Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2022-10-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-10-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Steer and heifer calves were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Yearling steers were not well compared. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested either this sale or last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on heifers under 850 lbs and weak undertones were noticed on heifers over 850 lbs. Demand today was light to moderate for light offerings. Quality was mostly plain to average. Most feeders were offered in small package sizes, with many singles in the offering. Market activity was mostly slow to moderate today. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand and offerings. Slaughter cows sold steady on breaking cows, boning cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 lower, lean cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold 1.00-2.00 lower this week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00 higher. Demand for lean grinding materials was higher today as both lean cows and bulls both saw increased demand. Cow and bull quality was mostly average this sale. Weigh up conditions were average to below average, with a portion of the offering pushing heavy amounts of fill. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Demand for these offerings was moderate to good.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $167.70/cwt on 225 head.

Average price

$167.70

225 head · 713 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,196

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$431

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

$16.30/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.13

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	712	171.30	1,219	144
Medium and Large 1-2	574	167.82	963	17thin
Medium 1	561	163.96	920	28
Large 1	966	156.34	1,511	31
Medium 1-2	508	155.00	787	5thin

One grade step is worth $16.30/cwt here — about $431 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

167.70

—

MT average3 barns · 1,665 hd

171.83

−4.13

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	1,668	86.87	1,449	39
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,568	83.99	1,317	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,384	76.96	1,065	207
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,218	67.11	817	70

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,271	$1,325	9
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,204	$1,012	7
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	936	$1,000	9
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,040	$900	3thin

Every lot, as filed

70 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
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,113	149.50/cwt	149.50–149.50	1,664	6
Heifers	Medium 1	—	561	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	886	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	527	175.55/cwt	175.00–176.00	925	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	419	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	817	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	824	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	1,384	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	765	169.50/cwt	169.50–169.50	1,297	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	873	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	1,388	5
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	508	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	787	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	979	159.09/cwt	155.00–159.50	1,557	22
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,052	152.75/cwt	152.75–152.75	1,607	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	323	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	694	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	439	176.43/cwt	175.00–177.50	775	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	810	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	1,231	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	711	170.38/cwt	170.00–172.00	1,211	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	568	174.33/cwt	170.00–177.00	990	31
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	433	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	714	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	628	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	1,083	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	854	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	1,469	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	448	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	918	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	358	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	734	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	320	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	560	3
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	444	178.50/cwt	178.50–178.50	793	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	595	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,131	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	542	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	970	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	633	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,139	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	369	214.15/cwt	207.00–230.00	790	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	508	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	991	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	435	192.00/cwt	192.00–192.00	835	2
Steers	Large 1-2Unweaned	—	521	162.50/cwt	162.50–162.50	847	4
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,010	159.03/cwt	156.50–159.50	1,606	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	335	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	687	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	—	1,098	110.50/cwt	110.50–110.50	1,213	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	790	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	1,161	2
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,150	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,196	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	911	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,275	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,035	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	569	1
Bulls	—	—	1,917	90.88/cwt	88.00–95.00	1,742	9
Bulls	—	—	963	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	1,290	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,578	88.00/cwt	88.00–88.00	1,389	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,249	87.32/cwt	81.50–89.50	1,091	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,275	71.50/cwt	66.00–73.50	912	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,533	85.12/cwt	83.50–85.50	1,305	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,273	72.71/cwt	67.00–76.50	926	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,507	85.50/cwt	85.50–85.50	1,288	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,403	74.30/cwt	73.00–78.00	1,042	42
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,526	80.00/cwt	79.00–81.00	1,221	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,409	77.40/cwt	74.00–80.50	1,091	117
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,755	79.05/cwt	71.00–81.50	1,387	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,370	70.21/cwt	68.00–73.00	962	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,208	63.97/cwt	58.50–69.00	773	33
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,265	72.33/cwt	71.50–73.50	915	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,189	67.67/cwt	63.00–71.00	805	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,380	78.50/cwt	78.50–78.50	1,083	1
Bulls	—	—	2,042	100.56/cwt	99.00–103.00	2,053	3
Bulls	—	—	1,712	78.34/cwt	72.00–85.00	1,341	16
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,293	92.99/cwt	92.00–94.00	1,202	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,398	80.14/cwt	76.00–85.50	1,120	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,100	1,300.00/head	1,300.00–1,300.00	1,300	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,173	88.39/cwt	78.00–96.50	1,037	25
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	970	106.45/cwt	91.00–120.00	1,033	35
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	998	95.77/cwt	92.00–99.00	956	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,235	74.00/cwt	74.00–74.00	914	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,271	1,325.00/head	1,325.00–1,325.00	1,325	9
Bred Cows	Medium 1	—	854	850.00/head	850.00–850.00	850	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,040	900.00/head	900.00–900.00	900	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,204	1,011.60/head	975.00–1,025.00	1,012	7
Heifers	Medium 1	—	624	158.20/cwt	158.00–161.00	987	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	880	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,364	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	730	162.00/cwt	162.00–162.00	1,183	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	923	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	1,468	2

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 →