Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-12-13
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-12-13

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago: Last week Public auction yards held their annual Blue Ribbon sale so all comparisons are to two weeks ago as no feeders were offered last week. Feeder steer and heifer calves sold mostly steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Package sizes were small this week with lots of singles seen. Demand was mostly moderate to good with several buyers bidding aggressively as very few feeders were seen and several buyers had orders to fill. Market activity was moderate. Weigh up cows comprised most of todays receipts. Demand for cows was moderate for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher on all classes. A large pool of feeding cow buyers was seen again this week and demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate to good. High quality feeding cows suitable to feed to premium white sold steady to 2.00 higher. Thin short term feeding cows or turn out cows sold steady to firm. Buyer participation was good this week. Quality this week was mostly average. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Slaughter bulls traded generally steady. Feeding bull buyers pushed packers throughout the sale as they fought to fill loads. Young age cows sold steady to firm following last sales sharply lower prices. Demand from rebreed buyers remains light and most cows were purchased to feed. Quality was mostly plain to average today.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $260.67/cwt on 150 head.

Average price

$260.67

150 head · 541 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,409

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$333

per head · Medium 1 over Medium 1-2

$91.58/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−18.29

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	422	291.58	1,231	19thin
Medium and Large 1	578	276.73	1,600	62
Medium and Large 1-2	521	266.54	1,388	17thin
Medium and Large 2	556	231.32	1,286	47
Medium 1-2	449	200.00	898	5thin

One grade step is worth $91.58/cwt here — about $333 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 sale150 hd

260.67

—

MT average5 barns · 3,326 hd

278.96

−18.29

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	1,806	108.29	1,955	38
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,635	95.67	1,564	51
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,419	88.87	1,261	243
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,195	77.35	925	211

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)	1,257	$1,600	4thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,231	$1,539	7
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,388	$1,425	2thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,007	$1,250	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,223	$1,200	2thin

Every lot, as filed

76 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 1-2	—	445	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,291	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	458	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,260	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	614	258.02/cwt	249.00–260.00	1,584	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	537	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,332	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	538	264.29/cwt	260.00–267.50	1,422	9
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	413	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	991	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	422	318.87/cwt	315.00–320.00	1,346	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	530	262.50/cwt	262.50–262.50	1,391	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	590	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,534	1
Heifers	Medium 1-2Unweaned	—	338	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	676	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	863	183.30/cwt	183.00–184.00	1,582	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,017	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,932	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	655	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,539	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	759	220.33/cwt	215.00–223.00	1,672	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	655	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,467	1
Heifers	Medium 1	—	393	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,022	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	440	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	1,243	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	613	253.48/cwt	247.50–255.00	1,554	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	440	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,408	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	468	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	1,439	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	695	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,425	6
Heifers	Medium 1	—	742	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	1,447	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	542	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,220	6
Heifers	Medium 2	—	401	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	742	4
Steers	Medium 1Full	—	394	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,162	6
Steers	Medium 1Full	—	435	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,262	13
Heifers	Medium 1	—	403	266.03/cwt	257.00–275.00	1,072	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,003	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	1,785	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,063	184.48/cwt	181.00–188.00	1,961	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	713	206.48/cwt	205.00–208.00	1,472	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	555	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	1,254	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	526	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,052	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,223	1,200.00/head	1,200.00–1,200.00	1,200	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,045	1,175.00/head	1,175.00–1,175.00	1,175	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,262	1,600.00/head	1,600.00–1,600.00	1,600	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,257	1,600.00/head	1,600.00–1,600.00	1,600	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,007	1,250.00/head	1,250.00–1,250.00	1,250	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	919	107.52/cwt	92.00–125.00	988	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	965	129.64/cwt	100.00–144.00	1,251	48
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	937	97.04/cwt	80.00–112.50	909	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,095	100.22/cwt	85.00–122.50	1,097	54
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,355	89.00/cwt	89.00–89.00	1,206	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,388	1,425.00/head	1,425.00–1,425.00	1,425	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,465	92.00/cwt	92.00–92.00	1,348	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,635	111.69/cwt	111.00–112.00	1,826	3
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,500	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	2,800	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,355	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	1,111	1
Bulls	—	—	2,080	122.28/cwt	122.00–122.50	2,543	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,403	89.83/cwt	86.00–96.50	1,260	110
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	918	48.41/cwt	45.00–52.00	444	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,136	63.00/cwt	63.00–63.00	716	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	948	69.79/cwt	60.00–75.00	662	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,455	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	1,193	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,496	86.75/cwt	84.00–89.00	1,298	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,414	76.41/cwt	72.00–82.00	1,080	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,240	83.54/cwt	81.00–90.00	1,036	77
Bulls	—	—	1,671	99.96/cwt	83.00–108.00	1,670	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,747	93.69/cwt	91.50–97.75	1,637	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,637	99.07/cwt	98.50–99.25	1,622	16
Bulls	—	—	1,876	113.08/cwt	109.00–118.00	2,121	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,078	59.43/cwt	59.00–60.00	641	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,204	72.01/cwt	62.00–80.00	867	46
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,380	81.60/cwt	74.00–86.00	1,126	60
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,520	93.58/cwt	92.00–97.50	1,422	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,486	98.29/cwt	97.00–99.00	1,461	52
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,164	78.29/cwt	67.00–82.00	911	66
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,575	88.00/cwt	88.00–88.00	1,386	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,541	99.25/cwt	99.25–99.25	1,529	4
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	449	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	898	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	598	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,340	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,169	174.90/cwt	170.50–176.00	2,045	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	459	255.75/cwt	255.00–260.00	1,174	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,126	173.50/cwt	173.50–173.50	1,954	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	547	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,422	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	548	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,260	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	—	953	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,430	6

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 →