Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-10-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-10-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Friday: All yearlings were scarcely tested thus no trend is available. Steer calves under 600 lbs sold 2.00-5.00 higher, over 600 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher. Heifer calves under 600 lbs sold generally steady, over 600 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand was mostly moderate to good on moderate to heavy offerings. Calf quality this sale was mostly average to very attractive. Heavy weight calves were especially attractive this week and sold with the best demand. Demand for calves suitable to run on grass was good with several buyers purchasing this class of cows. Calves too heavy for grass and too light to finish by April were the soft spot of the sale. These cattle sold on uneven demand. Trucking is unprecedently tight as many cattle are moving in the country. Cows, video cattle, as well as regular fall marketing's are all trying to find transportation all at the same time. This has tightened transportation even more than usual. Additionally, many feeders who usually feed cattle in the state have sold their feed and pen space to ranchers who have put their cows in the feedlot for winter. Local buyers who would normally purchase calves to feed are now out of the market and these calves have to find new homes in states with lower cost feed. Market activity this week was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on very light to light demand. Prices were sharply lower than last week as packers have backed way off prices due to heavy supplies from drought areas. Lean cows sold mostly 8.00-10.00 lower, boning cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower, breaking cows not tested. Feeding cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Cows were mostly very thin this sale. Weight up conditions were mostly below average with many cows tanking up off fresh clean water and good feed when they enter the yards. Young age cows sold on mostly good demand. Prices were generally steady.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $177.49/cwt on 1,785 head.

Average price

$177.49

1,785 head · 516 lb average

Value per head Derived

$917

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

per head · Medium 1 over Medium and Large 2

$38.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−1.04

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	396	185.00	733	16thin
Medium and Large 1	520	178.37	928	1,607
Medium and Large 1-2	461	175.80	810	89
Large 1	539	162.98	879	48
Large 1-2	503	152.00	765	16thin
Medium and Large 2	495	147.00	728	9thin

One grade step is worth $38.00/cwt here — about $4 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 sale1,785 hd

177.49

—

MT average5 barns · 5,404 hd

178.53

−1.04

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	1,824	79.71	1,454	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,443	52.97	764	64
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,223	41.00	501	198

Every lot, as filed

84 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Fri)

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 2Unweaned	—	432	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	730	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	572	163.74/cwt	155.00–169.00	937	458
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	372	211.18/cwt	200.00–222.50	786	102
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	584	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	923	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	631	154.50/cwt	154.50–154.50	975	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	527	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	717	6
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	494	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	845	4
Steers	Large 1-2Unweaned	—	503	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	765	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	855	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	1,227	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	473	176.42/cwt	171.00–180.00	834	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	340	186.33/cwt	180.00–191.50	634	44
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	518	134.55/cwt	127.00–140.00	697	14
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	576	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	789	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	518	184.25/cwt	184.25–184.25	954	190
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	599	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	869	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	325	220.86/cwt	212.50–229.00	718	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	676	142.14/cwt	136.00–144.50	961	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	431	165.84/cwt	162.25–178.00	715	200
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	377	172.96/cwt	170.00–180.00	652	53
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	589	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	772	15
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	481	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	697	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	370	193.77/cwt	187.00–202.00	717	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	505	184.08/cwt	183.00–184.50	930	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	677	160.53/cwt	155.00–163.00	1,087	96
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	715	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,108	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	530	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	853	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	478	171.87/cwt	167.00–173.00	822	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	672	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	921	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	477	184.38/cwt	180.00–194.00	879	178
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	533	163.35/cwt	161.00–165.00	871	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	435	195.74/cwt	186.00–199.00	851	214
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	518	172.67/cwt	167.00–181.00	894	116
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	617	161.09/cwt	155.00–162.00	994	135
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	396	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	733	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	413	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	739	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	275	222.37/cwt	215.00–223.00	612	13
Heifers	Medium 1	—	458	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	682	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	498	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	772	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	473	174.42/cwt	173.50–177.00	825	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	526	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	831	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	563	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	822	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	637	140.50/cwt	140.50–140.50	895	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,204	35.41/cwt	32.50–38.00	426	68
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,186	43.24/cwt	40.00–44.50	513	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,219	46.94/cwt	45.00–48.50	572	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,358	41.00/cwt	41.00–41.00	557	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	797	15.20/cwt	14.00–17.50	121	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,306	41.75/cwt	41.75–41.75	545	47
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,365	46.49/cwt	46.00–47.00	635	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,349	49.76/cwt	47.50–54.00	671	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,212	47.70/cwt	47.00–51.00	578	38
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,447	48.56/cwt	44.00–55.00	703	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,536	62.23/cwt	56.00–64.00	956	23
Bulls	—	—	1,765	74.97/cwt	74.00–76.00	1,323	3
Bulls	—	—	1,970	86.03/cwt	85.00–87.50	1,695	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,560	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	1,170	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	989	77.54/cwt	62.00–88.00	767	25
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	889	96.49/cwt	79.00–107.00	858	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,143	1,083.51/cwt	1,075.00–1,085.00	12,385	6
Heifers	Medium 2	—	571	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	628	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	721	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,045	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	489	151.50/cwt	151.50–151.50	741	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	607	141.50/cwt	141.50–141.50	859	11
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	540	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	734	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	410	154.50/cwt	154.00–155.00	633	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	628	145.40/cwt	141.00–147.25	913	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	475	152.78/cwt	147.50–164.00	726	154
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	481	144.19/cwt	140.00–147.00	694	81
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	425	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	646	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	568	144.72/cwt	138.00–148.00	822	103
Heifers	Small and Medium 2-3Unweaned	—	397	83.00/cwt	83.00–83.00	330	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	611	134.50/cwt	134.50–134.50	822	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	330	172.87/cwt	161.00–176.00	570	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	538	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	721	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	519	153.44/cwt	148.50–157.00	796	362
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	430	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	636	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	389	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	692	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	859	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	1,177	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	958	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,293	2
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	476	144.78/cwt	139.00–151.00	689	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	384	165.50/cwt	163.00–169.00	636	35
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	515	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	685	1
Heifers	Medium 1	—	415	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	695	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	905	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,222	3

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 →