Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2022-11-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-11-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifer were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold mostly 10.00-15.00 lower, 450-499 lbs steers sold steady to 10.00 lower, steer calves over 500 lbs sold steady to 5.00 lower. Heifer calves under 600 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher, heifers over 600 lbs sold unevenly steady. Quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive with lots of variance seen this week. Demand for feeders was mostly light to moderate. Cold and snowy conditions have been seen over the past week and cattle have greened up considerably. Weather was a big factor in demand for light calves today as buyers backed up calf prices due to concern over weather stress. Todays high was only 21 degrees and tonight's low is forecasted for the low single digits, the coldest of the fall. A large buyer pool was on hand for todays sale, with both farmer feeders and order buyers actively bidding on offerings. Market activity was mostly mostly active today. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand and light offerings. Cow quality was mostly plain to average today. Both slaughter and feeding cows were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on both classes. Packers showed mostly light demand for slaughter cows as they put most cows away on feed, either for the upcoming holidays or to feed to premium white. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, steady undertones were noticed. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $210.12/cwt on 2,646 head.

Average price

$210.12

2,646 head · 531 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,116

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$213

per head · Medium 1 over Large 1

$56.75/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.80

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	446	224.75	1,002	16thin
Medium and Large 1	542	210.84	1,142	2,127
Medium and Large 1-2	487	207.87	1,013	450
Medium 1-2	444	205.00	910	40
Large 1	723	168.00	1,215	13thin

One grade step is worth $56.75/cwt here — about −$213 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 sale2,646 hd

210.12

—

MT average5 barns · 6,171 hd

208.32

+1.80

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	1,644	80.95	1,331	8thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,525	73.88	1,127	36
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,427	62.24	888	82
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,188	54.21	644	136

Every lot, as filed

89 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 1Unweaned	—	678	165.65/cwt	164.00–168.00	1,123	57
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	521	175.65/cwt	175.00–176.00	915	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	332	229.59/cwt	228.00–230.00	762	95
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	583	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	939	11
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	423	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	829	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	676	176.50/cwt	176.50–176.50	1,193	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	455	227.42/cwt	227.00–228.00	1,035	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	605	193.00/cwt	193.00–193.00	1,168	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	413	232.50/cwt	232.50–232.50	960	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	645	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,161	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	662	165.53/cwt	165.00–166.00	1,096	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	626	188.95/cwt	181.00–194.00	1,183	301
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	582	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	1,071	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	344	240.95/cwt	240.00–241.00	829	87
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	491	208.80/cwt	208.50–210.00	1,025	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	524	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	983	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	559	196.06/cwt	187.00–200.00	1,096	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	491	204.39/cwt	197.50–211.00	1,004	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	573	183.66/cwt	181.00–185.00	1,052	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	374	257.81/cwt	252.00–266.00	964	16
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	570	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	1,060	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	417	251.22/cwt	240.00–256.00	1,048	244
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	526	204.86/cwt	197.00–214.00	1,078	222
Steers	Medium 1-2Unweaned	—	444	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	910	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	623	170.79/cwt	163.00–178.00	1,064	79
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	428	228.87/cwt	220.00–235.00	980	58
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	532	193.51/cwt	188.00–194.50	1,029	48
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	478	228.37/cwt	214.00–238.00	1,092	608
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	723	176.52/cwt	170.00–183.00	1,276	117
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	667	186.59/cwt	178.00–191.00	1,245	141
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	723	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	1,215	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	389	239.66/cwt	230.00–246.00	932	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	274	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	740	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	217	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	651	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	784	168.48/cwt	167.00–170.00	1,321	14
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	371	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	920	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	573	195.11/cwt	190.00–205.00	1,118	371
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	336	257.91/cwt	252.50–262.50	867	26
Heifers	Medium 1	—	604	163.50/cwt	163.50–163.50	988	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	511	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	1,002	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	751	170.25/cwt	170.25–170.25	1,279	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	551	191.00/cwt	191.00–191.00	1,052	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	535	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	958	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	770	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	1,140	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,426	57.36/cwt	55.00–60.00	818	38
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	810	46.00/cwt	46.00–46.00	373	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	938	57.25/cwt	57.00–57.50	537	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,279	61.26/cwt	61.00–62.00	784	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,407	71.19/cwt	68.50–73.25	1,002	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,218	54.16/cwt	50.50–59.00	660	43
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,706	72.69/cwt	69.00–74.50	1,240	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,175	54.65/cwt	48.00–58.00	642	48
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,457	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	1,093	24
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,621	74.00/cwt	74.00–74.00	1,200	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,046	38.84/cwt	37.50–42.00	406	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,254	60.28/cwt	59.00–63.50	756	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,570	69.50/cwt	69.50–69.50	1,091	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,409	58.97/cwt	53.00–63.00	831	18
Bulls	—	—	1,665	79.32/cwt	74.50–88.50	1,321	5
Bulls	—	—	1,765	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	1,589	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,300	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	923	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	923	80.65/cwt	70.00–91.00	744	22
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	738	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	535	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	421	214.22/cwt	197.00–218.00	902	250
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	502	186.50/cwt	186.50–186.50	936	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	464	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	731	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	528	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	1,104	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	660	157.29/cwt	155.00–159.00	1,038	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	422	188.81/cwt	184.00–197.50	797	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	723	164.03/cwt	160.50–167.00	1,186	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	619	169.75/cwt	163.00–173.50	1,051	192
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	568	180.87/cwt	172.00–189.00	1,027	137
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	373	219.79/cwt	210.00–223.00	820	155
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	589	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	860	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	534	174.59/cwt	167.50–179.00	932	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	471	195.27/cwt	186.00–209.50	920	237
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	371	204.34/cwt	195.00–211.00	758	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	241	240.90/cwt	240.00–241.00	581	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	345	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	768	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	648	175.50/cwt	175.50–175.50	1,137	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	525	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	903	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	522	188.44/cwt	184.50–193.75	984	243
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	481	182.02/cwt	170.00–185.00	876	43
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	486	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	904	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	593	168.83/cwt	164.00–170.00	1,001	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	615	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	1,027	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	410	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	845	24
Heifers	Small and Medium 1	—	520	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	775	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	487	186.58/cwt	184.00–190.00	909	29

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 →