Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-11-01
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-11-01

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested last sale or this sale to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average today and mostly offered in very small packages or as singles. Demand for feeders was mostly light. Country and pen conditions are muddy following last weeks snow. Most calves were dirty this week and buyers discounted calves as a result. Market activity was mostly slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand and moderate to heavy offerings. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher on boning cows and 1.00-3.00 higher on lean cows. Breaking slaughter cows were too lightly tested to trend as most were purchased to feed this week. Demand for feeding cows was good to very good. Buyer participation was very good with as many as 8 buyers actively bidding on cows to return to feed throughout the sale. Thin cows purchased to feed or turn out on corn stalks this winter sold 2.00-4.00 higher. High quality feeding cows suitable to feed to premium white sold 1.00-3.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were average to below average this sale, with most cows pushing heavy amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Cow quality today was mostly average to attractive. Young age cows sold mostly 10.00-15.00 lower. Demand for these offerings was mostly moderate from rebreed buyers and light to moderate from feeding buyers.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $230.90/cwt on 218 head.

Average price

$230.90

218 head · 633 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,462

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

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

$18.21/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−24.89

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	636	233.21	1,482	163
Medium 1	516	233.00	1,202	5thin
Medium and Large 1-2	627	224.70	1,408	42
Medium 1-2	689	215.00	1,481	8thin

One grade step is worth $18.21/cwt here — about $1 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 sale218 hd

230.90

—

MT average4 barns · 1,614 hd

255.78

−24.89

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	1,866	106.01	1,978	39
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,604	100.79	1,616	70
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,425	93.55	1,333	229
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,203	84.13	1,012	195

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	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,087	$1,907	11
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,090	$1,750	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,284	$1,310	16
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,314	$1,298	10
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,292	$1,237	10

Every lot, as filed

75 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	—	—	1,803	103.56/cwt	90.00–106.00	1,867	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,206	80.04/cwt	74.00–86.00	965	68
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,818	106.50/cwt	106.50–106.50	1,936	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,597	99.26/cwt	94.00–101.50	1,585	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,420	107.32/cwt	105.00–109.00	1,524	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	865	208.00/cwt	208.00–208.00	1,799	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	474	303.36/cwt	298.00–310.00	1,438	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	508	290.40/cwt	290.00–292.50	1,475	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	640	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,587	1
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	715	228.00/cwt	228.00–228.00	1,630	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	395	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,274	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	613	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,471	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	653	227.50/cwt	227.50–227.50	1,486	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	411	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	1,346	4
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	611	243.00/cwt	243.00–243.00	1,485	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	493	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	1,341	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	514	269.48/cwt	265.00–274.00	1,385	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	520	254.15/cwt	252.00–255.00	1,322	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	560	236.54/cwt	230.00–240.50	1,325	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	447	252.50/cwt	252.50–252.50	1,129	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	661	242.31/cwt	237.00–247.00	1,602	22
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	676	231.00/cwt	231.00–231.00	1,562	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	325	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,089	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	636	230.52/cwt	222.00–234.00	1,466	78
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	516	233.00/cwt	233.00–233.00	1,202	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	555	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,277	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	570	250.43/cwt	245.00–260.00	1,427	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	448	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,232	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	541	243.00/cwt	243.00–243.00	1,315	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	710	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	1,541	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	613	216.00/cwt	216.00–216.00	1,324	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	780	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	1,658	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	—	518	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,269	2
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	689	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,481	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	940	203.00/cwt	203.00–203.00	1,908	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	984	197.50/cwt	197.50–197.50	1,943	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	—	472	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,050	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	950	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,995	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	461	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,245	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,439	91.76/cwt	90.50–99.00	1,320	24
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,284	1,310.00/head	1,310.00–1,310.00	1,310	16
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,090	1,750.00/head	1,750.00–1,750.00	1,750	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,052	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	1,115	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	895	112.40/cwt	110.00–115.00	1,006	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,065	86.00/cwt	86.00–86.00	916	1
Bred Cows	Small and Medium 2	—	791	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	593	18
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,069	96.38/cwt	91.00–102.50	1,030	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,292	1,236.92/head	1,225.00–1,250.00	1,237	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,314	1,298.34/head	1,225.00–1,325.00	1,298	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,004	153.84/cwt	112.00–189.00	1,545	63
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	945	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,134	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,101	115.47/cwt	93.00–145.00	1,271	76
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,087	1,906.60/head	1,900.00–1,925.00	1,907	11
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,780	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,851	2
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,505	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	2,330	1
Bulls	—	—	1,918	109.37/cwt	107.00–111.50	2,098	7
Bulls	—	—	2,135	125.13/cwt	123.50–126.00	2,672	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,206	90.46/cwt	86.00–97.00	1,091	65
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,433	99.92/cwt	94.00–104.50	1,432	90
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,492	93.78/cwt	93.00–95.50	1,399	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,571	100.02/cwt	95.50–104.00	1,571	49
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,758	106.20/cwt	105.00–109.00	1,867	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	905	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	643	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,171	84.42/cwt	82.00–87.00	989	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,478	75.68/cwt	75.00–77.00	1,119	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	85.87/cwt	80.00–91.00	1,231	52
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,157	71.82/cwt	60.00–75.00	831	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,387	89.63/cwt	82.00–94.00	1,243	60
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,268	88.36/cwt	86.50–93.50	1,120	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,260	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	1,298	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	810	209.55/cwt	205.00–210.00	1,697	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	922	208.50/cwt	208.50–208.50	1,922	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	873	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	1,855	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	—	1,155	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	1,819	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	640	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	1,402	3

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 →