Sale reports / Montana / Billings Livestock Commission / 2020-12-14

Billings Livestock Commission

Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Mon, Dec 14
● Final48 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1775
Slaughter Cattle receipts
490 head
845 vs last sale 1,335 330 vs year ago 160 · +206.3%
Replacement Cattle receipts
3,088 head
2,700 vs last sale 388 2,322 vs year ago 766 · +303.1%
Also sold hereRegular saleThu Aug 13, 2026
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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Billings livestock commission held their Annual Northland stock cow sale today. Buyers filled the stands throughout the day as they bid on a heavy offering of bred cows. Demand was mostly moderate today with moderate to good demand seen at times. Quality was mostly average to attractive. Bred heifers were mostly pasture bred with a few A.I. heifers on offer as well. A.I. Heifers sold with the best demand. Solid and broken mouth cows sold on moderate to good demand throughout the sale. Demand for April and later calving cows was good throughout the day. Many ranchers have backed up caving dates due to poor calving weather and heavy death losses seen over the past few years. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers opted to send most cows to harvest this week. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher on all classes. Feeding cows sold generally steady. Slaughter bulls were scarcely traded. 2 year old to young age cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand. This class of cows sold 5.00 higher.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt
Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.
ClassGradeDressingAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
BullsHigh1,73574.501,2932thin
CowsBreaker 75-80%Average1,55559.9993327
CowsBoner 80-85%Low1,39751.3371753
CowsLean 85-90%Average1,15245.18520126

Every lot, as filed

48 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.
ClassGrade / descriptionWeightAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Bulls1,81584.00/cwt84.00–84.001,5251
Bulls1,65565.00/cwt65.00–65.001,0761
CowsLean 85-90%1,26851.62/cwt50.50–54.006556
CowsLean 85-90%1,15344.68/cwt41.00–50.0051577
CowsLean 85-90%1,14939.02/cwt34.00–41.0044815
CowsLean 85-90%Light Weight87035.00/cwt35.00–35.003051
Stock CowsMedium and Large 11,02973.46/cwt68.50–76.0075619
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,1741,296.27/cwt1,200.00–1,350.0015,218110
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,308900.00/cwt900.00–900.0011,7723
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,121835.00/cwt835.00–835.009,36011
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2931,300.00/cwt1,300.00–1,300.0016,80912
Stock CowsMedium and Large 188283.00/cwt76.00–85.5073293
Stock CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed86277.00/cwt77.00–77.006643
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 11,1781,300.00/cwt1,300.00–1,300.0015,3146
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2301,000.00/cwt1,000.00–1,000.0012,3001
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2031,425.18/cwt1,300.00–1,550.0017,145469
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS1,245760.00/cwt760.00–760.009,4629
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2781,029.47/cwt1,000.00–1,075.0013,15728
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 11,2041,300.00/cwt1,300.00–1,300.0015,65216
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 11,0131,413.78/cwt1,285.00–1,625.0014,322376
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 1Registered1,0251,585.00/cwt1,585.00–1,585.0016,2463
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,284774.65/cwt760.00–800.009,94725
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,294880.67/cwt800.00–925.0011,39633
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,3051,232.87/cwt1,100.00–1,450.0016,089178
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth1,341748.59/cwt710.00–775.0010,03919
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,444961.40/cwt810.00–1,110.0013,88330
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,2931,250.00/cwt1,250.00–1,250.0016,16322
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,338775.00/cwt775.00–775.0010,37012
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,277859.68/cwt725.00–985.0010,978440
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,237713.83/cwt710.00–725.008,83019
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2251,143.63/cwt1,075.00–1,200.0014,00940
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2721,005.47/cwt950.00–1,250.0012,790227
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS1,290979.76/cwt810.00–1,085.0012,63922
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,296910.00/cwt910.00–910.0011,79411
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,303888.64/cwt775.00–925.0011,57933
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed9661,104.22/cwt950.00–1,200.0010,66729
CowsBoner 80-85%Return to Feed1,30250.06/cwt48.00–51.006523
CowsBreaker 75-80%1,52861.74/cwt61.50–64.5094315
CowsBreaker 75-80%1,56557.70/cwt55.00–60.0090311
Bred CowsLarge 11,421885.00/cwt885.00–885.0012,5766
Bred HeifersMedium 1817973.53/cwt925.00–1,000.007,95416
Bred HeifersMedium 18371,183.43/cwt1,025.00–1,250.009,905185
CowsLean 85-90%Return to Feed1,24152.39/cwt52.00–54.006508
CowsLean 85-90%Return to Feed1,08947.56/cwt45.00–50.0051819
CowsBreaker 75-80%Return to Feed1,84559.00/cwt59.00–59.001,0891
CowsBoner 80-85%1,40052.50/cwt51.50–55.0073516
CowsBoner 80-85%1,38648.28/cwt45.50–51.0066923
CowsBoner 80-85%Return to Feed1,44356.34/cwt52.50–61.0081311

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.