Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-04-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-04-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on all steers on offer, while heifers under 600 lbs sold with lower undertones and heifers over 600 lbs sold with steady to firm undertones. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and mostly offered in small packages. Demand was mostly moderate to good for cattle suitable to fit buyers grass orders. All other feeders sold on mostly light demand. This created uneven prices in places. CME positions saw sharply lower prices again today as traders continue the sell off after last Thursdays cattle on feed report. Market activity was moderate overall this sale. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand today. Packers and feeding buyers both showed very good demand for cows this week. Packers were searching for cows for immediate harvest. Higher cow meat and grinds prices have allowed packers to be more competitive this week. Packers took cows to their highest prices so far this year as they attempted to gather cows for harvest. Feeding buyers continue to show good demand for cows to fill feedlots. Many have sold the last of the cows from late fall and early spring and enjoyed a good bump in the market as prices for premium white cows have improved throughout the spring. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-5.00 higher. Fleshy cows sold with the best demand this week. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 3.00 higher. 2-3 year olds suitable to re-breed sold on good demand again this week. Order buyers and ranchers both continue to bid aggressively on these offerings. Replacement cows sold mostly steady to firm as a result.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $167.85/cwt on 360 head.

Average price

$167.85

360 head · 631 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,059

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$450

per head · Medium and Large 2 over Large 1-2

$61.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.89

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	463	177.00	820	6thin
Medium and Large 1-2	558	171.56	958	37
Medium and Large 1	633	169.39	1,073	302
Medium 2	659	129.50	853	9thin
Large 1-2	1,094	116.00	1,269	6thin

One grade step is worth $61.00/cwt here — about −$450 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 sale360 hd

167.85

—

MT average3 barns · 1,019 hd

166.96

+0.89

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	—	Average	1,863	87.09	1,622	31
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,403	66.81	937	77
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,621	66.09	1,071	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,176	60.40	710	104

Every lot, as filed

73 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Thu)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	964	58.37/cwt	54.50–62.00	563	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	633	172.75/cwt	169.00–174.00	1,094	42
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	995	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	1,114	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	878	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	1,089	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	959	126.60/cwt	126.00–128.00	1,214	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	498	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	859	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	370	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	740	3
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,090	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	1,221	6
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,015	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	1,198	4
Steers	Medium 2	—	659	129.50/cwt	129.50–129.50	853	9
Steers	Large 1-2Fleshy	—	1,094	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,269	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	516	155.82/cwt	155.00–156.00	804	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	763	127.57/cwt	124.00–129.00	973	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	618	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	927	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	496	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	774	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	802	131.50/cwt	131.50–131.50	1,055	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	735	153.97/cwt	153.00–154.00	1,132	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	554	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	881	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	479	165.39/cwt	161.00–170.00	792	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	718	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	998	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	790	127.50/cwt	127.50–127.50	1,007	6
Heifers	Medium 2	—	559	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	721	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	542	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	854	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,400	67.27/cwt	64.00–68.50	942	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,227	60.64/cwt	56.50–63.50	744	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	580	181.27/cwt	177.00–183.00	1,051	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,443	61.97/cwt	59.00–64.50	894	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,378	69.26/cwt	69.00–70.50	954	9
Bulls	—	—	1,842	86.75/cwt	83.50–90.50	1,598	26
Bulls	—	—	2,242	94.43/cwt	91.50–98.00	2,117	3
Bulls	—	—	1,560	80.50/cwt	79.50–81.50	1,256	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,337	68.40/cwt	65.00–70.00	915	46
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,063	90.21/cwt	67.00–106.50	959	73
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	768	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	998	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	633	157.68/cwt	156.00–158.50	998	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	668	150.80/cwt	150.00–155.00	1,007	69
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	521	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	808	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	565	152.77/cwt	150.00–154.00	863	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	473	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	747	19
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,000	101.75/cwt	81.00–117.00	1,018	129
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	934	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,205	18
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,292	65.30/cwt	61.00–68.50	844	57
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,015	1,429.76/cwt	1,410.00–1,485.00	14,512	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,213	1,461.74/cwt	1,425.00–1,475.00	17,731	12
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	463	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	820	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	494	183.63/cwt	183.50–185.00	907	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	579	171.66/cwt	171.00–173.00	994	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	435	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	805	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	504	157.04/cwt	157.00–157.50	791	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	673	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	935	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	665	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	971	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	511	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	915	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	618	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	989	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	—	945	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,125	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	528	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	924	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	500	192.50/cwt	192.50–192.50	963	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	528	186.46/cwt	180.50–188.00	985	56
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	447	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	738	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	815	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,100	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	668	163.86/cwt	155.50–167.00	1,095	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	861	135.50/cwt	135.50–135.50	1,167	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	445	192.50/cwt	192.50–192.50	857	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	450	190.40/cwt	190.00–191.00	857	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	786	141.50/cwt	141.50–141.50	1,112	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	919	53.64/cwt	53.50–54.00	493	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,363	67.45/cwt	62.00–69.25	919	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,240	66.05/cwt	63.50–67.50	819	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,040	52.52/cwt	52.00–54.00	546	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,222	67.76/cwt	67.50–68.00	828	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,609	66.02/cwt	65.50–67.00	1,062	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,665	68.50/cwt	68.50–68.50	1,141	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,570	61.50/cwt	61.50–61.50	966	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	745	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	998	4

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 →