Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-05-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-05-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week, feeder cattle have no comparison due to the special replacement sale last week. Trade was very active, demand very good on many load lots and packages of good quality steers and heifers. The bulk of the feeder sale consisted of heifers weighing up to 900 lbs. Slaughter and feeding cows sold mostly steady on lighter offerings.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $238.26/cwt on 1,473 head.

Average price

$238.26

1,473 head · 638 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,520

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$519

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

$45.98/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.85

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	640	241.14	1,543	1,320
Medium and Large 1-2	644	217.91	1,404	123
Medium and Large 2	525	195.16	1,025	30

One grade step is worth $45.98/cwt here — about $519 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 sale1,473 hd

238.26

—

MT average2 barns · 1,662 hd

235.42

+2.85

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	1,902	118.31	2,250	8thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,467	100.96	1,481	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,266	94.01	1,190	59
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,125	86.34	971	19

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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,325	$1,800	1thin
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	708	$1,725	142
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,400	$2,250	1thin

Every lot, as filed

95 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	501	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,453	22
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	579	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,332	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	768	239.50/cwt	239.50–239.50	1,839	185
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	475	290.65/cwt	287.50–292.50	1,381	64
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	587	278.14/cwt	273.00–280.00	1,633	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	608	273.00/cwt	273.00–273.00	1,660	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	665	263.06/cwt	250.00–265.00	1,749	65
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	478	299.28/cwt	299.00–300.00	1,431	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	883	207.00/cwt	207.00–207.00	1,828	60
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	626	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	1,715	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	592	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,468	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	514	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,295	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	473	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	1,334	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	603	254.00/cwt	254.00–254.00	1,532	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	735	220.48/cwt	215.00–225.00	1,621	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	561	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,557	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,469	104.42/cwt	102.50–109.00	1,534	11
Bulls	—	—	2,014	120.83/cwt	116.00–123.00	2,434	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,292	78.00/cwt	78.00–78.00	1,008	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,560	102.34/cwt	101.50–103.00	1,597	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,337	93.90/cwt	92.00–96.00	1,255	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,037	71.96/cwt	68.00–75.00	746	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,466	98.25/cwt	97.00–101.00	1,440	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,171	84.20/cwt	83.00–87.00	986	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,133	94.16/cwt	89.00–95.00	1,067	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,332	87.50/cwt	87.50–87.50	1,166	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,188	95.79/cwt	90.00–99.50	1,138	30
Bulls	—	—	1,520	100.56/cwt	92.00–109.00	1,529	2
Bulls	—	—	2,058	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	2,696	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,107	119.39/cwt	100.00–175.00	1,322	25
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	970	160.22/cwt	132.50–180.00	1,554	39
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	708	1,725.00/head	1,725.00–1,725.00	1,725	142
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,325	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,400	2,250.00/head	2,250.00–2,250.00	2,250	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	288	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	642	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	412	205.08/cwt	200.00–210.00	845	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	845	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	1,293	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	385	202.73/cwt	200.00–207.50	781	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	577	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	1,168	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	521	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,375	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	567	253.98/cwt	245.00–260.00	1,440	95
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	829	180.46/cwt	168.00–185.00	1,496	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	737	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,179	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	655	197.50/cwt	197.50–197.50	1,294	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	476	242.22/cwt	241.00–244.00	1,153	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	576	228.81/cwt	224.00–239.00	1,318	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	488	259.88/cwt	253.00–266.00	1,268	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	612	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,255	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	621	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,428	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	783	181.17/cwt	177.00–184.00	1,419	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	722	220.34/cwt	217.00–222.50	1,591	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	672	215.10/cwt	207.00–225.00	1,445	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	678	239.93/cwt	239.00–240.50	1,627	69
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	723	237.33/cwt	225.00–239.00	1,716	134
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	541	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,320	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	888	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	1,474	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	775	205.01/cwt	196.00–210.00	1,589	72
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	861	172.06/cwt	166.00–178.00	1,481	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	954	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	1,631	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	671	237.92/cwt	231.50–243.50	1,596	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	434	259.23/cwt	255.00–265.00	1,125	43
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	620	239.91/cwt	230.00–252.00	1,487	282
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	813	209.35/cwt	196.00–210.00	1,702	156
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	522	255.35/cwt	248.00–261.00	1,333	131
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	888	183.00/cwt	183.00–183.00	1,625	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	510	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,097	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	319	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	861	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	380	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	977	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	391	247.96/cwt	240.00–250.00	970	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,105	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,658	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	926	199.54/cwt	197.00–200.50	1,848	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	919	176.43/cwt	168.00–182.00	1,621	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	425	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,190	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	859	201.19/cwt	190.00–203.00	1,728	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	673	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,649	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	645	243.04/cwt	240.50–249.00	1,568	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	923	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,477	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	732	235.98/cwt	230.00–242.00	1,727	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	385	288.68/cwt	288.00–290.00	1,111	12
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	303	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	712	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	813	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,341	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	798	203.00/cwt	203.00–203.00	1,620	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	605	261.93/cwt	261.00–268.00	1,585	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	714	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,885	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,075	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	1,656	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	732	214.32/cwt	211.00–225.00	1,569	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	515	285.40/cwt	282.00–289.00	1,470	92
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	828	197.00/cwt	197.00–197.00	1,631	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	585	259.00/cwt	259.00–259.00	1,515	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	451	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,364	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	435	294.84/cwt	290.00–297.50	1,283	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	807	207.59/cwt	205.00–216.00	1,675	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	412	247.50/cwt	247.50–247.50	1,020	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	750	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	1,695	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	—	593	265.75/cwt	265.75–265.75	1,576	208

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 →