Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2020-06-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-06-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to firm undertones were noticed. Feeder heifers were not well compared as most heifers last week were purchased as replacements. Feeder quality this week mostly average. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate for light to moderate offerings. CME positions continued a week of lower movement as all contracts traded lower. The August contract settled at 132.175, 0.50 lower than Wednesdays value. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Feeding buyers showed slightly lower demand for cows this sale, however packers pick up much of the slack as they purchased slaughter cows on moderate to good demand. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower as lighter feeding demand allowed packers to purchase cows lower. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-2.00 lower. Weigh up conditions were mixed this week as they started the sale mostly in buyers favor, however, as the sale pushed into the afternoon cows offered buyers mostly below average weigh conditions with many cows pushing excess fill. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm on a very attractive offering with many high quality, high dressing bulls. Young age cows suitable to feed or re-breed sold mostly steady to weak. Lighter demand for re-breed type cattle caused this class of cattle to slide lower. Quality this week was mostly average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $131.30/cwt on 602 head.

Average price

$131.30

602 head · 645 lb average

Value per head Derived

$847

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$349

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

$12.75/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.49

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1-2	360	143.50	517	8thin
Medium and Large 1-2	560	133.71	749	78
Medium and Large 1	662	130.75	866	516

One grade step is worth $12.75/cwt here — about −$349 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 sale602 hd

131.30

—

MT average3 barns · 788 hd

129.81

+1.49

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	1,849	88.15	1,630	46
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,454	61.80	898	68
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,570	58.42	917	7thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,187	57.75	685	88

Every lot, as filed

77 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
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,475	1,112.70/cwt	1,050.00–1,150.00	16,412	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	586	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	785	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	763	140.44/cwt	140.00–140.50	1,072	44
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	796	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,035	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	574	142.45/cwt	138.50–145.25	818	73
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	662	131.03/cwt	128.00–132.50	867	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	719	123.03/cwt	119.00–125.00	885	155
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	905	102.00/cwt	102.00–102.00	923	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	855	126.50/cwt	126.50–126.50	1,082	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	664	126.72/cwt	126.00–127.00	841	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	523	168.04/cwt	167.00–173.00	879	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	696	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	821	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	468	182.50/cwt	182.50–182.50	854	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	585	168.50/cwt	164.50–173.00	986	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	525	148.50/cwt	148.00–149.50	780	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	664	152.48/cwt	150.00–154.00	1,012	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,490	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	954	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,471	61.77/cwt	58.00–64.50	909	40
Bulls	—	—	1,793	86.23/cwt	83.00–88.50	1,546	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	801	134.73/cwt	130.00–136.50	1,079	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	618	127.40/cwt	127.00–128.00	787	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	620	137.05/cwt	134.00–139.50	850	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	904	50.92/cwt	48.00–54.00	460	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	56.28/cwt	52.00–59.00	807	12
Bulls	—	—	2,031	97.09/cwt	90.00–106.00	1,972	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,273	64.55/cwt	64.00–67.50	822	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,426	66.00/cwt	65.50–67.00	941	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,219	60.45/cwt	57.50–63.50	737	34
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	988	46.45/cwt	46.00–47.00	459	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	785	37.00/cwt	37.00–37.00	290	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,183	55.09/cwt	52.00–57.00	652	36
Bulls	—	—	1,671	78.19/cwt	70.00–81.00	1,307	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,602	56.19/cwt	52.00–61.00	900	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	854	111.00/cwt	111.00–111.00	948	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	772	119.81/cwt	115.00–121.00	925	59
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	409	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	573	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	584	133.85/cwt	133.00–136.00	782	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	684	139.57/cwt	135.00–145.00	955	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	382	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	573	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	739	131.34/cwt	130.00–140.00	971	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	720	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	792	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	449	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	750	6
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	360	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	517	8
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,020	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	1,020	1
Dairy Heifers	Large 1-2	—	869	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	904	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,250	750.00/cwt	750.00–750.00	9,375	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,323	58.69/cwt	54.00–64.50	776	32
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,159	53.77/cwt	53.00–56.00	623	8
Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	—	805	108.00/cwt	108.00–108.00	869	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	395	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	636	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	486	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	680	20
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,332	61.18/cwt	56.00–67.00	815	103
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,133	988.52/cwt	950.00–1,010.00	11,200	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	773	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	982	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,155	55.76/cwt	55.50–56.00	644	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	980	62.00/cwt	62.00–62.00	608	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,249	1,400.00/cwt	1,400.00–1,400.00	17,486	7
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,655	1,332.12/cwt	1,275.00–1,350.00	22,047	36
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,618	1,291.60/cwt	1,185.00–1,375.00	20,898	27
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,174	1,859.31/cwt	1,775.00–1,875.00	21,828	6
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,607	1,629.50/cwt	1,450.00–1,850.00	26,186	16
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,087	82.63/cwt	67.50–99.00	898	72
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,207	1,325.00/cwt	1,325.00–1,325.00	15,993	9
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,158	1,475.00/cwt	1,475.00–1,475.00	17,081	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,275	1,433.49/cwt	1,350.00–1,475.00	18,277	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,383	1,225.00/cwt	1,225.00–1,225.00	16,942	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	969	105.65/cwt	104.50–108.00	1,024	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,197	66.45/cwt	58.00–84.00	795	77
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	990	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	941	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	606	160.05/cwt	159.00–165.00	970	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	531	177.37/cwt	173.50–180.00	942	51
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,128	1,800.00/cwt	1,800.00–1,800.00	20,304	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	785	132.16/cwt	129.00–133.00	1,037	14
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,458	1,909.04/cwt	1,875.00–1,950.00	27,834	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	470	148.77/cwt	146.50–151.00	699	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	717	146.41/cwt	141.00–147.50	1,050	68
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	916	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	1,053	5

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 →