Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-11-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-11-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noted for yearling heifers. Demand for feeder calves was mostly moderate on plain to average offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand on plain to average offerings. The majority of the cow offering sold as feeding cows this week. Demand for boning and breaking cows and young cows was good as both packers and feeding buyers purchased these cows to feed to premium white. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.50 lower on these types of offerings. Packer buyers opted to only purchase extremely lame or cows with major blemishes to send to slaughter. Both packers and feeding buyers purchased cows with slight blemishes to feed until the market improves. A moderate offering of thin cows was seen this sale. Thin feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. Feeding buyers continue to be active in purchasing very thin cows. These offerings offer lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Competition with feeding buyers helped keep offerings steady. Young age replacement cows sold mostly weak on a light test this week. Too few bred cows and heifers were tested this week for a market comparison, but a weak undertone was noted.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $139.59/cwt on 225 head.

Average price

$139.59

225 head · 776 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,083

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$366

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

$13.97/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−11.78

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	790	140.59	1,111	209
Medium and Large 1-2	588	126.62	744	16thin

One grade step is worth $13.97/cwt here — about $366 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 sale225 hd

139.59

—

MT average5 barns · 4,654 hd

151.37

−11.78

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	1,742	74.82	1,303	47
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,745	61.50	1,073	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,512	57.84	875	109
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,323	54.24	718	338
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,190	40.28	479	557

Every lot, as filed

71 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
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,696	63.09/cwt	60.50–65.00	1,070	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	720	138.81/cwt	137.00–140.00	999	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	513	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	693	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	493	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	616	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	584	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	771	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	501	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	716	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,032	116.30/cwt	111.00–127.00	1,200	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	315	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	536	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	583	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	845	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	430	173.78/cwt	170.00–179.00	747	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	810	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,102	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	395	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	672	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	529	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	831	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	579	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	799	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	747	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,121	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	601	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	751	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	489	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	685	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	513	159.33/cwt	158.50–160.00	817	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	579	134.86/cwt	131.00–136.50	781	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	729	155.50/cwt	155.50–155.50	1,134	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	379	132.98/cwt	131.00–136.00	504	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	640	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	922	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	827	144.42/cwt	143.00–146.00	1,194	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,180	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,451	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	949	139.50/cwt	139.50–139.50	1,324	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	652	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	828	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	522	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	626	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	522	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	741	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,077	122.15/cwt	121.00–128.00	1,316	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	895	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,092	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	872	142.74/cwt	135.00–144.50	1,245	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,100	124.50/cwt	124.50–124.50	1,370	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,185	111.00/cwt	111.00–111.00	1,315	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	650	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	858	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	977	136.07/cwt	130.00–141.00	1,329	20
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,657	49.66/cwt	48.00–55.50	823	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,299	57.47/cwt	53.00–64.00	747	173
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,131	32.03/cwt	27.00–36.00	362	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	39.64/cwt	34.00–43.00	465	269
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,481	52.79/cwt	49.00–55.00	782	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,240	39.52/cwt	34.00–42.00	490	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,356	50.42/cwt	43.00–53.50	684	127
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,745	61.50/cwt	61.50–61.50	1,073	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,167	44.80/cwt	43.00–49.00	523	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,123	31.76/cwt	27.00–34.00	357	47
Bulls	—	—	2,075	87.00/cwt	87.00–87.00	1,805	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,738	41.44/cwt	38.00–45.00	720	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,193	38.48/cwt	34.00–42.50	459	77
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,317	60.29/cwt	53.50–62.00	794	22
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,442	43.49/cwt	41.00–47.00	627	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,506	59.67/cwt	57.00–62.00	899	67
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,274	48.91/cwt	45.50–55.00	623	114
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,328	68.00/cwt	68.00–68.00	903	5
Bulls	—	—	2,305	76.00/cwt	76.00–76.00	1,752	2
Bulls	—	—	1,791	79.32/cwt	76.00–85.00	1,421	9
Bulls	—	—	1,723	71.79/cwt	62.00–75.00	1,237	16
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,573	80.14/cwt	76.00–84.00	1,261	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,657	71.32/cwt	64.00–76.00	1,182	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,234	736.03/cwt	650.00–750.00	9,083	76
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,013	71.55/cwt	62.00–77.00	725	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	913	98.61/cwt	74.00–114.50	900	262
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,100	62.00/cwt	62.00–62.00	682	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,184	52.36/cwt	47.50–57.50	620	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,020	78.96/cwt	56.00–99.50	805	123
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	928	56.53/cwt	40.00–77.00	525	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,140	53.83/cwt	42.00–55.00	614	8
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	857	826.17/cwt	600.00–925.00	7,080	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,050	1,015.40/cwt	735.00–1,160.00	10,662	25
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,144	1,079.18/cwt	1,060.00–1,125.00	12,346	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,207	827.58/cwt	735.00–1,285.00	9,989	84
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	643	135.50/cwt	131.00–144.50	871	9

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 →