Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were scarcely tested this week, thus no trend can be established. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Quality was mostly plain to average. Recent rains have slowed the volume of feeders being marketed as range and pasture conditions are in good to very good condition across the eastern portion of the state. Market activity this week was mostly slow to moderate. Weigh up cows comprised most of the offering today. Slaughter cows sold on very good demand. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher on all classes. Demand from western packers is very good as cows in western states are running mostly 15.00-20.00 cwt higher than cows in Montana which has helped improve prices here as they push to gain market share. Feeding cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher as increased feeding demand helped push high quality feeding cow prices higher. Cow prices improved as the sale progressed. Weigh up conditions continue to be in buyers favor as cows are mostly slicked off and very empty. Weights have improved drastically over the past few weeks as cows are starting to flesh up and many are one grade higher than they were just 2-3 weeks ago. Cow quality this week was mostly very attractive with many long strings of cows off reputation ranches. Many of these large ranches continue to brand calves and gather cows which lost calves in spring snow storms and bring them to market. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher as packers and feeding buyers competed over bulls. Young age cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Quality was average to attractive this week. This class continues to improve as buyers are looking for young cows to turnout as many speculate on continued market improvement.
| Frame / muscle | Avg wt | $/cwt | $/head | Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium and Large 1 | 750 | 146.48 | 1,099 | 37 |
| Large 1 | 1,030 | 111.00 | 1,143 | 1thin |
| Class | Grade | Dressing | Avg wt | $/cwt | $/head | Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulls | — | Average | 1,675 | 106.57 | 1,785 | 68 |
| Cows | Breaker 75-80% | High | 1,559 | 85.46 | 1,332 | 78 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85% | High | 1,388 | 84.49 | 1,173 | 438 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90% | Average | 1,192 | 80.35 | 958 | 162 |
| Class | Grade / description | Weight | Avg wt | Price | Range | Per head | Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cows | Boner 80-85%Return to Feed | — | 1,386 | 84.83/cwt | 83.00–89.50 | 1,176 | 194 |
| Bulls | —Return to Feed | — | 1,559 | 104.59/cwt | 100.00–108.00 | 1,631 | 13 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90% | — | 1,167 | 78.32/cwt | 74.50–82.50 | 914 | 70 |
| Cows | Breaker 75-80% | — | 1,520 | 86.27/cwt | 85.50–88.00 | 1,311 | 31 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85%Return to Feed | — | 1,379 | 82.79/cwt | 81.00–84.00 | 1,142 | 46 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85%Return to Feed | — | 1,370 | 73.00/cwt | 73.00–73.00 | 1,000 | 1 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90% | — | 1,250 | 83.39/cwt | 82.00–85.50 | 1,042 | 17 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90%Return to Feed | — | 1,290 | 82.46/cwt | 81.00–84.00 | 1,064 | 15 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90%Return to Feed | — | 1,215 | 84.15/cwt | 82.00–87.00 | 1,022 | 45 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85% | — | 1,420 | 73.50/cwt | 73.50–73.50 | 1,044 | 1 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85% | — | 1,371 | 80.72/cwt | 75.00–82.50 | 1,107 | 21 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90%Light Weight | — | 945 | 73.50/cwt | 73.50–73.50 | 695 | 1 |
| Cows | Breaker 75-80% | — | 1,559 | 84.77/cwt | 81.50–85.00 | 1,322 | 24 |
| Cows | Boner 80-85% | — | 1,395 | 85.15/cwt | 83.50–88.00 | 1,188 | 175 |
| Cows | Lean 85-90% | — | 1,089 | 72.88/cwt | 71.00–73.50 | 794 | 14 |
| Cows | Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed | — | 1,593 | 85.54/cwt | 85.50–85.75 | 1,363 | 20 |
| Cows | Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed | — | 1,727 | 82.00/cwt | 82.00–82.00 | 1,416 | 3 |
| Bulls | — | — | 1,598 | 104.38/cwt | 99.50–108.50 | 1,668 | 30 |
| Bulls | — | — | 1,967 | 112.94/cwt | 108.50–119.00 | 2,222 | 19 |
| Bulls | —Return to Feed | — | 1,518 | 93.33/cwt | 92.00–95.00 | 1,417 | 3 |
| Bulls | —Return to Feed | — | 1,253 | 110.00/cwt | 110.00–110.00 | 1,378 | 3 |
| Stock Cows | Medium and Large 1 | — | 1,068 | 109.49/cwt | 100.00–123.00 | 1,169 | 30 |
| Stock Cows | Medium and Large 1 | — | 1,121 | 99.85/cwt | 84.00–113.50 | 1,119 | 79 |
| Steers | Medium and Large 1 | — | 810 | 148.51/cwt | 148.00–149.00 | 1,203 | 2 |
| Heifers | Medium and Large 1-2 | — | 570 | 162.15/cwt | 159.00–168.00 | 924 | 8 |
