Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-11-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-11-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers calves were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. Yearlings were scarcely traded this sale thus no trend is available. Quality this sale was mostly plain to average and significantly lower than last week. Calves were offered mostly as singles or in small lots. Demand for calves was mostly light for light offerings. Market activity this sale was slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for mostly heavy offerings. Packers showed stronger demand again this week for cows destined for immediate harvest. All classes of slaughter cows sold 2.00-5.00 higher. The cutter cow cutout was sharply higher last week pushing cow values into the low 180's on a carcass value. Feeding cow demand remains good. Feeding cows sold mostly steady with the exception of thin cows which packers are storing for the holiday lull and feeders are buying to turn out or feed silage; these cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Young re-breed cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand and offerings. Young age cows were of mostly average quality this week. Offerings sold steady to 5.00 lower.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $131.53/cwt on 156 head.

Average price

$131.53

156 head · 602 lb average

Value per head Derived

$791

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$683

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

$22.53/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−12.05

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	477	136.53	651	22
Medium 1	409	136.43	558	14thin
Medium and Large 1	576	131.86	760	102
Large 1	1,020	120.83	1,233	15thin
Large 1-2	1,170	114.00	1,334	3thin

One grade step is worth $22.53/cwt here — about −$683 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 sale156 hd

131.53

—

MT average5 barns · 4,752 hd

143.58

−12.05

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	—	High	1,924	75.55	1,454	27
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,639	64.00	1,049	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,462	57.91	847	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,238	46.15	572	57

Every lot, as filed

63 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Mon)

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 1-2Unweaned	—	298	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	462	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	611	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	886	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	335	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	637	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	615	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	830	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	677	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	894	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	361	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	632	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	445	158.61/cwt	155.00–161.00	706	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	485	153.65/cwt	142.50–156.00	745	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,348	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	647	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	898	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,176	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	963	127.87/cwt	127.50–128.00	1,231	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	641	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	820	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	409	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	589	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	522	131.13/cwt	131.00–134.00	684	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	564	130.81/cwt	130.00–132.00	738	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	340	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	519	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	473	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	662	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	624	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	755	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	460	134.12/cwt	130.00–137.00	617	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	546	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	721	7
Steers	Large 1	—	1,018	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	1,354	2
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	497	128.50/cwt	128.50–128.50	639	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	365	183.51/cwt	183.00–185.00	670	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	494	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	781	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,283	60.65/cwt	56.00–66.00	778	20
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	683	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	861	6
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,061	117.50/cwt	117.00–119.50	1,247	5
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,000	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,225	10
Heifers	Large 1-2	—	1,170	114.00/cwt	114.00–114.00	1,334	3
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	321	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	482	4
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	420	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	546	5
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	469	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	619	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	908	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,171	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,425	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	784	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,072	850.00/cwt	850.00–850.00	9,112	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,273	46.00/cwt	46.00–46.00	586	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,334	52.73/cwt	49.50–64.00	703	67
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,394	61.61/cwt	54.00–68.00	859	109
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,037	74.97/cwt	70.00–87.50	777	38
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,133	69.25/cwt	62.50–72.50	785	41
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,229	49.35/cwt	45.00–53.00	607	122
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,231	52.28/cwt	51.00–54.00	644	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,013	56.17/cwt	49.00–62.00	569	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,105	53.00/cwt	53.00–53.00	586	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,530	52.00/cwt	52.00–52.00	796	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	930	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	674	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,187	54.62/cwt	53.00–55.50	648	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	573	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	854	7
Bulls	—	—	2,153	83.27/cwt	83.00–83.50	1,793	7
Bulls	—	—	1,767	67.75/cwt	58.00–72.50	1,197	9
Bulls	—	—	1,907	77.02/cwt	75.00–81.00	1,469	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,530	67.60/cwt	64.00–71.00	1,034	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,537	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	738	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,440	58.56/cwt	54.50–61.00	843	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,730	69.50/cwt	69.50–69.50	1,202	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,578	60.53/cwt	60.00–61.00	955	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,605	64.61/cwt	63.00–66.00	1,037	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	1,970	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	1,182	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,214	36.87/cwt	33.00–38.00	448	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,277	54.53/cwt	52.00–56.00	696	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,252	46.54/cwt	41.00–52.00	583	42
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	870	40.00/cwt	40.00–40.00	348	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	910	33.00/cwt	33.00–33.00	300	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 →