Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-11-04
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-11-04

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Unweaned steer and heifer calves were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mostly average. Calves were offered in mostly small to moderate size packages. Demand was mostly light to moderate. Fewer buyers were on hand this sale. Market activity was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. This week packers started to purchase short term feeding cows for the upcoming holiday season. Most of these cows were thin to very thin and some had a slight blemish. Cow quality this week was mixed but high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white sold with the best demand. Many long strings of very attractive quality cows sold this week off reputation ranches. Feeding cows sold steady to 4.00 lower, with high quality feeding cows selling steady to 2.00 lower and lower yielding short term feeding cows selling mostly 3.00-4.00 lower. Slaughter cows mostly 3.00-5.00 lower, however only very poor quality, low yielding cows were purchased for immediate harvest this week. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady. 2-3 year old suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. 3-4 year old cows sold with lighter demand this week as lighter feeding cow demand allowed them to follow feeding cow prices lower. Quality was mixed, however many thin cows that didn't rebreed continue to be seen.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $131.44/cwt on 334 head.

Average price

$131.44

334 head · 546 lb average

Value per head Derived

$718

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$583

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

$24.66/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−10.14

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	422	135.00	570	54
Medium and Large 1	536	132.93	712	244
Medium 1	431	125.00	539	14thin
Large 1	1,045	110.34	1,153	22

One grade step is worth $24.66/cwt here — about −$583 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 sale334 hd

131.44

—

MT average5 barns · 3,846 hd

141.58

−10.14

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	—	Average	1,703	78.14	1,330	56
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,652	62.16	1,027	36
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,404	55.67	781	305
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,199	44.51	534	318

Every lot, as filed

78 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
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,642	79.05/cwt	76.00–81.00	1,298	32
Bulls	—	—	2,165	83.96/cwt	83.00–85.00	1,818	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,403	52.71/cwt	47.00–60.00	740	146
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,739	64.99/cwt	64.00–66.00	1,130	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,216	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	584	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,145	34.39/cwt	31.00–38.00	394	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,238	49.32/cwt	45.00–55.00	611	135
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,193	58.00/cwt	58.00–58.00	692	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,206	41.62/cwt	37.50–45.00	502	55
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	508	130.85/cwt	127.00–132.00	665	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,487	44.36/cwt	43.00–46.00	660	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	519	143.88/cwt	139.00–150.00	747	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	468	140.55/cwt	140.00–142.00	658	21
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	434	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	618	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	930	122.67/cwt	122.00–123.00	1,141	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	535	128.75/cwt	127.00–133.00	689	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	555	130.29/cwt	126.00–131.50	723	42
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	604	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	767	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	925	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	1,240	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	968	117.92/cwt	117.00–118.00	1,141	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	328	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	492	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	668	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	802	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	477	156.13/cwt	147.00–168.00	745	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	621	135.77/cwt	134.00–139.00	843	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	374	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	542	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	432	141.99/cwt	141.50–143.00	613	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	580	140.42/cwt	137.00–146.00	814	123
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	594	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	778	14
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	981	77.86/cwt	63.00–87.50	764	109
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,216	45.00/cwt	45.00–45.00	547	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	983	925.00/cwt	925.00–925.00	9,093	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,032	875.73/cwt	800.00–950.00	9,038	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,523	47.80/cwt	46.50–50.50	728	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,870	61.50/cwt	61.50–61.50	1,150	1
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,085	114.50/cwt	114.50–114.50	1,242	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,392	62.92/cwt	60.50–67.50	876	117
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,134	38.83/cwt	38.00–39.00	440	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,595	57.48/cwt	54.00–60.00	917	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,643	62.86/cwt	61.50–64.00	1,033	25
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,193	44.19/cwt	40.00–49.00	527	47
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	492	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	699	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,178	46.00/cwt	46.00–46.00	542	3
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	431	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	539	14
Bred Heifers	Medium 1	—	759	700.00/cwt	700.00–700.00	5,313	12
Steers	Large 1	—	1,028	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	1,275	2
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,012	118.50/cwt	118.50–118.50	1,199	8
Heifers	Large 1Full	—	1,062	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	1,115	13
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	886	1,177.89/cwt	1,075.00–1,225.00	10,436	117
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,015	1,275.00/cwt	1,275.00–1,275.00	12,941	11
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	803	810.00/cwt	810.00–810.00	6,504	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,190	974.14/cwt	850.00–1,050.00	11,592	68
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,309	936.57/cwt	900.00–975.00	12,260	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	496	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	724	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	422	164.90/cwt	162.00–167.00	696	44
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	311	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	459	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	563	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	676	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	480	128.38/cwt	127.00–131.00	616	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	375	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	525	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	357	172.65/cwt	170.00–178.00	616	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	648	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	823	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	918	98.00/cwt	98.00–98.00	900	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	420	135.32/cwt	134.00–137.00	568	17
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	566	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	730	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,265	800.00/cwt	800.00–800.00	10,120	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,051	63.57/cwt	51.00–76.50	668	37
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,196	1,165.27/cwt	1,035.00–1,275.00	13,937	100
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,093	957.43/cwt	950.00–975.00	10,465	24
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	842	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	674	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,284	778.40/cwt	725.00–810.00	9,995	44
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,152	604.78/cwt	585.00–625.00	6,967	28
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,241	49.00/cwt	49.00–49.00	608	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,327	753.56/cwt	650.00–785.00	10,000	176
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,381	45.45/cwt	44.00–46.50	628	23
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	965	40.00/cwt	40.00–40.00	386	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	882	33.02/cwt	30.00–35.00	291	8
Bulls	—	—	1,950	74.00/cwt	74.00–74.00	1,443	1
Bulls	—	—	2,041	78.57/cwt	77.00–81.00	1,604	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,618	75.53/cwt	68.00–78.50	1,222	15

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 →