Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 3, 2024

757 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $232.11/cwt ≈ $1,706/hd at 735 lb · 70 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $246.00/cwt ≈ $1,633/hd at 664 lb · 60 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $245.69/cwt +10.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,545/hd at 629 lb · 55 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 757 1,374 0
Feeder cattle 535 837 0
Slaughter cattle 203 230 0
Replacement cattle 19 307 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was good. Feeder steers sold 9.00 to 14.00 higher across all weight classes. Feeder heifers under 450lbs sold 9.00 lower. Feeder heifers between 450 and 550lbs sold up to 16.00 lower and feeder heifers over 550lbs sold 8.00 to 19.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady. The next feeder calf and slaughter cow sale will be next Tuesday September 10, 2024.

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
272 272 5 361.00 $361.00 $982 -19.00
373–378 376 5 352.50 $352.50 $1,325 -3.80
403 403 6 340.00 $340.00 $1,370 +13.46
457–469 460 28 320.00–325.00 $323.54 $1,488 +8.37
507–538 525 8 270.00–287.50 $281.33 $1,477 -8.71
587–590 589 26 278.00 $278.00 $1,637 +13.41
607 607 11 280.00 $280.00 $1,700 +9.63
678–697 692 53 249.00–261.75 $258.75 $1,791 -0.51
760–790 763 20 235.00–244.50 $243.52 $1,858 +6.02
814 814 19 237.50 $237.50 $1,933 —
940 940 3 219.00 $219.00 $2,059 -0.50
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
513–527 517 20 271.00–275.00 $272.02 $1,406 —
583 583 2 278.00 $278.00 $1,621 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
399 399 5 332.50 $332.50 $1,327 —
479–486 483 10 242.50–265.00 $253.83 $1,226 -42.83
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
235 235 1 975.00 $975.00 +71.74

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
384 384 4 325.00 $325.00 $1,248 +8.64
406–436 431 22 288.00–297.50 $289.63 $1,248 +8.06
485 485 3 256.00 $256.00 $1,242 -15.73
504 504 5 257.00 $257.00 $1,295 -16.00
561 561 6 255.00 $255.00 $1,431 +7.48
613–640 629 55 235.00–247.50 $245.69 $1,545 +18.19
664 664 60 246.00 $246.00 $1,633 —
723–736 735 70 228.50–232.50 $232.11 $1,706 —
771–785 777 22 219.50–225.00 $222.48 $1,729 -3.52
840 840 4 217.50 $217.50 $1,827 —
865 865 5 206.00 $206.00 $1,782 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508–542 534 16 255.00–260.00 $258.81 $1,382 —
593 593 8 251.00 $251.00 $1,488 —
724 724 4 225.00 $225.00 $1,629 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 3 265.00 $265.00 $1,174 +9.00
458 458 2 235.00 $235.00 $1,076 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
795 795 4 222.50 $222.50 $1,769 —
825 825 4 196.00 $196.00 $1,617 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1105 1090 85-90% 2 97.00–107.00 $102.07 $1,113 -13.49
975–1280 1106 85-90% 126 110.00–119.00 $117.15 $1,296 —
1025–1285 1190 85-90% 16 123.00–133.00 $127.70 $1,520 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1445 1359 80-85% 4 110.00–118.00 $113.68 $1,545 -15.78
1295–1470 1373 80-85% 16 123.00–143.00 $132.99 $1,826 +3.53
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1515 1515 75-80% 1 128.00 $128.00 $1,939 +29.00
1675–1695 1687 75-80% 3 135.00–136.00 $135.67 $2,289 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1740 1740 65-75% 1 139.00 $139.00 $2,419 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1031–2275 1450 23 141.00–170.00 $157.61 $2,285 —
1000–1750 1478 4 126.00–136.00 $132.34 $1,956 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1188 1188 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 156.00 $156.00 $1,853

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
965 965 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,875.00 $1,875.00
1031 1031 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 2,100.00 $2,100.00
1210 1210 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00
1310 1310 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,725.00 $1,725.00
1315 1315 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00
1315 1315 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,200.00 $2,200.00
1350 1350 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
1470 1470 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,150.00 $2,150.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
960 960 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,375.00 $1,375.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1262 1262 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 3,050.00 $3,050.00 +765.97

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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.