Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 19, 2024

1,345 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $242.88/cwt ≈ $1,724/hd at 710 lb · 106 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $240.84/cwt ≈ $1,888/hd at 784 lb · 59 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $263.50/cwt ≈ $1,895/hd at 719 lb · 29 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,345 524 1,264
Feeder cattle 593 426 704
Slaughter cattle 604 87 384
Replacement cattle 148 11 176

Market comments — USDA reporter

Trade activity and demand was good. On a light test, feeder steers and heifers had a noticeably higher trend. Stock cows sold sharply higher than last Tuesday. Breaker slaughter cows of average dressing sold 2.00 lower. Boner cows of average dressing sold 1.00 higher while lean cows sold 3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls of average dressing sold 7.00 higher. The next slaughter cow sale will be next Tuesday November 26, 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
382 382 3 417.50 $417.50 $1,595 —
485 485 3 341.00 $341.00 $1,654 +19.00
719 719 29 263.50 $263.50 $1,895 —
780 780 7 238.00 $238.00 $1,856 —
843 843 9 223.00–226.00 $224.00 $1,888 —
883 883 5 225.00 $225.00 $1,987 —
923–943 933 13 208.00–213.00 $210.41 $1,963 —
957 957 15 217.00 $217.00 $2,077 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
591–592 592 15 266.00–268.00 $266.93 $1,580 +6.77
945 945 3 181.00 $181.00 $1,710 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500–515 508 4 262.00–266.00 $263.97 $1,341 —
570 570 10 255.00 $255.00 $1,454 +10.00
643 643 4 235.00 $235.00 $1,511 —
658–664 662 25 236.00–243.50 $241.11 $1,596 +18.03
710–713 710 106 229.00–244.50 $242.88 $1,724 —
783–798 784 59 232.00–241.50 $240.84 $1,888 —
802 802 15 232.00 $232.00 $1,861 —
890 890 9 216.00 $216.00 $1,922 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 unweaned 432 5 286.00 $286.00 $1,236 —
515–528 521 10 237.50–257.50 $248.82 $1,296 +18.82
627 627 5 237.00 $237.00 $1,486 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
433 433 7 280.00 $280.00 $1,212 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 3 255.00 $255.00 $1,492 —
655 655 2 237.50 $237.50 $1,556 —
805 805 2 212.50 $212.50 $1,711 —
905–928 917 6 197.50–200.00 $198.73 $1,822 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 3 217.50 $217.50 $1,414 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
739–1245 945 85-90% 25 53.00–89.00 $79.22 $749 —
865–1294 1112 85-90% 106 91.00–109.00 $104.13 $1,158 +5.09
1057–1208 1135 85-90% 31 92.00–108.00 $102.39 $1,162 +3.35
925–1290 1140 85-90% 7 120.00–124.00 $121.25 $1,382 +22.21
1025–1255 1182 85-90% 38 110.00–117.00 $113.62 $1,343 —
1035–1299 1231 85-90% 180 110.00–116.00 $113.43 $1,396 +2.24
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1303–1480 1373 80-85% 111 110.00–116.00 $112.15 $1,540 -9.53
1305–1462 1377 80-85% 42 87.00–109.00 $104.07 $1,433 -17.61
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1502–1615 1546 75-80% 9 103.00–109.00 $105.79 $1,636 -15.71
1585 1585 75-80% 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,918 —
1596–1615 1600 75-80% 5 110.00–119.00 $111.82 $1,789 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1775 1775 65-75% 1 107.50 $107.50 $1,908 -7.52
1790 1790 65-75% 1 117.00 $117.00 $2,094 +1.98

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110 1110 1 119.00 $119.00 $1,321 +10.00
1170–2280 1669 21 135.00–152.50 $141.66 $2,364 —
1355–2070 1736 9 127.00–134.00 $130.58 $2,267 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
845–1015 938 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 48 150.00–178.00 $168.85 $1,584
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
785–830 thin fleshed 808 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 212.50–217.00 $214.69 $1,735
720–1055 902 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 37 187.50–205.00 $196.21 $1,770
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–1136 1055 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 33 122.50–147.50 $141.26 $1,490

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1145 1145 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,300.00 $2,300.00
1150 1150 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 2 1,825.00 $1,825.00
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00
1338 1338 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,675.00 $1,675.00
1405 1405 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 2,150.00 $2,150.00
1420 1420 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,625.00 $1,625.00
1445 1445 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,300.00 $2,300.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1025 1025 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,525.00 $1,525.00
1065 1065 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00
1295 1295 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,450.00 $1,450.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1230 1230 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,610.00 $1,610.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1305 1305 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 2,150.00 $2,150.00 —
1475 1475 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,200.00 $2,200.00 —

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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.