Sale reports / Montana / Billings Livestock Commission / 2020-12-07

Billings Livestock Commission

Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2020-12-07
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-12-07

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Mon, Dec 7

● Final61 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1775

← Nov 30Dec 7Dec 14 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

586 head

▲ 162 vs last sale 424▲ 35 vs year ago 551 · +6.4%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

1,335 head

▲ 647 vs last sale 688▲ 1,090 vs year ago 245 · +444.9%

Replacement Cattle receipts

388 head

▲ 138 vs last sale 250▼ 225 vs year ago 613 · −36.7%

Also sold hereRegular saleThu Oct 29, 2026

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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Monday: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Demand was moderate for light to moderate offerings. Quality this week was average to attractive and overall better than last week. Market activity was moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Feeding buyers were the driving market force this week as they showed good demand for both short term feeding cows and cows suitable to feed to premium white. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher. Packers showed stronger demand for slaughter cows compared to last week. Packers opted to send most fleshy cows to slaughter instead of putting them on feed. Breaking slaughter cows were are not well compared. Boning cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher; lean cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher. Cows offered mixed weigh up conditions today. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed as packer and feeding buyers competed over offerings. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly generally steady.

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $147.84/cwt on 241 head.

Average price

$147.84

241 head · 597 lb average

Value per head Derived

$883

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$398

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$32.27/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−22.55

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	547	154.77	846	150
Medium and Large 1-2	607	140.48	852	63
Medium and Large 2	499	133.00	664	6thin
Medium 1	782	132.50	1,036	7thin
Large 1	1,016	122.50	1,245	15thin

One grade step is worth $32.27/cwt here — about −$398 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 0–100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale241 hd

147.84

—

MT average5 barns · 4,899 hd

170.38

−22.55

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	High	1,771	76.39	1,352	36
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,613	59.02	952	32
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,374	56.65	778	255
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,186	48.70	577	673

Every lot, as filed

61 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Mon)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.

Class	Weight	Grade / description	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Feeder Cattle · Steers14 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	331	189.58/cwt	175.00–192.50	628	13
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	423	170.62/cwt	170.00–171.00	722	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	434	162.67/cwt	146.50–170.00	706	19
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	499	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	664	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	528	156.86/cwt	151.00–160.00	828	66
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	561	151.42/cwt	146.00–155.00	849	29
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	575	132.16/cwt	131.50–140.00	760	26
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	641	140.19/cwt	140.00–143.00	899	30
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	716	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	967	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	734	135.50/cwt	135.50–135.50	995	11
Steers	—	Medium 1	782	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	1,036	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	803	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,092	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	994	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,183	7
Steers	—	Large 1	1,016	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,245	15
Feeder Cattle · Heifers15 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	383	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	479	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	425	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	608	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	433	148.26/cwt	146.00–154.00	642	20
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	483	147.57/cwt	140.00–149.00	713	22
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	493	125.52/cwt	125.00–139.00	619	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	519	138.02/cwt	136.00–140.00	716	23
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	527	131.46/cwt	127.00–134.00	693	21
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	559	133.41/cwt	132.50–134.50	746	47
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	581	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	784	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	606	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	788	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	622	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	824	15
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	790	128.50/cwt	128.50–128.50	1,015	16
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	823	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	1,037	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	894	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,091	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	960	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,176	7
Feeder Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	570	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	770	2
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls6 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,591	62.73/cwt	59.00–75.00	998	5
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,670	79.48/cwt	77.00–82.50	1,327	2
Bulls	—	—	1,722	80.41/cwt	76.00–82.00	1,385	8
Bulls	—	—	1,791	71.65/cwt	64.00–75.00	1,283	11
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,895	84.50/cwt	84.50–84.50	1,601	1
Bulls	—	—	1,897	84.60/cwt	84.00–86.00	1,605	9
Slaughter Cattle · Cows19 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	853	30.00/cwt	30.00–30.00	256	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	937	41.00/cwt	41.00–41.00	384	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	993	48.50/cwt	48.50–48.50	482	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,058	61.38/cwt	61.00–62.00	649	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,131	38.53/cwt	33.00–40.00	436	17
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,175	45.45/cwt	41.50–49.75	534	73
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,180	46.71/cwt	41.00–50.00	551	226
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,199	51.26/cwt	50.00–56.00	615	340
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,326	50.65/cwt	50.50–51.50	672	6
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,336	48.18/cwt	44.00–51.00	644	21
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,364	56.90/cwt	50.00–60.00	776	150
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,380	65.50/cwt	65.50–65.50	904	2
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,383	63.39/cwt	61.00–69.00	877	51
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,410	53.15/cwt	51.00–59.00	749	18
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,449	47.36/cwt	40.00–49.00	686	15
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,560	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	858	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,580	54.84/cwt	50.00–66.00	866	17
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,688	62.80/cwt	62.00–64.00	1,060	8
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,731	67.00/cwt	67.00–67.00	1,160	4
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows4 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	765	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	421	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	987	77.53/cwt	63.00–89.00	765	70
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	996	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	637	4
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,034	67.58/cwt	53.00–77.50	699	50
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,127	900.00/cwt	900.00–900.00	10,143	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,391	750.00/cwt	750.00–750.00	10,433	8

