Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 12, 2024

524 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 $260.16/cwt ≈ $1,545/hd at 594 lb · 87 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $301.00/cwt -10.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,388/hd at 461 lb · 43 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $243.88/cwt -5.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,329/hd at 545 lb · 41 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 524 1,636 1,272
Feeder cattle 426 659 498
Slaughter cattle 87 717 636
Replacement cattle 11 260 138

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was moderate. Feeder steers and heifers were too light to test for an accurate trend. Breaker slaughter cows of average dressing sold 1.00 higher. Boner cows of average dressing sold 4.00 lower and lean cows sold 4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls of average dressing sold 5.00 lower. The next slaughter cow sale will be next Tuesday November 19, 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
307 307 7 345.00 $345.00 $1,059 +5.00
402–415 403 24 308.00–310.00 $308.17 $1,242 —
461 461 43 301.00 $301.00 $1,388 -10.00
564–596 594 87 260.00–263.00 $260.16 $1,545 —
698 698 5 236.00 $236.00 $1,647 +15.00
741–748 745 8 222.50–236.00 $229.22 $1,708 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
467 467 26 322.00 $322.00 $1,504 —
510 510 2 286.00 $286.00 $1,459 —
618 618 4 260.00 $260.00 $1,607 ±0.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 4 332.50 $332.50 $848 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
542 542 2 201.00 $201.00 $1,089 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 12 300.00 $300.00 $1,119 —
406 406 8 289.00 $289.00 $1,173 —
543–545 545 41 243.00–244.00 $243.88 $1,329 -5.32
550 550 2 245.00 $245.00 $1,348 +10.00
652–698 675 41 221.00–227.00 $223.08 $1,506 -8.92
951 951 26 195.00 $195.00 $1,854 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
317 317 12 307.50 $307.50 $975 +16.50
410–442 435 37 266.00–279.00 $273.83 $1,191 —
474–487 477 8 257.50–263.00 $261.60 $1,248 —
541 541 5 230.00 $230.00 $1,244 -1.48
733 733 4 170.00 $170.00 $1,246 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1068 1068 85-90% 3 126.00 $126.00 $1,346 +21.87
870–1280 1122 85-90% 25 84.00–109.00 $99.04 $1,111 -13.21
1140–1244 1213 85-90% 14 110.00–115.00 $111.19 $1,349 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350 1350 80-85% 1 104.00 $104.00 $1,404 -1.06
1310–1386 1375 80-85% 7 121.00–126.00 $121.68 $1,673 +6.56
1363–1425 1375 80-85% 8 110.00–114.00 $112.01 $1,540 -3.11
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1545 1503 75-80% 3 113.00–114.50 $114.03 $1,714 —
1524 1524 75-80% 10 121.50 $121.50 $1,852 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1750–1825 1788 65-75% 2 114.00–116.00 $115.02 $2,057 —
1712–1873 1793 65-75% 4 124.00 $124.00 $2,223 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145 1145 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,248 —
1123–1470 1230 6 121.00–126.00 $124.23 $1,528 —
1540 1540 1 151.00 $151.00 $2,325 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
780–974 935 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 159.00–161.00 $159.33 $1,490
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
960 960 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,344

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1305 1305 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,750.00 $1,750.00
1330 1330 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,100.00 $2,100.00
1450 1450 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1155 1155 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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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.