Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-09-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-09-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for limited offerings was good. CME positions posted strong triple digit gains today helping spur some demand for limited offerings. Light offerings did limited demand in some instances as buyers were not willing to start loads as this is the last sale of the week. Quality today was mostly average and most cattle were offered in small packages or as singles. Market activity was mostly slow to moderate this sale. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, steady to weak undertones were noticed. Feeding cows sold with steady undertones. Cow and bull quality was mostly average this week. Weigh up conditions were mixed today. Bull quality this sale was mostly average to attractive and better than last week. Demand for feeding bulls was light again this sale. Feeding bulls sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested this sale to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly average to attractive this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $244.44/cwt on 9 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −189.42 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$244.44

9 head · 565 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,380

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$178

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

$1.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−16.82

vs MT average

+7.43 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	523	245.00	1,281	4thin
Medium 1-2	598	244.00	1,459	5thin

One grade step is worth $1.00/cwt here — about −$178 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale9 hd

244.44

—

MT average3 barns · 38 hd

261.26

−16.82

National average181 barns · 11,482 hd

237.01

+7.43

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−189.42

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	1,716	149.11	2,559	37
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,639	133.79	2,193	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,396	130.31	1,819	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,114	118.90	1,325	29

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)	1,145	$1,643	8

Every lot, as filed

56 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
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,885	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	2,488	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,343	130.63/cwt	125.00–135.00	1,754	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,413	118.90/cwt	117.00–121.00	1,680	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	825	237.00/cwt	237.00–237.00	1,955	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	719	252.99/cwt	252.00–255.00	1,819	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	975	186.05/cwt	180.00–194.00	1,814	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,206	158.50/cwt	158.50–158.50	1,912	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,160	1,886.85/head	1,850.00–2,000.00	1,887	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	750	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,913	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,086	164.79/cwt	133.00–181.00	1,790	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	977	215.61/cwt	213.00–218.00	2,107	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	850–900	882	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	1,993	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	761	241.09/cwt	237.00–242.75	1,835	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	822	225.21/cwt	220.50–228.50	1,851	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	707	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,746	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	987	218.97/cwt	217.50–222.00	2,161	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	862	238.00/cwt	238.00–238.00	2,052	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,129	1,400.00/head	1,400.00–1,400.00	1,400	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	523	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,281	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	820	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,825	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	835	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	1,829	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	214.25/cwt	214.00–214.50	1,960	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	855	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,881	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	973	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	2,092	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	305	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,098	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,701	135.37/cwt	133.00–138.00	2,303	6
Bulls	—	—	1,579	146.39/cwt	143.00–148.00	2,311	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,405	138.59/cwt	124.00–145.00	1,947	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	817	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	776	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	962	116.72/cwt	115.00–120.00	1,123	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,143	115.64/cwt	109.00–121.00	1,322	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,192	125.47/cwt	122.00–134.00	1,496	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,535	137.82/cwt	137.00–138.00	2,116	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,447	126.21/cwt	125.00–128.50	1,826	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,149	113.50/cwt	106.00–118.00	1,304	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,070	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,412	1
Bulls	—	—	2,116	164.70/cwt	163.00–168.00	3,485	4
Bulls	—	—	1,864	153.05/cwt	150.00–161.00	2,853	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,530	134.99/cwt	134.00–136.00	2,065	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,265	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	1,455	1
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,238	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	2,117	2
Heifers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,150	193.50/cwt	193.50–193.50	2,225	4
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,073	200.50/cwt	200.50–200.50	2,151	2
Heifers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,100	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	2,134	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,527	127.67/cwt	127.00–129.00	1,950	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,580	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	2,244	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	876	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	2,067	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	737	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,798	5
Steers	Medium 1	600–650	633	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,646	2
Heifers	Medium 1-2	550–600	598	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,459	5
Heifers	Medium 1-2	650–700	663	239.51/cwt	238.00–241.00	1,588	4
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,137	190.33/cwt	190.00–192.00	2,164	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	950–1000	960	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	1,939	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,055	212.50/cwt	210.00–215.00	2,242	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	661	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,666	16
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	871	171.70/cwt	171.00–177.50	1,496	9

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 →