| Heifers | Medium and Large 1 | — | 628 | 160.47/cwt | 156.50–164.00 | 1,008 | 13 |
| Heifers | Medium and Large 1 | — | 765 | 145.86/cwt | 145.00–146.00 | 1,116 | 7 |
| Heifers | Medium and Large 1-2 | — | 496 | 173.50/cwt | 173.50–173.50 | 861 | 5 |
| Heifers | Medium and Large 1 | — | 700 | 149.00/cwt | 149.00–149.00 | 1,043 | 2 |
| Bulls | Medium and Large 1 | — | 884 | 132.50/cwt | 132.50–132.50 | 1,171 | 5 |
| Bulls | Medium and Large 1 | — | 935 | 114.00/cwt | 114.00–114.00 | 1,066 | 1 |
| Bulls | Large 1 | — | 1,030 | 111.00/cwt | 111.00–111.00 | 1,143 | 1 |
| Bulls | Medium and Large 1 | — | 727 | 149.46/cwt | 148.00–151.00 | 1,087 | 29 |
| Bulls | Medium and Large 1 | — | 663 | 154.50/cwt | 154.50–154.50 | 1,024 | 2 |
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were scarcely tested this week, thus no trend can be established. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Quality was mostly plain to average. Recent rains have slowed the volume of feeders being marketed as range and pasture conditions are in good to very good condition across the eastern portion of the state. Market activity this week was mostly slow to moderate. Weigh up cows comprised most of the offering today. Slaughter cows sold on very good demand. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher on all classes. Demand from western packers is very good as cows in western states are running mostly 15.00-20.00 cwt higher than cows in Montana which has helped improve prices here as they push to gain market share. Feeding cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher as increased feeding demand helped push high quality feeding cow prices higher. Cow prices improved as the sale progressed. Weigh up conditions continue to be in buyers favor as cows are mostly slicked off and very empty. Weights have improved drastically over the past few weeks as cows are starting to flesh up and many are one grade higher than they were just 2-3 weeks ago. Cow quality this week was mostly very attractive with many long strings of cows off reputation ranches. Many of these large ranches continue to brand calves and gather cows which lost calves in spring snow storms and bring them to market. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher as packers and feeding buyers competed over bulls. Young age cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Quality was average to attractive this week. This class continues to improve as buyers are looking for young cows to turnout as many speculate on continued market improvement.
| Head | Wt range | Avg wt | Price range | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 194 | — | 1,386 | 83.00–89.50 | 84.83 |
| 46 | — | 1,379 | 81.00–84.00 | 82.79 |
| 1 | — | 1,370 | 73.00 | 73.00 |
| Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 70 | — | 1,167 | 74.50–82.50 | 78.32 |
| 17 | — | 1,250 | 82.00–85.50 | 83.39 |
| 14 | — | 1,089 | 71.00–73.50 | 72.88 |
| Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 31 | — | 1,520 | 85.50–88.00 | 86.27 |
| 24 | — | 1,559 | 81.50–85.00 | 84.77 |
| Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 15 | — | 1,290 | 81.00–84.00 | 82.46 |
| 45 | — | 1,215 | 82.00–87.00 | 84.15 |
| Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 1 | — | 1,420 | 73.50 | 73.50 |
| 21 | — | 1,371 | 75.00–82.50 | 80.72 |
| 175 | — | 1,395 | 83.50–88.00 | 85.15 |
| Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 1 | — | 945 | 73.50 | 73.50 |
| Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 20 | — | 1,593 | 85.50–85.75 | 85.54 |
| 3 | — | 1,727 | 82.00 | 82.00 |
| Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 13 | — | 1,559 | 100.00–108.00 | 104.59 |
| 3 | — | 1,518 | 92.00–95.00 | 93.33 |
| 3 | — | 1,253 | 110.00 | 110.00 |
| Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 30 | — | 1,598 | 99.50–108.50 | 104.38 |
| 19 | — | 1,967 | 108.50–119.00 | 112.94 |
| Age | Stage | Head | Wt range | Avg wt | Price range | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||||
| (<2 yrs) | Open | 30 | — | 1,068 | 100.00–123.00 | 109.49 |
| Young (2-4 yrs) | Open | 79 | — | 1,121 | 84.00–113.50 | 99.85 |
| Head | Wt range | Avg wt | Price range | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 2 | — | 810 | 148.00–149.00 | 148.51 |
| Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 8 | — | 570 | 159.00–168.00 | 162.15 |
| 5 | — | 496 | 173.50 | 173.50 |
| Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 13 | — | 628 | 156.50–164.00 | 160.47 |
| 7 | — | 765 | 145.00–146.00 | 145.86 |
| 2 | — | 700 | 149.00 | 149.00 |
| Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 5 | — | 884 | 132.50 | 132.50 |
| 1 | — | 935 | 114.00 | 114.00 |
| 29 | — | 727 | 148.00–151.00 | 149.46 |
| 2 | — | 663 | 154.50 | 154.50 |
| Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt | ||||
| 1 | — | 1,030 | 111.00 | 111.00 |