Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-05-06
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-05-06

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and offered in mostly small packages or as singles. Buyers showed mostly light demand for all feeder cattle today. Too few feeders of any particular class were seen to put together loads, which limited demand. Market activity this week was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for moderate offerings. Packer buyers showed mostly good demand for cows for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher on all classes of cows. Packers purchased a few high quality cows to put away on feed as well. These cows were of mostly very attractive quality and were all ages. Feeding buyers picked around the edges this sale as they tried to buy cows away from very aggressive packer buyers. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Cow and bull quality this week was average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average and significantly higher than last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or re-breed sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Young age cows sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher, with re-breed buyers showing the biggest increase in demand.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $114.86/cwt on 66 head.

Average price

$114.86

66 head · 742 lb average

Value per head Derived

$853

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$44

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

$10.46/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−18.98

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	660	123.42	815	12thin
Medium and Large 1	761	112.96	859	54

One grade step is worth $10.46/cwt here — about −$44 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 sale66 hd

114.86

—

MT average3 barns · 1,612 hd

133.85

−18.98

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	—	High	1,753	81.66	1,432	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,446	58.73	849	52
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,770	58.54	1,036	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,222	56.61	692	77

Every lot, as filed

47 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

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
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,364	58.19/cwt	56.00–61.00	794	8
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,300	1,500.00/cwt	1,500.00–1,500.00	19,500	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,385	1,125.00/cwt	1,125.00–1,125.00	15,581	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,360	1,500.00/cwt	1,500.00–1,500.00	20,400	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	315	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	559	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	660	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	917	4
Dairy Heifers	Large 2	—	860	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	800	8
Dairy Heifers	Large 2	—	698	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	740	4
Dairy Heifers	Large 2	—	963	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	896	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,137	72.14/cwt	59.00–88.00	820	44
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	981	88.14/cwt	74.00–101.00	865	45
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,353	60.84/cwt	56.00–65.00	823	38
Dairy Steers	Large 2	—	974	99.50/cwt	99.50–99.50	969	8
Dairy Steers	Large 2	—	798	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	822	8
Dairy Steers	Large 2	—	1,147	82.50/cwt	82.50–82.50	946	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,518	62.50/cwt	62.50–62.50	949	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	95	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	238	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	643	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	817	2
Bulls	—	—	2,012	91.64/cwt	91.00–93.00	1,844	3
Bulls	—	—	1,675	75.23/cwt	72.00–78.00	1,260	8
Bulls	—	—	1,731	84.74/cwt	81.00–88.00	1,467	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	519	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	779	4
Steers	Large 1Fleshy	—	1,135	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	1,078	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	639	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	843	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	527	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	727	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	975	49.00/cwt	49.00–49.00	478	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	890	49.00/cwt	49.00–49.00	436	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	983	58.01/cwt	57.00–59.00	570	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,131	55.08/cwt	52.50–56.50	623	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,790	60.94/cwt	60.50–61.00	1,091	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,745	53.79/cwt	52.00–54.50	939	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,241	54.43/cwt	50.00–57.00	675	36
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,755	65.50/cwt	65.50–65.50	1,150	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,446	60.10/cwt	58.50–62.00	869	29
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,440	56.48/cwt	53.00–58.00	813	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	813	105.67/cwt	105.50–106.00	859	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	767	110.77/cwt	108.50–115.00	850	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	893	101.50/cwt	101.50–101.50	906	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,225	59.02/cwt	57.00–61.50	723	33
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,332	65.02/cwt	64.00–65.50	866	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,140	43.00/cwt	43.00–43.00	490	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	619	146.59/cwt	144.00–151.00	907	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	703	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	900	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	580	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	870	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	714	122.00/cwt	121.00–126.00	871	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	621	129.23/cwt	129.00–129.50	803	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	778	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	825	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 →