Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-08-22
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-08-22

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower to sharply lower undertones were noticed. CME positions have traded sharply lower since the last sale and feeder prices mirrored the lower movement of feeder contracts. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly light to moderate for light offerings. Quality today was mostly plain to average on steers and average to attractive on heifers with several packages of tested open yearling heifers on offer. Most feeders were offered in small groups with many singles noted as well. Demand for cutting bulls remains very good with several buyers looking for this class of cattle. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to weak on boning and lean cows, breaking cows sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold on lighter demand this week as fewer buyers were in the market actively bidding on offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-4.00 lower. Cow quality was mostly average this week and lower than last week. Most cows and bulls are starting to show significantly lighter body condition as dry weather and big calves are pulling cows down. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average this week with many very full cows noticed. Bull quality this sale was mostly average. Many bulls have been turned out and were in light flesh. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested this sale to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly average this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $231.07/cwt on 16 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −202.79 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$231.07

16 head · 540 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,247

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$308

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

$40.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

−13.34 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	559	245.00	1,370	4thin
Medium 1-2	536	230.71	1,237	10thin
Medium 2	518	205.00	1,062	2thin

One grade step is worth $40.00/cwt here — about $308 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 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 sale16 hd

231.07

—

MT average1 barns · 16 hd

231.07

+0.00

National average171 barns · 9,778 hd

244.41

−13.34

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−202.79

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	1,757	157.03	2,759	109
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,599	141.42	2,261	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,421	134.26	1,908	96
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,184	124.31	1,472	96

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	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,330	$2,200	2thin

Every lot, as filed

79 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 1	650–700	688	231.00/cwt	231.00–231.00	1,589	2
Steers	Medium 1	600–650	645	254.00/cwt	254.00–254.00	1,638	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	945	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	1,975	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	950–1000	993	197.50/cwt	197.50–197.50	1,961	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	1000–1050	1,013	216.00/cwt	216.00–216.00	2,188	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	662	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,721	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	955	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	1,929	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	940	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	1,889	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	981	207.00/cwt	207.00–207.00	2,031	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	877	220.71/cwt	217.00–224.00	1,936	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	1,809	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	932	208.00/cwt	208.00–208.00	1,939	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,093	194.49/cwt	193.00–205.00	2,126	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,025	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	2,071	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	630	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	1,525	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	884	211.79/cwt	209.50–213.50	1,872	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,836	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	726	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,626	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	838	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	1,785	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	923	228.00/cwt	228.00–228.00	2,104	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	303	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	992	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	538	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,399	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,010	201.11/cwt	193.00–204.00	2,031	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	997	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	2,014	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	565	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,413	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	781	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	1,695	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	141.32/cwt	141.00–142.00	1,555	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,214	150.34/cwt	143.00–157.00	1,825	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,330	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	925	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	2,058	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	719	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,726	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,090	168.28/cwt	141.00–179.00	1,834	47
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	536	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,286	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	776	232.50/cwt	232.50–232.50	1,804	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	457	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,234	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	945	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	1,899	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	720	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,699	4
Steers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,192	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	2,193	5
Heifers	Medium 2	500–550	518	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,062	2
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	400–450	418	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	794	3
Steers	Medium 1-2	550–600	588	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	1,426	2
Heifers	Medium 1-2	500–550	536	230.71/cwt	230.00–232.50	1,237	10
Heifers	Medium 1	650–700	687	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,614	16
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,409	123.63/cwt	119.00–132.00	1,742	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,419	123.72/cwt	115.00–127.50	1,756	21
Bulls	Large 2	700–750	705	197.00/cwt	197.00–197.00	1,389	3
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,120	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	2,184	1
Steers	Large 1	1200–1250	1,205	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	2,241	1
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,081	196.21/cwt	192.00–200.00	2,121	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,218	141.42/cwt	141.00–143.00	1,722	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,162	122.29/cwt	118.00–124.00	1,421	29
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,650	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	4,002	1
Bulls	—	—	1,833	169.80/cwt	168.00–172.00	3,112	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,253	130.87/cwt	125.00–138.00	1,640	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,416	146.35/cwt	145.00–150.00	2,072	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,149	129.54/cwt	126.00–138.00	1,488	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,595	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	2,377	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,219	121.35/cwt	116.00–124.00	1,479	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,073	99.46/cwt	90.00–107.00	1,067	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,605	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	2,247	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,647	144.51/cwt	143.50–145.00	2,380	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,509	137.45/cwt	129.00–142.00	2,074	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,485	148.21/cwt	145.00–152.00	2,201	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	959	113.00/cwt	113.00–113.00	1,084	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	955	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,242	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,563	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	2,079	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,555	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	2,371	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,015	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	1,903	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	683	227.00/cwt	227.00–227.00	1,550	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	431	237.00/cwt	237.00–237.00	1,021	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	559	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,370	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	968	166.33/cwt	163.00–172.50	1,610	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	755	244.00/cwt	243.00–244.50	1,842	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,618	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,346	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,398	139.17/cwt	134.00–144.00	1,946	40
Bulls	—	—	1,934	162.04/cwt	154.50–167.50	3,134	42
Bulls	—	—	1,717	149.39/cwt	132.00–155.00	2,565	18
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,592	158.41/cwt	153.00–165.00	2,522	27
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,554	147.87/cwt	140.00–156.00	2,298	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 →