Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-03-14
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-14

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however generally steady undertones were noticed on like quality offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain. Package sizes were small this week with many singles in the offering. Demand for all feeders was moderate to good for light offerings. Quality hampered demand as most offerings were plain. The best demand continues to be for cattle suitable to develop into yearlings. CME Feeder cattle contracts sold off sharply today. The March feeder cattle contract closed today at 247.475, while the April closed at 251.175, 3.55 and 5.125 lower respectfully than last Thursdays close. Market activity was mostly moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold fully steady on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. A slightly lower quality cow offering was seen this week with many lame and blemished cows seen. More of the cow offering sold as slaughter cows this week compared to last week. Quality was mostly average. Demand for feeding cows remains very good. Feeding cows sold generally steady to firm. Weigh up conditions were mixed this sale. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold with lower undertones in a narrow comparison. Quality was not as attractive this week compared to last. Demand for this class was moderate to good this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $287.08/cwt on 38 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −146.78 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$287.08

38 head · 571 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,639

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$89

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

$4.95/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−13.26

vs MT average

+10.91 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	547	289.95	1,587	16thin
Medium and Large 1	588	285.00	1,676	22

One grade step is worth $4.95/cwt here — about −$89 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

21 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $469.35, low $332.50, median $433.86 across 21 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale38 hd

287.08

—

MT average3 barns · 232 hd

300.35

−13.26

National average176 barns · 16,729 hd

276.17

+10.91

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−146.78

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	1,759	126.37	2,222	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,651	120.90	1,996	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,443	119.63	1,726	89
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,166	110.84	1,293	93

Every lot, as filed

72 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	654	306.00/cwt	306.00–306.00	2,001	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	695	258.00/cwt	258.00–258.00	1,793	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	902	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	2,011	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	503	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,660	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,781	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	491	312.20/cwt	311.00–315.00	1,533	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	444	370.05/cwt	365.00–372.50	1,643	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	835	249.00/cwt	249.00–249.00	2,079	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	617	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,913	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,113	136.28/cwt	117.00–185.00	1,517	44
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	988	186.65/cwt	160.00–213.00	1,844	44
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,705	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,080	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	2,214	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	341.00/cwt	341.00–341.00	1,818	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	907	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,406	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	813	183.88/cwt	175.00–192.50	1,495	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	838	238.00/cwt	238.00–238.00	1,994	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	870	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	2,053	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	588	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,676	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	731	259.56/cwt	257.00–264.00	1,897	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	675	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	1,877	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	490	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,446	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	589	278.31/cwt	276.00–280.00	1,639	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	385	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,386	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	610	273.32/cwt	265.00–276.00	1,667	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	515	299.00/cwt	299.00–299.00	1,540	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	745	237.00/cwt	237.00–237.00	1,766	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	398	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,453	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	770	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	1,979	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	417	308.15/cwt	300.00–311.00	1,285	12
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,335	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,569	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	850	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	638	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,462	115.51/cwt	110.00–119.00	1,689	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,464	125.45/cwt	121.00–128.00	1,837	22
Bulls	—	—	1,760	128.03/cwt	122.00–132.00	2,253	7
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,335	128.04/cwt	124.00–132.50	1,709	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,201	112.57/cwt	107.00–117.00	1,352	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,733	109.00/cwt	109.00–109.00	1,889	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,451	100.80/cwt	97.00–105.00	1,463	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,172	115.38/cwt	109.00–119.00	1,352	34
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,672	127.37/cwt	127.00–127.50	2,130	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,655	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,969	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,410	119.44/cwt	113.00–121.50	1,684	35
Bulls	—	—	1,723	102.79/cwt	94.00–107.00	1,771	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,235	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	976	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,204	122.01/cwt	119.00–126.00	1,469	20
Bulls	—	—	2,101	142.52/cwt	139.00–146.00	2,994	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,151	99.18/cwt	90.00–105.00	1,142	24
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	600–650	633	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,630	2
Dairy Steers	Large 3	850–900	893	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,072	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	940	95.01/cwt	93.00–97.00	893	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,481	124.00/cwt	121.00–130.50	1,836	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,448	120.50/cwt	120.50–120.50	1,745	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,625	120.89/cwt	116.00–125.50	1,964	10
Steers	Medium 1-2	450–500	496	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,538	4
Steers	Medium 1-2	350–400	358	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,235	5
Heifers	Medium 2	350–400	359	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,023	7
Heifers	Medium 1-2	300–350	333	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	999	4
Bulls	Large 1	1300–1350	1,323	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	2,117	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,140	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	1,938	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	640	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,792	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	320	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,136	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	385	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,194	1
Steers	Medium 1	500–550	546	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	1,706	9
Steers	Medium 1	450–500	493	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,504	4
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	735	201.89/cwt	192.50–212.50	1,484	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,065	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	1,960	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	745	249.00/cwt	249.00–249.00	1,855	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	706	286.00/cwt	286.00–286.00	2,019	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	653	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,646	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	380	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,235	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	490	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,666	1

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 →