Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2021-05-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-05-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on steers and steady to higher undertones on heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good. Good demand was seen for high quality, light fleshed offerings. Demand for plain or crossbred offerings was not as robust, however demand was better than last week. Corn prices have fallen sharply over the couple few weeks which has helped improve demand for feeder cattle. Quality was mostly plain to average this week. CME positions traded mostly lower today with the nearby May contract closing 0.825 lower at 135.75, while the August closed 1.80 lower at 151.075. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers opted to put the majority of the cow offering on feed this week. Heavy supplies of cows continue to be marketed as drought conditions continue across the Dakotas and western Minnesota. The cutter cow cutout continues to increase in value as retailers continue to buy ground beef for the upcoming Memorial day holiday. Packers opted only to send cows not suitable to feed to slaughter this sale. Most of these cows are destined for short term feed or a holding ration until packers can find shackle space for these cows. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows sold fully steady as very few of this class of cow is being offered across the Northern Plains due to drought. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady on a lower quality offering than was seen last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to 5.00 lower. A heavy offering of thin or plain offerings was seen this week. While steady prices were seen on high quality cows suitable to rebreed. Feeding quality cows sold mostly lower.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $138.19/cwt on 110 head.

Average price

$138.19

110 head · 598 lb average

Value per head Derived

$826

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$124

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

$19.93/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.01

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	520	143.93	749	31
Medium and Large 1	655	138.72	909	61
Medium and Large 2	553	127.42	704	13thin
Medium 1	504	124.00	625	5thin

One grade step is worth $19.93/cwt here — about $124 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 sale110 hd

138.19

—

MT average3 barns · 254 hd

137.18

+1.01

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	—	Low	1,879	90.23	1,695	34
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,404	66.32	931	224
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,598	66.03	1,055	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,190	57.93	689	198

Every lot, as filed

70 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	—	657	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	936	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	523	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	863	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	609	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,005	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	583	124.50/cwt	124.50–124.50	726	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	587	141.69/cwt	140.00–142.00	832	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	962	119.50/cwt	119.50–119.50	1,150	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	815	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	945	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	760	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	927	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	814	113.23/cwt	110.50–114.50	922	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	485	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	650	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	567	148.79/cwt	146.00–150.00	844	17
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,329	1,100.00/cwt	1,100.00–1,100.00	14,619	7
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,376	1,350.00/cwt	1,350.00–1,350.00	18,576	10
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,239	1,150.00/cwt	1,150.00–1,150.00	14,249	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,228	1,275.00/cwt	1,275.00–1,275.00	15,657	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	769	139.50/cwt	139.00–140.00	1,073	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	747	151.73/cwt	144.00–153.00	1,133	14
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,286	800.00/cwt	800.00–800.00	10,288	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,147	800.00/cwt	800.00–800.00	9,176	7
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	925	950.00/cwt	950.00–950.00	8,788	16
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,188	1,081.15/cwt	1,050.00–1,085.00	12,844	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	898	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	952	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,321	1,216.80/cwt	1,200.00–1,225.00	16,074	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	978	65.40/cwt	62.00–75.00	640	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,036	52.00/cwt	52.00–52.00	539	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	964	89.10/cwt	63.00–103.00	859	195
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	910	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	655	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,362	1,050.00/cwt	1,050.00–1,050.00	14,301	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,026	57.54/cwt	51.00–70.00	590	17
Bulls	—	—	1,622	78.10/cwt	72.00–82.00	1,267	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,500	91.00/cwt	91.00–91.00	1,365	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,753	72.17/cwt	71.50–74.50	1,265	8
Bulls	—	—	2,032	97.69/cwt	93.00–104.50	1,985	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,373	65.58/cwt	59.00–69.00	900	76
Bulls	—	—	1,847	86.90/cwt	84.00–91.00	1,605	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,208	61.82/cwt	57.50–66.00	747	52
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,414	72.75/cwt	68.50–74.50	1,029	82
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,539	61.70/cwt	60.00–63.00	950	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	924	50.77/cwt	48.00–55.00	469	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,202	56.84/cwt	55.50–58.00	683	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,160	54.06/cwt	47.00–59.00	627	66
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,205	94.00/cwt	94.00–94.00	1,133	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,227	71.32/cwt	69.50–73.50	875	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,590	68.41/cwt	65.00–70.50	1,088	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,460	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	1,037	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,254	60.31/cwt	58.00–64.50	756	41
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,434	58.76/cwt	53.50–62.00	843	27
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,155	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	6,930	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,054	68.45/cwt	58.00–90.00	721	76
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,425	62.24/cwt	60.00–65.50	887	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,050	42.67/cwt	41.00–43.00	448	6
Steers	Medium 1	—	613	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	809	4
Steers	Large 1	—	1,255	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,468	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	651	138.88/cwt	137.00–140.00	904	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	482	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	709	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,417	54.98/cwt	51.00–58.00	779	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	920	63.00/cwt	63.00–63.00	580	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,114	750.00/cwt	750.00–750.00	8,355	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	880	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	572	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	523	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	758	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	484	168.99/cwt	167.50–171.00	818	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,109	972.04/cwt	900.00–975.00	10,780	33
Heifers	Medium 1	—	504	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	625	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	745	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	887	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	700	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	938	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	548	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	671	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	635	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	775	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	394	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	583	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	855	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	616	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	706	128.53/cwt	126.00–129.50	907	17

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 →