Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 19, 2023

1,721 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $256.55/cwt +16.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,316/hd at 513 lb · 228 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $233.43/cwt +2.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,555/hd at 666 lb · 156 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $252.20/cwt -11.48 vs last sale · ≈ $1,496/hd at 593 lb · 146 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,721 4,879 1,486
Feeder cattle 1,400 4,244 1,277
Slaughter cattle 266 458 209
Replacement cattle 55 177 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was good. Feeder steers under 550lbs sold mostly 7.00 higher. Feeder steers over 550lbs sold 6.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 600lbs sold 5.00 to 8.00 higher while feeder heifers over 600lbs sold 5.00 lower. Slaughter cows of average dressing sold 2.00 lower across all weight classes and slaughter bulls of average dressing sold 1.00 lower. The next feeder calf and slaughter cow sale will be January 9, 2024.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473–492 487 11 300.00–309.00 $306.62 $1,493 -2.58
527–536 535 119 272.00–279.00 $272.73 $1,459 -5.73
588–597 593 146 252.00–252.50 $252.20 $1,496 -11.48
600–622 606 7 232.50–238.00 $234.11 $1,419 -5.60
653–670 666 156 230.00–236.50 $233.43 $1,555 +2.77
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 3 314.00 $314.00 $1,115 +2.28
415 415 13 309.00 $309.00 $1,282 +12.11
482 482 44 294.00 $294.00 $1,417 +4.35
540 540 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,296 -16.11
627 627 7 230.00 $230.00 $1,442 +9.34
662–695 675 21 200.00–221.00 $215.37 $1,454 +9.99
733 733 4 205.00 $205.00 $1,503 +2.96
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402 402 9 320.00 $320.00 $1,286 -12.50
470 470 2 323.00 $323.00 $1,518 +5.63
500–508 507 31 297.00–303.00 $297.64 $1,509 +6.79
558 558 9 270.00 $270.00 $1,507 -5.61
902 902 34 198.00 $198.00 $1,786 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
453 453 6 255.00 $255.00 $1,155 —
501–514 thin fleshed 506 177 256.00–259.50 $259.12 $1,311 —
518–542 537 51 244.00–248.50 $247.65 $1,330 +7.65
574–589 586 98 233.00–241.00 $234.78 $1,376 +4.37
656 656 17 216.00 $216.00 $1,417 -4.59
706–718 710 9 202.00–204.00 $202.67 $1,439 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
351–370 359 7 247.00–267.00 $258.17 $927 -14.00
418–429 420 93 242.00–261.00 $258.12 $1,084 +7.16
456 456 21 234.00 $234.00 $1,067 —
523 523 4 229.00 $229.00 $1,198 +2.11
620–648 634 26 202.00–215.00 $208.51 $1,322 -0.04
748 748 4 184.00 $184.00 $1,376 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 5 275.00 $275.00 $940 —
483 483 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,159 -4.49
518–545 531 12 230.00–236.00 $231.79 $1,231 -2.03
597 597 14 228.00 $228.00 $1,361 +3.18
649 649 9 217.00 $217.00 $1,408 -1.51
651 651 4 205.00 $205.00 $1,335 -4.00
870 870 24 177.50 $177.50 $1,544 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
503 503 17 235.00 $235.00 $1,182 —
555 555 11 233.00 $233.00 $1,293 +20.71
623 623 4 206.00 $206.00 $1,283 -13.00

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905 905 85-90% 1 100.00 $100.00 $905 —
790–1260 1057 85-90% 38 61.00–82.00 $77.36 $818 —
960–1220 1087 85-90% 7 90.00–94.00 $91.43 $994 —
900–1264 1186 85-90% 83 83.00–89.00 $86.58 $1,027 -1.23
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1440 1342 80-85% 5 77.00–84.00 $80.62 $1,082 -12.41
1289–1471 1367 80-85% 78 85.00–90.25 $88.56 $1,211 +6.16
1333–1480 1397 80-85% 7 91.00–94.00 $92.34 $1,290 +9.94
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1595 1531 75-80% 5 86.00–90.00 $87.97 $1,347 -1.12
1565 1565 75-80% 1 78.00 $78.00 $1,221 —
1515–1595 1566 75-80% 5 91.00–92.00 $91.30 $1,430 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–2110 1442 9 90.00–100.00 $97.16 $1,401 —
1110–2095 1719 16 101.00–109.50 $105.75 $1,818 -0.88
1760–1960 1880 3 111.00–128.00 $117.70 $2,213 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
820–1243 1182 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 13 132.50–142.50 $141.08 $1,668
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
883–1105 945 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 150.00–162.50 $159.05 $1,503
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1075 1075 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 122.50 $122.50 $1,317

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1270 1270 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00
1310 1310 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,385.00 $1,385.00
1185–1420 1327 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 1,200.00–1,400.00 $1,275.15
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
770 770 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 810.00 $810.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1023–1051 fancy 1047 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 19 2,075.00–2,100.00 $2,078.86
1100 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,600.00 $1,600.00

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
725 725 (<2 yrs)Open 1 1,150.00 $1,150.00 —

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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.