Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2021-04-01
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-04-01

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Quality today was average to very attractive. Many load lots of high quality one iron home-raised feeders, as well as backgrounded put together feeders, sold today. Demand for both load lots and packages was good throughout todays long sale which stretched well into the evening. Over 20 order buyers and several ranchers were on hand for today's grass time special. Cattle under 750 lbs were in mostly light flesh as many sets were strictly developed for grass. Buyers offered strong premiums for thin fleshed cattle this sale. Demand for grass cattle was good to very good. Demand for feedlot ready cattle was mostly moderate to good on an attractive quality offering. Several sets of replacement quality heifers sold this sale. Demand was mostly good, however little premium was seen as demand for grass cattle was very good. Market activity was mostly active this sale with a full house seen ringside as well as several buyers over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand. Temperatures reached the mid 70s today and by the time cows sold, weigh up conditions were mostly below average. Slaughter and feeding cows sold 3.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-4.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold 5.00-8.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Good demand was seen for both feeding and rebreeding type cows.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $153.92/cwt on 3,670 head.

Average price

$153.92

3,670 head · 606 lb average

Value per head Derived

$933

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$248

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

$12.82/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.40

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	618	154.25	953	3,005
Medium and Large 2	389	153.50	597	8thin
Medium 1	554	153.21	849	296
Medium and Large 1-2	558	152.27	850	346
Medium 1-2	498	141.43	705	15thin

One grade step is worth $12.82/cwt here — about $248 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 sale3,670 hd

153.92

—

MT average3 barns · 4,224 hd

154.33

−0.40

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	1,704	83.22	1,418	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,395	66.40	926	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,164	60.54	704	28
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,730	57.50	995	1thin

Every lot, as filed

114 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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	729	139.63/cwt	135.00–143.00	1,018	255
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	665	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	1,004	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	855	127.29/cwt	126.50–127.50	1,088	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	963	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,184	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	626	173.55/cwt	170.00–182.00	1,086	605
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	517	164.05/cwt	160.25–169.00	848	327
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	625	139.35/cwt	137.00–145.00	871	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	812	126.50/cwt	126.50–126.50	1,027	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	670	145.81/cwt	141.00–149.50	977	223
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	347	211.50/cwt	211.50–211.50	734	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	424	174.96/cwt	172.00–179.00	742	195
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	524	169.79/cwt	165.00–171.00	890	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	716	129.50/cwt	129.50–129.50	927	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	770	131.49/cwt	129.00–137.00	1,012	84
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	487	172.90/cwt	169.00–175.00	842	283
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	701	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,023	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	572	159.71/cwt	152.00–167.00	914	35
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	840	128.98/cwt	126.00–132.00	1,083	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	788	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	1,009	25
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	770	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	993	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	600	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	918	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	825	134.83/cwt	134.00–135.00	1,112	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	740	139.89/cwt	134.00–147.50	1,035	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	688	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	936	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	627	152.87/cwt	147.00–158.50	958	717
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	684	135.82/cwt	132.25–141.00	929	74
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	466	167.16/cwt	162.00–170.50	779	47
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	937	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	1,162	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	682	162.23/cwt	157.50–170.00	1,106	278
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	589	159.72/cwt	154.50–163.00	941	373
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	370	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	657	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	821	138.61/cwt	137.50–139.50	1,138	45
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	712	156.14/cwt	151.00–159.75	1,112	126
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	879	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	1,239	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	913	129.99/cwt	129.50–134.50	1,187	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	770	146.30/cwt	140.00–152.00	1,127	105
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	810	129.01/cwt	127.00–130.50	1,045	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	678	149.21/cwt	149.00–149.50	1,012	83
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	792	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,069	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	574	183.88/cwt	178.00–188.00	1,055	136
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	434	211.49/cwt	208.50–215.50	918	133
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	530	191.27/cwt	186.00–197.00	1,014	206
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	953	130.33/cwt	127.00–130.50	1,242	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	818	136.08/cwt	135.00–136.50	1,113	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	651	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	918	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	556	190.56/cwt	189.50–191.00	1,060	104
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	477	205.20/cwt	197.50–211.00	979	326
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	617	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	987	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	559	167.26/cwt	166.50–168.00	935	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	727	146.98/cwt	141.00–151.50	1,069	181
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	389	216.52/cwt	215.00–217.50	842	51
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,202	63.11/cwt	63.00–65.00	759	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,180	63.50/cwt	63.50–63.50	749	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,350	68.87/cwt	68.50–69.00	930	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,441	63.70/cwt	62.50–64.50	918	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,400	71.50/cwt	71.50–71.50	1,001	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,320	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	1,228	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,350	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	959	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,379	68.00/cwt	68.00–68.00	938	5
Bulls	—	—	1,518	72.08/cwt	72.00–72.50	1,094	6
Bulls	—	—	1,892	90.35/cwt	85.00–93.50	1,709	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	850	42.50/cwt	42.50–42.50	361	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	945	56.00/cwt	56.00–56.00	529	2
Steers	Large 1	—	499	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	918	8
Steers	Large 1	—	874	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,136	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,255	66.50/cwt	66.50–66.50	835	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,093	48.26/cwt	43.00–53.00	527	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,177	60.16/cwt	57.00–63.00	708	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,730	57.50/cwt	57.50–57.50	995	1
Heifers	Medium 1	—	391	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	665	5
Steers	Medium 1	—	537	176.12/cwt	175.00–180.00	946	30
Steers	Medium 1	—	623	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	941	4
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,233	96.00/cwt	96.00–96.00	1,184	2
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,041	118.77/cwt	116.00–121.00	1,236	9
Steers	Large 1	—	945	123.50/cwt	123.50–123.50	1,167	4
Heifers	Medium 1	—	576	150.94/cwt	150.25–152.00	869	193
Steers	Medium 1	—	343	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	669	9
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	471	146.50/cwt	146.50–146.50	690	7
Heifers	Medium 1	—	533	155.64/cwt	155.50–156.00	830	70
Steers	Medium 1	—	558	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	982	8
Heifers	Medium 1	—	486	159.75/cwt	159.75–159.75	776	28
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,076	79.25/cwt	68.50–83.00	853	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,094	89.74/cwt	71.00–109.00	982	44
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	608	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	845	7
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	466	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	862	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	961	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,172	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	861	123.69/cwt	123.50–123.75	1,065	38
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	488	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	878	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	810	135.65/cwt	131.00–137.50	1,099	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	542	177.40/cwt	174.00–180.00	962	70
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	496	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	903	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	681	148.87/cwt	145.00–150.00	1,014	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	575	152.02/cwt	148.00–154.00	874	131
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	537	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	859	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	426	165.29/cwt	154.50–170.00	704	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	626	160.84/cwt	151.00–168.00	1,007	101
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	585	172.98/cwt	172.00–175.00	1,012	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	791	138.50/cwt	138.50–138.50	1,096	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	434	193.64/cwt	190.00–200.75	840	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	383	206.86/cwt	200.00–210.00	792	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	525	158.67/cwt	158.00–159.50	833	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	740	130.75/cwt	130.75–130.75	968	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	368	165.74/cwt	163.00–170.00	610	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	389	153.50/cwt	153.50–153.50	597	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	626	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	914	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	445	185.50/cwt	185.50–185.50	825	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	704	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	1,176	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	714	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,042	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	630	164.07/cwt	163.00–166.00	1,034	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	974	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	1,149	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	525	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	866	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	705	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	909	2
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	522	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	715	8
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	754	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	973	12

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 →