Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-04-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-04-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were to light to develop a market trend. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady. Demand good. Quality average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $266.77/cwt on 32 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −167.10 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$266.77

32 head · 545 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,453

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$239

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

$45.62/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−10.74

vs MT average

+2.81 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	550	280.62	1,542	18thin
Medium and Large 1-2	517	267.58	1,383	6thin
Medium and Large 2	555	235.00	1,303	8thin

One grade step is worth $45.62/cwt here — about $239 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 sale32 hd

266.77

—

MT average3 barns · 77 hd

277.51

−10.74

National average181 barns · 13,137 hd

263.96

+2.81

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−167.10

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	1,902	146.38	2,784	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,465	134.74	1,974	76
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,287	128.03	1,648	53
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,132	115.80	1,310	14

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,226	$2,380	4thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,235	$1,936	2thin

Every lot, as filed

45 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
Bulls	—	—	1,927	148.24/cwt	139.50–155.00	2,857	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,205	135.08/cwt	135.00–135.50	1,628	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,385	139.13/cwt	128.00–143.50	1,927	44
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,607	131.87/cwt	124.00–137.50	2,119	25
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,464	117.41/cwt	115.00–120.50	1,719	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,147	115.71/cwt	110.00–123.00	1,327	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,058	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,226	2,379.59/head	2,325.00–2,400.00	2,380	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,235	1,936.29/head	1,900.00–1,975.00	1,936	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	634	268.26/cwt	261.00–270.00	1,701	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	573	276.31/cwt	274.00–279.00	1,583	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	484	349.71/cwt	330.00–358.00	1,693	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	509	267.10/cwt	265.00–275.00	1,360	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	580	308.00/cwt	308.00–308.00	1,786	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	675	266.00/cwt	266.00–266.00	1,796	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	325.44/cwt	322.50–327.00	1,696	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	611	308.19/cwt	305.00–309.00	1,883	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	432	363.04/cwt	361.00–370.00	1,568	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	785	206.67/cwt	206.00–207.00	1,622	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	555	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,499	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	394	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,202	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	526	284.92/cwt	284.00–286.00	1,499	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	338	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	862	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	595	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,309	2
Bulls	—	—	1,653	127.83/cwt	125.00–130.00	2,113	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,327	126.09/cwt	121.00–133.00	1,673	16
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,301	125.89/cwt	119.50–133.50	1,638	25
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,116	115.89/cwt	112.00–121.00	1,293	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	738	242.36/cwt	240.00–244.00	1,789	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	721	269.54/cwt	264.00–272.00	1,943	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	898	187.88/cwt	175.00–202.00	1,687	78
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	305	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,083	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,026	169.70/cwt	163.00–177.00	1,741	44
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	541	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,298	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	414	306.66/cwt	300.00–320.00	1,270	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	671	277.28/cwt	274.00–282.00	1,861	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	368	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,196	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	610	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,739	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	503	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,559	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	1,859	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	720	227.50/cwt	227.50–227.50	1,638	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	520	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	1,599	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	395	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,462	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	789	226.67/cwt	224.00–239.00	1,788	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	321.71/cwt	312.00–324.00	1,840	28

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 →