Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2022-11-23
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-11-23

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested this week or last week to develop any market trend. Quality today was mostly plain, with many cutback calves off summer video sales. Most calves were offered in small lots or as singles. Demand was mostly light for light offering. Several buyers were absent for todays light sale ahead of the holiday. Market activity was mostly slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Cow quality today was mostly average. Most of the cow offering continues to be purchased to feed, either for the upcoming holidays, to turn out on corn stalks, or to feed to premium white. Short term feeding cows and high quality feeding cows both sold steady to weak. Packers opted to send almost the entire sale to feed this week as slaughter demand was mostly light. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold 1.00-3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, steady undertones were noticed. Weigh up conditions were mostly average this sale and better overall compared to last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Quality was not as attractive as last week and fewer takers were actively bidding on these offerings. Many thin young cows were purchased by feeding and packer buyers and were included in the slaughter cow portion of the report.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $161.29/cwt on 296 head.

Average price

$161.29

296 head · 726 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,171

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$822

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 2

$38.38/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−25.63

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	789	173.38	1,368	146
Medium and Large 1-2	589	160.11	942	42
Medium 1	612	157.00	961	20
Large 1	894	145.78	1,304	45
Medium and Large 2	540	140.26	757	38
Medium 2	404	135.00	545	5thin

One grade step is worth $38.38/cwt here — about $822 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 sale296 hd

161.29

—

MT average4 barns · 3,647 hd

186.93

−25.63

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	1,404	80.12	1,125	28
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,592	76.42	1,217	35
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,400	65.67	919	92
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,153	54.50	629	264

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/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,110	$1,300	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,065	$1,155	20
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,391	$1,150	4thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,078	$1,121	17
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,256	$994	11

Every lot, as filed

67 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	—	1,087	143.43/cwt	142.00–144.00	1,559	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	787	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,141	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	920	149.50/cwt	149.50–149.50	1,375	5
Heifers	Large 1	—	521	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	768	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	738	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	1,225	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	647	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	971	3
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	473	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	719	5
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	669	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	990	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	509	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	819	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	935	161.06/cwt	160.00–162.00	1,506	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	492	155.07/cwt	146.00–160.00	763	14
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,043	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	1,533	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	625	147.92/cwt	139.00–152.00	924	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	492	169.05/cwt	165.00–171.00	832	12
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	404	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	545	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	385	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	643	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	524	173.44/cwt	171.00–178.00	909	20
Heifers	Medium 1	—	754	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,206	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	715	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	1,230	5
Steers	Medium 1	—	712	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	1,196	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	805	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	1,336	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	513	140.29/cwt	139.00–140.50	720	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	564	136.44/cwt	131.00–142.00	770	4
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	397	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	615	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	459	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	831	12
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	602	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	885	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	385	240.50/cwt	240.00–241.00	926	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	755	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,359	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	853	188.00/cwt	188.00–188.00	1,604	49
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	811	180.85/cwt	178.00–182.50	1,467	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	989	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	1,563	8
Heifers	Large 1	—	556	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	834	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	476	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	726	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,370	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	1,096	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,385	74.92/cwt	68.00–79.00	1,038	37
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,203	60.92/cwt	58.00–65.50	733	122
Bulls	—	—	1,550	77.00/cwt	77.00–77.00	1,194	1
Bulls	—	—	1,479	80.73/cwt	73.00–84.00	1,194	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,580	77.17/cwt	75.00–78.00	1,219	28
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,602	82.02/cwt	81.00–82.50	1,314	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,668	67.01/cwt	66.00–68.00	1,118	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,440	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	1,022	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,161	53.96/cwt	47.00–57.00	626	54
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,203	71.81/cwt	69.00–76.00	864	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,158	58.00/cwt	58.00–58.00	672	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,130	49.82/cwt	47.00–56.00	563	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,433	55.59/cwt	50.00–60.00	797	20
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	934	49.96/cwt	45.00–53.00	467	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	764	33.50/cwt	33.50–33.50	256	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,162	43.00/cwt	43.00–43.00	500	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,147	40.63/cwt	32.00–46.00	466	39
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,400	57.37/cwt	52.00–65.00	803	28
Bulls	—	—	1,895	99.00/cwt	99.00–99.00	1,876	2
Bulls	—	—	1,720	92.31/cwt	90.00–96.00	1,588	8
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	934	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	551	9
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,250	98.00/cwt	98.00–98.00	1,225	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,695	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	1,526	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	887	62.31/cwt	53.00–67.50	553	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,391	1,150.00/head	1,150.00–1,150.00	1,150	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,256	994.14/head	925.00–1,200.00	994	11
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,151	1,200.00/head	1,200.00–1,200.00	1,200	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,300	1,250.00/head	1,250.00–1,250.00	1,250	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,066	76.32/cwt	65.00–84.00	814	22
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,013	1,050.00/head	1,050.00–1,050.00	1,050	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,053	1,150.00/head	1,150.00–1,150.00	1,150	19
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	966	93.79/cwt	77.00–110.00	906	127
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,110	1,300.00/head	1,300.00–1,300.00	1,300	1

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 →