Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2023-10-09
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-10-09

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

This is the first Monday sale of the fall thus no comparisons can be made on feeder cattle. Feeder cattle sold on light to moderate demand for light offerings. All feeders were offered in small packages or as singles. Quality today was mostly plain. Market activity was slow to moderate with a small buyer pool on hand for todays sale. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand and light offerings. All cow and bull comparisons are to Thursdays sale. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to weak on all offerings in a narrow comparison. Feeding cows sold steady to weak as well. Slaughter bulls sold steady to weak in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold fully steady.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $252.93/cwt on 151 head.

Average price

$252.93

151 head · 594 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,501

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$556

per head · Medium and Large 1-2 over Small and Medium 2-3

$116.25/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.43

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	446	266.25	1,188	54
Medium and Large 1	679	252.25	1,714	87
Medium 1	672	244.00	1,640	3thin
Large 1	1,153	193.50	2,231	2thin
Small and Medium 2-3	421	150.00	632	5thin

One grade step is worth $116.25/cwt here — about $556 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 sale151 hd

252.93

—

MT average5 barns · 2,231 hd

252.50

+0.43

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	1,825	107.80	1,967	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,598	105.56	1,687	37
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,401	97.61	1,368	94
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,192	85.92	1,024	58

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)	1,257	$1,500	3thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,342	$1,500	3thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,113	$1,475	2thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,275	$1,168	46

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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	590	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,416	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	476	254.98/cwt	245.00–262.50	1,214	10
Steers	Small and Medium 2-3Unweaned	—	343	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	463	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	998	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	2,206	3
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,153	193.50/cwt	193.50–193.50	2,231	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	—	1,095	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	1,938	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	743	250.50/cwt	250.50–250.50	1,861	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	343	293.06/cwt	272.50–300.00	1,005	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,015	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,132	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	323	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,050	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	384	275.56/cwt	210.00–287.50	1,058	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	460	287.33/cwt	270.00–291.00	1,322	38
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	618	234.50/cwt	234.50–234.50	1,449	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	760	250.50/cwt	250.50–250.50	1,904	12
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	339	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	797	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	470	269.00/cwt	269.00–269.00	1,264	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	542	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,396	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	607	264.18/cwt	263.00–265.00	1,604	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	513	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	1,426	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	383	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	938	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	487	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,242	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	567	262.85/cwt	256.00–270.00	1,490	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	526	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	1,433	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	369	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,162	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	645	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,661	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	926	214.25/cwt	214.00–216.00	1,984	8
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,190	162.50/cwt	162.50–162.50	1,934	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	421	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,158	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	348	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,061	2
Heifers	Medium 1	—	672	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,640	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	515	239.04/cwt	237.50–245.00	1,231	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	573	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,404	5
Heifers	Small and Medium 2-3Unweaned	—	421	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	632	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	412	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,133	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,194	950.00/head	950.00–950.00	950	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,257	1,500.00/head	1,500.00–1,500.00	1,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,290	1,207.33/head	1,100.00–1,375.00	1,207	39
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,342	1,500.00/head	1,500.00–1,500.00	1,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,113	1,475.00/head	1,475.00–1,475.00	1,475	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,152	118.98/cwt	102.00–140.00	1,371	19
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,094	158.43/cwt	144.00–174.00	1,733	8
Bulls	—	—	1,699	103.13/cwt	99.50–105.00	1,752	7
Bulls	—	—	1,925	110.03/cwt	106.00–116.00	2,118	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,593	99.72/cwt	99.00–103.00	1,589	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,495	110.85/cwt	106.50–112.00	1,657	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,240	96.50/cwt	96.50–96.50	1,197	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,361	95.16/cwt	93.00–97.50	1,295	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,400	91.33/cwt	85.00–95.00	1,279	34
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	985	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	936	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,430	62.50/cwt	62.50–62.50	894	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,293	97.09/cwt	97.00–98.00	1,255	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,447	99.37/cwt	97.00–104.00	1,438	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,797	106.30/cwt	105.00–108.50	1,910	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,651	101.21/cwt	95.00–104.50	1,671	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,182	84.68/cwt	77.00–95.00	1,001	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,101	70.25/cwt	62.50–75.00	773	6
Bulls	—	—	2,065	119.68/cwt	117.00–122.00	2,471	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,401	103.72/cwt	98.00–109.50	1,453	42

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 →