NOTE FROM JACE:

Great sale this week! It was nice to see lots of new faces here at La Junta Livestock. Welcome! Here’s this week’s market update... The 300 weight steer calves sold steady 215.00 to 186.00. The 400 weight steer calves sold steady 201.00 to 161.00. 500 weight steers sold steady 173.00 to 155.00. The 600 weight steer calves and yearlings with weaned calves & yearlings sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Unweaned sold steady to 3.00 lower. The 700 and 800 weight steers sold steady 155.00 to 135.00. 300 weight heifers sold steady 166.00 to 151.00. The 400 weight heifers sold steady 165.00 to 144.00. 500 weight heifers weaned sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Unweaned sold steady to 3.00 lower 146.50 to 137.00. The 600 weight heifers sold 144.00 to 132.00 with a lite test. 700 to 800 weight heifers sold 148.00 to 131.00 steady to 2.00 higher. Butcher cows were 2.00 to 3.00 higher with fleshy cows 74.50 to 63.00 and thin cows 66.00 to 55.00. Butcher bulls sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher 88.00 to 75.00.

We had a very nice selection of calves & yearlings this week. Lots of nice quality which makes it easy to market your cattle. I know a lot of you had snow & rain and very cold temperatures Monday. But since then it’s been warm and that should help grow some wheat in the wheat country. One of the questions I still get asked most often is “Should I wean my calves or not?” my opinion at this time of the year is 350-500 lb calves probably won’t make a lot of difference. But the bigger calves 550-700lbs it makes some difference. And the reason why is because the big corporate feedlots do not want an unweaned calf. Mostly because they are too big to try to wean 20,000 to 40,000 calves at once in their big corporate feedlot. That’s the biggest deal between the lighter and heavier cattle. We are expecting 3500 cattle this next week with 200 butcher cows and bulls as well as 100 bred heifers, cows, and pairs. See you Wednesday at the sale!