Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-03-13
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-13

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle offerings were were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend. Demand for feeders was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Quality today was plain to average. Most calves were offered in small packages or as singles. Demand for light weight calves was mostly good as many on these offerings can be purchased and fed to fit a differed contract. Demand for cattle suitable to run on grass was very good. Market activity today was mostly active despite a small buyer pool. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light to moderate offerings. Cow quality was average to very attractive today. Packers showed good demand for all cows on offer this week, however demand for cows was lighter than last week. Packers passed on several sets of feeding cows as they sold to private feeders this week. Demand from feeding buyers was very good. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold mostly 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-5.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average today. Several sets of cows were sold late in the sale straight off the truck and these offered buyer very good weigh conditions. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Several very attractive high yielding bulls were seen this sale. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Demand from feeding and rebreed cow buyers continues to be good.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $336.94/cwt on 12 head. That ranks 1 of 11 comparable sales and sits −154.51 against this barn's trailing median of $491.45.

Average price

$336.94

12 head · 529 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,782

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$84

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

$23.93/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−3.42

vs MT average

+20.87 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	527	340.93	1,796	10thin
Medium and Large 1-2	540	317.00	1,712	2thin

One grade step is worth $23.93/cwt here — about $84 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

11 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $510.69, low $452.33, median $491.45 across 11 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale12 hd

336.94

—

MT average3 barns · 370 hd

340.37

−3.42

National average167 barns · 13,796 hd

316.07

+20.87

This barn, trailing median11 sales

491.45

−154.51

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	—	High	1,865	123.40	2,301	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,625	122.57	1,992	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,403	120.24	1,686	88
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,126	113.66	1,280	217

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)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,455	$2,435	19
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,490	$2,300	14
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,230	$1,878	17
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,266	$1,819	19
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,568	$2,450	3thin

Every lot, as filed

83 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
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,741	124.50/cwt	124.50–124.50	2,168	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,224	113.80/cwt	112.00–115.00	1,393	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	675	259.90/cwt	251.00–266.00	1,754	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	379.00/cwt	379.00–379.00	1,414	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	590	323.97/cwt	320.00–328.00	1,911	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	317.29/cwt	310.00–319.00	1,513	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	689	284.45/cwt	281.00–310.00	1,960	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	259.00/cwt	259.00–259.00	1,963	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,035	180.61/cwt	171.00–185.00	1,869	17
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	767	242.87/cwt	240.00–245.00	1,863	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	267.14/cwt	265.00–272.50	1,670	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	511	345.17/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,764	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	988	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,075	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,568	2,450.00/head	2,450.00–2,450.00	2,450	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	877	171.90/cwt	170.00–172.50	1,508	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	516	300.13/cwt	300.00–300.50	1,549	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	813	240.82/cwt	240.00–249.00	1,958	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	718	258.00/cwt	258.00–258.00	1,852	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	317	361.58/cwt	360.00–365.00	1,146	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	277.00/cwt	277.00–277.00	1,601	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	540	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,712	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,266	1,818.75/head	1,775.00–2,025.00	1,819	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,300	1,992.10/head	1,900.00–2,100.00	1,992	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,152	1,750.00/head	1,750.00–1,750.00	1,750	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	410	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	1,279	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,130	116.16/cwt	111.50–118.50	1,313	102
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,510	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	658	277.00/cwt	277.00–277.00	1,823	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	502	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,493	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	763	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,717	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,596	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	692	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	1,778	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,578	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	422	340.59/cwt	337.50–362.50	1,437	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	381	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,391	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	788	242.00/cwt	240.00–243.00	1,907	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	835	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	1,862	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	488	337.50/cwt	337.50–337.50	1,647	5
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,587	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	3,596	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,098	73.95/cwt	70.00–78.00	812	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,468	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,835	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,391	123.84/cwt	123.00–126.00	1,723	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,064	98.03/cwt	90.00–105.50	1,043	25
Bulls	—	—	1,739	117.99/cwt	110.00–122.00	2,052	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,705	108.15/cwt	105.00–118.00	1,844	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,736	118.75/cwt	117.00–122.00	2,062	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,474	123.84/cwt	123.00–124.00	1,825	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,780	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	2,083	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,070	101.81/cwt	98.00–106.00	1,089	2
Bulls	—	—	2,360	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	3,351	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	964	99.26/cwt	90.00–105.00	957	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,395	106.97/cwt	106.00–108.00	1,492	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	895	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	1,029	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,760	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	2,042	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,169	120.67/cwt	119.00–128.00	1,411	59
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,399	120.23/cwt	116.00–122.50	1,682	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,160	118.51/cwt	118.00–119.00	1,375	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,529	123.60/cwt	122.00–125.00	1,890	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,390	118.80/cwt	114.50–119.50	1,651	11
Heifers	Medium 1-2	400–450	413	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,094	2
Heifers	Medium 1-2	250–300	294	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	970	5
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,223	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	2,152	3
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,100	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	2,255	2
Bulls	—	—	1,809	126.99/cwt	123.00–131.00	2,297	8
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	880	107.50/cwt	107.50–107.50	946	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	631	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	1,596	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	418	297.00/cwt	297.00–297.00	1,241	9
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	665	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,629	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	366	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	1,032	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	745	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,818	2
Heifers	Medium 1	350–400	398	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,204	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	418	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,484	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,126	147.24/cwt	123.00–180.00	1,658	34
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	940	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	1,260	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	690	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	1,891	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	905	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	1,982	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	567	269.91/cwt	267.50–272.00	1,530	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	628	311.33/cwt	305.00–319.00	1,955	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,053	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	2,201	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	354.00/cwt	354.00–354.00	1,717	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	423	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,586	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,455	2,435.00/head	2,435.00–2,435.00	2,435	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,490	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	14

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 →