Sale reports / Montana / Billings Livestock Commission / 2022-12-12

Billings Livestock Commission

Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Mon, Dec 12
● Final58 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1775
Slaughter Cattle receipts
460 head
72 vs last sale 532 82 vs year ago 378 · +21.7%
Replacement Cattle receipts
3,562 head
3,307 vs last sale 255 1,263 vs year ago 2,299 · +54.9%
Also sold hereRegular saleThu Aug 13, 2026
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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were not tested this week due to the annual Northland stock cow sale. Todays sale featured a heavy offering of bred cows and heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good for heavy offerings as over 4,000 offerings were preg checked for todays sale. Quality was mixed from plain to very attractive. A limited offering of young cows were seen this sale as the offering was heavy to the 7 years old cows and older. Demand for older cows was mostly good as several buyers were competitive as they bid on solid and broken mouth cows. Many sets of cows had been on feed and were in mostly moderate flesh. Demand for heifers was moderate to good. Most heifers were pasture bred as AI'ed offerings were light this sale. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-4.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold unevenly steady. High quality feeding cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on a lower quality offering. Short term feeding cows sold unevenly steady from 1.00 lower to 2.00 higher. Demand was uneven as prices started the sale higher and ended the sale lower as feeding buyers filled loads and exited the market. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was not as attractive as last week and fewer takers were seen for this class of cows.

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
BullsAverage1,80778.401,41715
CowsBreaker 75-80%High1,58268.041,07635
CowsBoner 80-85%Low1,38560.27835105
CowsLean 85-90%Very Low1,22155.26675182

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 $/cwt figures above.
ClassStageAgeAvg wt$/headHead
Bred Cows2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)Young (2-4 yrs)1,245$1,793234
Bred Cows2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Young (2-4 yrs)1,213$1,703182
Bred Cows2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1,314$1,479106
Bred Cows2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1,366$1,44167
Bred Cows1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)Young (2-4 yrs)1,227$1,343124
Bred Cows3rd Stage (7-9 mo)Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1,519$1,3254thin
Bred Cows1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1,421$1,24335
Bred Cows2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1,400$1,236200
Bred Cows2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1,367$1,193262
Bred Cows1st Stage (1-3 mo)Young (2-4 yrs)1,192$1,1559
Bred Cows1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1,292$1,11547
Bred Cows2nd Stage (4-6 mo)Aged (>8 yrs)1,362$1,030365
Bred Cows2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)Aged (>8 yrs)1,363$952132
Bred Cows1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)Aged (>8 yrs)1,337$86622
Bred Heifers2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)(<2 yrs)961$1,647592
Bred Heifers2nd Stage (4-6 mo)(<2 yrs)944$1,588209
Bred Heifers3rd Stage (7-9 mo)(<2 yrs)911$1,524175
Bred Heifers1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)(<2 yrs)967$1,38723
Stock CowsOpen(<2 yrs)1,041$7811

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.
ClassGrade / descriptionWeightAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,308855.26/head835.00–875.0085517
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,251800.00/head800.00–800.008007
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,3401,460.26/head1,300.00–1,550.001,46054
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2011,767.42/head1,500.00–1,885.001,767151
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,5191,325.00/head1,325.00–1,325.001,3254
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,4721,360.00/head1,360.00–1,360.001,36013
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,4211,243.00/head1,075.00–1,300.001,24335
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,299923.69/head875.00–950.0092424
Bred HeifersMedium 18951,442.38/head1,400.00–1,475.001,44238
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 19821,695.12/head1,550.00–1,835.001,695491
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 19531,597.16/head1,435.00–1,635.001,597110
Bred CowsMedium 11,067960.00/head960.00–960.0096022
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,286869.83/head825.00–910.0087032
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS1,0131,360.00/head1,360.00–1,360.001,3607
Stock CowsMedium and Large 11,06284.74/cwt81.00–89.5090016
Stock CowsMedium and Large 11,23075.26/cwt71.00–86.009264
Bred HeifersMedium 18581,413.68/head1,335.00–1,450.001,414101
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,3641,034.73/head910.00–1,375.001,035358
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS1,1921,366.41/head1,200.00–1,485.001,3669
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 19671,386.81/head1,250.00–1,400.001,38723
Bred HeifersMedium 18391,400.00/head1,400.00–1,400.001,40065
Bred HeifersMedium and Large 19531,631.33/head1,600.00–1,750.001,631164
Stock CowsMedium and Large 1-21,04178.00/head78.00–78.007811
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,4161,294.71/head1,135.00–1,400.001,295168
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,4251,082.03/head1,050.00–1,200.001,08231
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Thin Fleshed1,1301,400.00/head1,400.00–1,400.001,4003
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,337866.37/head800.00–900.0086622
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1Broken Mouth1,389988.56/head950.00–1,125.0098998
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,1451,300.76/head1,235.00–1,325.001,3018
CowsBoner 80-85%1,39757.39/cwt53.00–63.0080249
CowsBreaker 75-80%Return to Feed1,51579.25/cwt79.25–79.251,2011
CowsLean 85-90%1,14937.05/cwt33.25–44.0042613
CowsLean 85-90%1,19752.25/cwt47.00–56.5062529
CowsBoner 80-85%Return to Feed1,37460.21/cwt51.50–64.0082727
CowsBoner 80-85%Return to Feed1,33864.94/cwt63.50–67.5086918
CowsBreaker 75-80%Return to Feed1,56567.00/cwt67.00–67.001,0491
CowsBoner 80-85%1,43265.61/cwt64.00–67.2594011
CowsLean 85-90%Return to Feed1,18554.75/cwt47.00–57.0064955
CowsLean 85-90%Return to Feed1,11574.00/cwt74.00–74.008252
CowsBreaker 75-80%1,58772.92/cwt68.50–78.251,15713
CowsBreaker 75-80%1,61463.10/cwt57.50–67.501,01817
CowsLean 85-90%1,28560.99/cwt56.00–63.5078435
CowsLean 85-90%Return to Feed1,25357.62/cwt56.00–65.5072248
CowsBreaker 75-80%Return to Feed1,40271.50/cwt71.50–71.501,0023
Bulls1,80984.88/cwt84.50–85.501,5354
Bulls1,71573.61/cwt65.00–80.001,2629
BullsCanadian Origin2,00082.00/cwt82.00–82.001,6401
BullsCanadian Origin2,43592.00/cwt92.00–92.002,2401
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,4871,160.00/head1,160.00–1,160.001,1607
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2111,353.74/head1,200.00–1,475.001,354117
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,373950.00/head950.00–950.009508
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2921,115.29/head850.00–1,210.001,11547
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,270835.00/head835.00–835.0083517
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,1921,154.75/head1,150.00–1,200.001,1559
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,2531,834.52/head1,500.00–2,000.001,835214
Bred CowsMedium and Large 1-21,2721,391.91/head1,050.00–1,460.001,39231
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,3791,615.43/head1,235.00–1,950.001,61584
Bred CowsMedium and Large 11,3711,261.60/head1,100.00–1,525.001,262199

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.