Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2022-11-14
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-11-14

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested either this week or last week to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly light for light offerings. Quality today was mostly plain. Snowy conditions were seen much of the morning and many cattle looked stressed and dirty. Package sizes were mostly small today with many singles on offer. Market activity was mostly slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Slaughter cows sold fully steady on all classes. Packers opted to send most of the cow offering to feed, either short term feed for the upcoming holidays or high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white. Both short term feeding cows and high quality feeding cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold steady in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Demand was mostly moderate.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $157.98/cwt on 200 head.

Average price

$157.98

200 head · 655 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,035

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$894

per head · Medium and Large 2 over Large 1

$20.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−28.62

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	394	162.50	640	7thin
Medium and Large 1-2	480	160.23	769	33
Medium and Large 1	682	159.37	1,087	139
Medium 1	585	145.00	848	10thin
Large 1	1,077	142.50	1,535	11thin

One grade step is worth $20.00/cwt here — about −$894 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 sale200 hd

157.98

—

MT average5 barns · 2,877 hd

186.60

−28.62

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	1,714	84.98	1,456	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,620	77.15	1,250	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,414	72.90	1,030	124
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,144	59.16	677	77

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/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,020	$1,350	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,199	$1,310	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,359	$1,004	10
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,204	$950	4thin

Every lot, as filed

58 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 1Unweaned	—	517	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,060	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	750	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	1,170	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	493	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	887	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	403	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	887	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	610	159.50/cwt	159.50–159.50	973	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	926	158.75/cwt	158.75–158.75	1,470	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	452	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	723	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	394	162.50/cwt	162.50–162.50	640	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	510	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	882	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	272	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	490	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	704	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	957	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,208	1,300.00/head	1,300.00–1,300.00	1,300	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,390	65.50/cwt	65.50–65.50	910	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,185	1,325.00/head	1,325.00–1,325.00	1,325	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,020	1,350.00/head	1,350.00–1,350.00	1,350	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,204	950.00/head	950.00–950.00	950	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,048	65.09/cwt	63.50–67.00	682	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	929	108.61/cwt	81.00–117.00	1,009	35
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,097	82.89/cwt	71.00–107.00	909	32
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,359	1,032.96/head	1,010.00–1,075.00	1,033	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,360	960.00/head	960.00–960.00	960	4
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,280	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,075	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,165	89.50/cwt	89.50–89.50	1,043	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,290	63.00/cwt	63.00–63.00	813	1
Bulls	—	—	1,878	91.02/cwt	87.00–96.50	1,709	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,142	65.35/cwt	64.00–71.00	746	25
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,170	73.00/cwt	73.00–73.00	854	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,242	62.48/cwt	61.50–64.00	776	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	905	45.50/cwt	45.50–45.50	412	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	915	33.00/cwt	33.00–33.00	302	1
Bulls	—	—	1,963	83.06/cwt	77.50–86.50	1,630	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,469	75.67/cwt	75.00–77.00	1,112	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,426	67.81/cwt	66.00–74.00	967	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,741	81.50/cwt	81.50–81.50	1,419	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,120	43.00/cwt	43.00–43.00	482	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,385	62.76/cwt	57.50–66.50	869	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,134	57.74/cwt	54.50–62.00	655	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,418	77.65/cwt	66.00–80.00	1,101	73
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,131	55.18/cwt	51.50–60.50	624	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,423	61.77/cwt	55.50–64.00	879	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,812	74.79/cwt	73.50–77.50	1,355	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,424	80.50/cwt	80.25–82.50	1,146	9
Heifers	Medium 1Fleshy	—	585	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	848	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	584	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	1,010	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	733	156.50/cwt	156.50–156.50	1,147	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	485	216.56/cwt	210.00–218.00	1,050	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	376	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	837	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	644	166.50/cwt	166.50–166.50	1,072	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	653	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	940	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	503	192.35/cwt	180.00–198.00	968	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	555	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	849	4
Steers	Medium 1	—	736	150.21/cwt	150.00–150.50	1,106	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	522	157.51/cwt	156.00–158.00	822	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	861	160.50/cwt	160.50–160.50	1,382	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	562	149.50/cwt	149.50–149.50	840	9
Heifers	Large 1Fleshy	—	1,077	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,535	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	470	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	881	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	725	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,124	2

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 →