Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-10-29
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-10-29

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Friday: All yearlings were scarcely tested thus no trend is available. Steer and heifer calves all traded unevenly steady in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive, and overall quality was lower than last week. Calves were thinly tested this week as a large portion of todays sale was comprised of bred cows. Demand for calves was light to moderate. Most calves sold today in small lots or as singles. Only one load lot was seen on todays sale. Demand for calves was moderate to good for light to moderate offerings. Transportation continues to be the biggest factor limiting demand. Trucks remain very tight and most buyers refused to buy un-weaned calves that they didn't have transportation for. Large price spreads continue to be seen. Buyers continued buying calves the same way as buyers focused on buying front end calves, especially ones with two rounds of vaccinations and passed or discounted average quality calves or calves with only spring shots. Heavy discounts continue to be seen on plain or average quality cattle. Market activity this sale was mostly slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for light offerings. Slaughter and feeding cows and bulls were not reported last feeder special as these offerings sold late into the evening. Weigh up conditions were average to below average this sale.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $146.85/cwt on 872 head.

Average price

$146.85

872 head · 533 lb average

Value per head Derived

$783

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$17

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$19.09/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−3.52

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	541	147.10	796	765
Medium and Large 1-2	398	146.25	582	74
Medium 1	669	145.40	973	27
Large 1	635	128.01	813	6thin

One grade step is worth $19.09/cwt here — about −$17 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 sale872 hd

146.85

—

MT average4 barns · 3,830 hd

150.36

−3.52

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	1,635	61.00	997	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,608	64.75	1,041	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,418	52.35	742	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,224	45.87	561	189

Every lot, as filed

89 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
Heifers	Medium 1	—	788	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,103	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	821	138.40/cwt	138.00–139.00	1,136	5
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	635	128.01/cwt	125.00–131.00	813	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	432	159.13/cwt	151.00–170.00	687	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	891	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	1,238	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	530	141.91/cwt	135.50–148.50	752	211
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	483	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	662	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	396	170.50/cwt	170.50–170.50	675	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	613	137.31/cwt	131.00–140.00	842	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	583	126.50/cwt	126.50–126.50	737	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	475	152.94/cwt	147.00–157.50	726	83
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	292	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	447	28
Heifers	Medium 1	—	642	146.63/cwt	145.00–148.00	941	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	515	132.26/cwt	128.00–135.00	681	5
Steers	Medium 1	—	423	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	645	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	321	184.85/cwt	180.00–190.00	593	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	376	176.77/cwt	165.00–183.00	665	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	578	139.41/cwt	130.00–143.00	806	196
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	659	137.85/cwt	131.00–140.50	908	39
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	437	149.34/cwt	147.00–154.00	653	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	440	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	726	2
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	662	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	947	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	324	197.51/cwt	195.00–200.00	640	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	625	153.00/cwt	152.00–153.75	956	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	484	139.88/cwt	137.00–144.00	677	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	415	176.45/cwt	176.00–177.00	732	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	513	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	775	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	373	184.87/cwt	184.00–190.00	690	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	536	159.75/cwt	156.00–161.00	856	26
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	523	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	654	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	319	171.69/cwt	167.50–174.00	548	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	484	174.34/cwt	167.00–189.00	844	52
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	670	152.62/cwt	145.00–158.50	1,023	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	491	160.81/cwt	140.00–165.00	790	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	578	160.78/cwt	152.00–165.50	929	297
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	427	185.42/cwt	176.00–192.50	792	66
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	483	164.35/cwt	164.00–165.00	794	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	708	153.50/cwt	153.50–153.50	1,087	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	637	135.83/cwt	131.00–137.00	865	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	454	174.00/cwt	174.00–174.00	790	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	385	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	674	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	347	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	642	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	594	137.56/cwt	130.00–140.00	817	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	540	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	799	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,495	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	1,076	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,650	58.00/cwt	58.00–58.00	957	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,475	40.50/cwt	40.50–40.50	597	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,356	47.21/cwt	45.00–49.00	640	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,615	47.04/cwt	42.50–52.00	760	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,253	48.71/cwt	47.00–52.50	610	53
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,155	32.42/cwt	32.00–34.00	374	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,168	42.11/cwt	40.00–46.00	492	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,199	39.10/cwt	37.50–41.00	469	23
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,445	58.71/cwt	55.50–64.00	848	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,231	50.51/cwt	48.50–53.00	622	57
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,256	44.10/cwt	43.00–45.50	554	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,259	60.31/cwt	58.00–62.00	759	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,720	57.50/cwt	57.50–57.50	989	1
Bulls	—	—	1,635	61.00/cwt	61.00–61.00	997	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,078	1,275.00/cwt	1,275.00–1,275.00	13,745	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,262	1,009.39/cwt	975.00–1,075.00	12,739	39
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,187	825.00/cwt	825.00–825.00	9,793	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,057	1,059.17/cwt	1,035.00–1,100.00	11,195	26
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,202	1,125.00/cwt	1,125.00–1,125.00	13,523	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,338	967.07/cwt	850.00–1,075.00	12,939	137
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,132	1,411.74/cwt	1,300.00–1,560.00	15,981	217
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	438	139.75/cwt	139.75–139.75	612	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	761	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,103	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	955	130.50/cwt	130.50–130.50	1,246	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	929	135.55/cwt	135.00–137.00	1,259	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,291	810.51/cwt	700.00–875.00	10,464	126
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,375	54.50/cwt	54.50–54.50	749	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,141	52.50/cwt	52.50–52.50	599	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,145	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	6,870	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,056	1,224.36/cwt	1,185.00–1,310.00	12,929	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,152	976.13/cwt	925.00–1,025.00	11,245	18
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,028	75.53/cwt	62.50–85.00	776	26
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,253	47.50/cwt	47.50–47.50	595	11
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	914	1,439.74/cwt	1,425.00–1,460.00	13,159	105
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,231	1,124.33/cwt	1,010.00–1,300.00	13,841	82
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	936	1,110.00/cwt	1,110.00–1,110.00	10,390	19
Bred Heifers	Medium 1	—	814	1,004.39/cwt	900.00–1,025.00	8,176	27
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,019	80.89/cwt	63.00–95.00	824	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	903	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	542	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,308	739.29/cwt	725.00–750.00	9,670	43
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,109	950.00/cwt	950.00–950.00	10,536	11
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,340	57.50/cwt	57.50–57.50	771	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,143	1,150.00/cwt	1,150.00–1,150.00	13,145	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,299	925.00/cwt	925.00–925.00	12,016	47

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 →