	-4.07
706–743	729	105	207.00–218.00	$213.08	$1,553	-2.39
763–799	787	21	201.00–205.00	$202.29	$1,592	-1.05

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
279	279	5	329.00	$329.00	$918	-12.00
285 fancy	285	2	347.50	$347.50	$990	—
410	410	3	332.50	$332.50	$1,363	+5.93
456–468	461	31	316.00–321.00	$317.37	$1,463	+2.63
519–527	521	38	290.00–294.00	$290.85	$1,515	-4.04
550–563	557	57	271.00–281.00	$275.61	$1,535	+3.76
604–643	620	111	252.50–263.50	$258.60	$1,603	-4.37
654–671	663	95	246.00–248.50	$247.14	$1,639	+0.77
705–738	719	74	220.00–230.00	$224.99	$1,618	+2.16
789	789	24	215.00	$215.00	$1,696	+0.50
830–839	839	51	212.00–216.10	$215.94	$1,812	+7.85

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
288	288	4	292.50	$292.50	$842	—
325–338	332	16	307.50	$307.50	$1,021	-5.29
360–399	388	16	302.00–318.00	$311.72	$1,209	-5.78
400–430	416	42	285.00–307.50	$296.89	$1,235	+23.73
470–495	489	77	267.50–297.50	$289.65	$1,416	+19.25
508–541	532	12	252.50–259.00	$256.11	$1,363	+4.77
564–593	586	57	231.00–248.00	$245.08	$1,436	+1.31
618–642	629	25	213.00–230.00	$220.66	$1,388	-9.70
664–699	687	53	187.00–223.00	$205.38	$1,411	-8.83
725–746	730	82	201.00–204.00	$202.04	$1,475	+3.91
782	782	6	186.00	$186.00	$1,455	-4.00
823	823	2	176.00	$176.00	$1,448	—
903–908	905	6	178.00–185.00	$180.34	$1,632	+0.34

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
377	377	3	306.00	$306.00	$1,154	-9.00
430	430	3	267.00	$267.00	$1,148	-50.50
455–476	470	10	282.00–291.00	$288.38	$1,355	-4.62
507–536	520	20	261.00–272.00	$266.10	$1,384	—
605–636	624	8	231.00–235.00	$232.45	$1,450	+18.45
664	664	21	211.00	$211.00	$1,401	—
723	723	50	208.50	$208.50	$1,507	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
486–488	487	16	258.00–265.00	$261.06	$1,271	-1.84
540	540	3	246.00	$246.00	$1,328	+27.49
578	578	9	242.00	$242.00	$1,399	+3.00

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
560–598	567	22	222.50–235.00	$232.60	$1,319	+3.60

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
389	389	13	295.00	$295.00	$1,148	—
410–439	419	53	267.50–272.00	$268.37	$1,124	-1.63
454–493	481	156	240.00–252.50	$244.49	$1,176	-3.25
507–549	525	147	232.00–236.00	$233.82	$1,228	-2.88
560–596	573	106	222.00–227.00	$224.82	$1,288	-1.27
603–647	625	75	216.00–221.00	$218.51	$1,366	-0.29
665	665	2	209.00	$209.00	$1,390	-2.35

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
275–298	291	12	230.00–259.00	$239.05	$696	-11.95
313–339	327	15	261.00–270.00	$264.80	$866	-7.14
354–395	386	39	262.50–285.00	$272.17	$1,051	+9.76
408–445	436	75	242.50–261.00	$250.96	$1,094	+7.06
484–498	492	51	227.00–237.00	$233.84	$1,150	+3.70
510–549	536	121	215.00–230.00	$226.89	$1,216	+3.61
580–594	593	32	206.00–218.00	$215.77	$1,280	+2.98
600–644	633	113	201.00–215.00	$208.55	$1,320	+5.19
652–693	670	57	188.00–203.00	$195.02	$1,307	-2.91
779	779	5	176.00	$176.00	$1,371	—
820–825	823	5	165.00–175.00	$171.01	$1,407	—

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
350–383	377	31	297.00–307.00	$304.25	$1,147	+1.75
410–430	423	35	275.00–281.00	$278.64	$1,179	-0.79
513–517	515	49	240.00	$240.00	$1,236	-6.59
553 fancy	553	55	254.00	$254.00	$1,405	—
566–578	571	132	230.00–232.00	$230.41	$1,316	-3.59
631	631	14	223.00	$223.00	$1,407	-1.00
653–663	658	55	215.00–222.00	$220.59	$1,451	—
774	774	67	200.50	$200.50	$1,552	+1.87

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
300–320	313	6	242.50–245.00	$243.30	$762	—
470–475	473	14	230.00–236.00	$232.13	$1,098	-6.79
536–547	543	23	221.00–228.00	$223.40	$1,213	-14.60
577–593	586	10	211.00–217.50	$212.29	$1,244	+0.29
603	603	3	219.00	$219.00	$1,321	—

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
498	498	2	216.00	$216.00	$1,076	-5.00

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
740–1550	1103	85-90%	61	64.00–85.00	$77.57	$856	-14.77
930–1285	1172	85-90%	230	83.00–90.00	$87.81	$1,029	+1.72
1060–1575	1260	85-90%	13	91.00–96.00	$92.67	$1,168	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1286–1448	1334	80-85%	12	92.00–94.00	$93.03	$1,241	—
1290–1470	1385	80-85%	16	69.00–86.00	$82.40	$1,141	+0.17
1305–1495	1385	80-85%	76	86.00–91.00	$88.87	$1,231	+6.64

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1500–1605	1542	75-80%	3	86.00–93.00	$89.09	$1,374	-3.02
1545	1545	75-80%	1	78.00	$78.00	$1,205	-14.11
1650	1650	75-80%	1	93.50	$93.50	$1,543	—

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
2055	2055	65-75%	1	96.00	$96.00	$1,973	—

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1125–2205	1728	20	101.00–110.00	$106.63	$1,843	—
1765–2125	1978	3	112.00–113.00	$112.70	$2,229	—
1890–2235	2063	2	96.00–100.00	$98.17	$2,025	—

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
735	735	(<2 yrs)	Open	1	146.00	$146.00	$1,073
850–1088	965	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	58	141.00–158.00	$144.71	$1,396

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
788	788	(<2 yrs)	Open	3	107.50	$107.50	$847
840–1260	1029	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	29	108.00–135.00	$116.32	$1,197

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
750–780	765	(<2 yrs)	Open	2	161.00–171.00	$165.90	$1,269
861–936	893	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	22	165.00–171.00	$168.63	$1,506

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1073–1235	1088	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	13	925.00–1,050.00	$1,030.22
1030–1175	1113	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	14	925.00–1,100.00	$1,009.81
1130	1130	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,075.00	$1,075.00
1145	1145	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	900.00	$900.00

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1070	1070	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,125.00	$1,125.00
1220	1220	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,125.00	$1,125.00
1245	1245	Young (2-4 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	1,300.00	$1,300.00
1200–1375	1288	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	1,150.00–1,350.00	$1,256.80
1290	1290	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	1,175.00	$1,175.00
1280–1410	1307	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	10	1,235.00–1,275.00	$1,247.58

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1075–1110	1093	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	1,650.00	$1,650.00
1115–1330	1223	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	1,425.00–1,650.00	$1,527.61
1403	1403	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	2	1,575.00	$1,575.00
1295–1565	1430	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	4	1,450.00	$1,450.00
1472	1472	Aged (>8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	3	1,425.00	$1,425.00
1500	1500	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,450.00	$1,450.00

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
690	690	(<2 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,110.00	$1,110.00

↑ 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.