Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-11-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-11-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers calves were too lightly tested in any weight category to develop any market trend. Yearlings were scarcely traded this sale thus no trend is available. Quality this sale was mostly plain to average. Calves were offered mostly as singles or in small lots. Demand for calves was mostly light to moderate for light offerings. Market activity this sale was slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for mostly heavy offerings. Packers showed light to moderate demand this week for cows destined for immediate harvest. All classes of slaughter cows sold generally steady. The cutter cow cutout continues its march higher driven by very good demand for lean grinding materials. The cow cutout as of today's close is 186.24, 1.17 higher than Fridays value. Imported supplies of lean trimmings from Australia and New Zealand are light and prices are a large premium to domestic prices. High imported lean trimming prices have helped improve domestic prices as some domestic buyers use least cost formulas which allows them to switch to domestic product when import prices are too high. Despite higher meat prices, packers have been able to continue to purchase cows near steady for the last few weeks due to large slaughter numbers. The latest data from USDA F.S.I.S. shows beef cow harvest over 70,000 for the week ending Nov. 2nd. This is the largest beef cow slaughter numbers since the end of the southern drought in May 2013. Total cow and bull harvest for week ending Nov 2nd was 146,888. Feeding cows sold steady on all classes. The best demand for feeding cows continues to be large framed, heavy muscled cows with some flesh. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Young re-breed cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand and light to moderate offerings. Young age cows were of mostly average to attractive quality this week. Offerings sold with higher undertones.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $145.63/cwt on 144 head.

Average price

$145.63

144 head · 601 lb average

Value per head Derived

$875

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$698

per head · Medium 1 over Large 1

$37.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−12.83

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	407	169.00	688	11thin
Medium and Large 2	418	149.00	623	8thin
Medium and Large 1-2	683	146.05	998	29
Medium and Large 1	586	144.70	848	79
Small and Medium 1	700	132.60	928	15thin
Large 1	1,050	132.00	1,386	2thin

One grade step is worth $37.00/cwt here — about −$698 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 sale144 hd

145.63

—

MT average5 barns · 5,425 hd

158.46

−12.83

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	2,100	72.50	1,523	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,744	58.35	1,018	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,520	56.61	860	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,199	45.14	541	13

Every lot, as filed

57 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	545	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	790	7
Steers	Small and Medium 1	—	740	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	962	2
Steers	Small and Medium 1	—	694	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	923	13
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,319	51.81/cwt	51.00–54.50	683	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	513	131.17/cwt	130.00–132.00	673	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	382	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	554	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	489	133.25/cwt	130.00–134.00	652	21
Steers	Large 1Full	—	1,050	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,386	2
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	407	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	688	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	866	139.50/cwt	139.50–139.50	1,208	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	467	160.54/cwt	157.50–161.00	750	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	530	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	795	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	633	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	886	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	575	144.76/cwt	144.00–147.00	832	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	974	135.50/cwt	135.50–135.50	1,320	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	363	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	606	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,025	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	564	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	368	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	607	3
Bulls	—	—	2,100	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	1,523	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,000	59.50/cwt	59.50–59.50	1,190	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,300	51.92/cwt	51.00–53.00	675	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,443	49.24/cwt	48.50–50.00	711	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,529	54.50/cwt	54.50–54.50	833	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,538	60.82/cwt	59.50–61.50	935	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,665	62.96/cwt	62.50–63.50	1,048	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,627	54.50/cwt	54.50–54.50	887	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,125	35.00/cwt	35.00–35.00	394	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,186	44.80/cwt	42.50–48.00	531	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	575	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	725	4
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	548	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	701	3
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,027	128.83/cwt	128.50–129.00	1,323	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	588	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	717	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	345	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	612	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	975	113.00/cwt	113.00–113.00	1,102	2
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,013	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,205	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	573	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	774	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	418	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	623	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	446	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	740	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	656	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	905	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	622	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	840	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	598	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	849	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,189	49.69/cwt	48.00–50.50	591	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,272	48.08/cwt	47.00–49.00	612	13
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,265	56.70/cwt	54.00–62.50	717	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,155	66.37/cwt	59.00–75.00	767	25
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	914	85.25/cwt	70.00–93.00	779	68
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,406	61.73/cwt	53.50–68.50	868	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	836	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	1,179	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	618	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	859	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	445	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	645	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	560	131.50/cwt	131.50–131.50	736	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	513	132.89/cwt	132.00–133.00	682	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	729	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	889	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	493	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	705	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	695	125.67/cwt	125.00–126.00	873	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	518	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	725	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	875	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,190	4

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 →