How this sale compares

Montana weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Montana auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Montana feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Mon)

Mon Dec 7, 2020

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Billings, MT (LS-BL)

Feeder CattleReceipts 586Last week 424Year ago 551

Slaughter CattleReceipts 1,335Last week 688Year ago 245

Replacement CattleReceipts 388Last week 250Year ago 613

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	716	135.00	135.00
29	—	561	146.00–155.00	151.42
66	—	528	151.00–160.00	156.86
5	—	423	170.00–171.00	170.62
30	—	641	140.00–143.00	140.19
13	—	331	175.00–192.50	189.58

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	803	136.00	136.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
26	—	575	131.50–140.00	132.16
19	—	434	146.50–170.00	162.67

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	499	133.00	133.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	734	135.50	135.50
7	—	994	119.00	119.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	782	132.50	132.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	1,016	122.50	122.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	606	130.00	130.00
6	—	894	122.00	122.00
2	—	823	126.00	126.00
16	—	790	128.50	128.50
8	—	581	135.00	135.00
7	—	960	122.50	122.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
21	—	527	127.00–134.00	131.46
26	—	493	125.00–139.00	125.52
7	—	425	143.00	143.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	622	132.50	132.50
23	—	519	136.00–140.00	138.02
20	—	433	146.00–154.00	148.26
22	—	483	140.00–149.00	147.57
47	—	559	132.50–134.50	133.41

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	383	125.00	125.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	570	135.00	135.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,895	84.50	84.50
2	—	1,670	77.00–82.50	79.48
5	—	1,591	59.00–75.00	62.73

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	1,791	64.00–75.00	71.65
9	—	1,897	84.00–86.00	84.60
8	—	1,722	76.00–82.00	80.41

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
21	—	1,336	44.00–51.00	48.18
150	—	1,364	50.00–60.00	56.90
51	—	1,383	61.00–69.00	63.39

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	937	41.00	41.00
3	—	993	48.50	48.50
2	—	853	30.00	30.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
17	—	1,131	33.00–40.00	38.53
73	—	1,175	41.50–49.75	45.45
6	—	1,326	50.50–51.50	50.65

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,560	55.00	55.00
2	—	1,380	65.50	65.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,058	61.00–62.00	61.38
340	—	1,199	50.00–56.00	51.26
226	—	1,180	41.00–50.00	46.71

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,731	67.00	67.00
8	—	1,688	62.00–64.00	62.80
17	—	1,580	50.00–66.00	54.84

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
18	—	1,410	51.00–59.00	53.15
15	—	1,449	40.00–49.00	47.36

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	765	55.00	55.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	4	—	996	64.00	64.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	50	—	1,034	53.00–77.50	67.58
(<2 yrs)	Open	70	—	987	63.00–89.00	77.53

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	8	—	1,391	750.00	750.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	3	—	1,127	900.00	900.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.