Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-03-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle sold mostly 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand for feeders was good. Quality today was mostly average. Most calves were offered in small packages or as singles. Demand for cattle suitable to run on grass was very good. Market activity today was mostly active. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for moderate offerings. Cow quality was average to very attractive today. Packers showed good demand for all cows on offer this 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 3.00 to 7.00 higher on breaking and boning cows, and lean cows sold mostly steady. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average today. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-7.00 higher with several very attractive high yielding bulls. 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

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $284.83/cwt on 170 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −136.71 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$284.83

170 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,599

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$330

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

$43.96/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−10.95

vs MT average

+7.61 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	567	293.50	1,665	92
Medium and Large 1-2	556	276.69	1,537	72
Medium and Large 2	535	249.53	1,335	6thin

One grade step is worth $43.96/cwt here — about $330 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 700–800 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

19 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $464.07, low $350.88, median $421.54 across 19 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 sale170 hd

284.83

—

MT average3 barns · 697 hd

295.78

−10.95

National average179 barns · 15,589 hd

277.22

+7.61

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−136.71

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	1,788	132.35	2,367	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,459	128.03	1,868	79
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,185	127.60	1,513	321
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,141	116.33	1,327	93
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,443	110.00	1,587	9thin

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)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,148	$2,400	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,233	$1,988	9
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,098	$1,665	14
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,413	$2,398	6

Every lot, as filed

98 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	Medium and Large 1	450–500	476	318.97/cwt	310.00–322.50	1,518	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	530	330.92/cwt	327.50–336.00	1,754	21
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,098	1,664.67/head	1,400.00–1,750.00	1,665	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	883	222.00/cwt	222.00–222.00	1,960	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	295.67/cwt	288.00–310.00	1,561	24
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,413	2,397.85/head	2,375.00–2,500.00	2,398	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,233	1,988.38/head	1,700.00–2,100.00	1,988	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	400	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,400	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	621	263.62/cwt	246.00–269.00	1,637	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	582	291.47/cwt	280.00–294.00	1,696	65
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	627	280.49/cwt	270.00–285.50	1,759	76
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	680	273.54/cwt	265.00–282.00	1,860	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	562	326.23/cwt	324.00–327.00	1,833	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	815	192.06/cwt	190.00–200.00	1,565	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	674	245.63/cwt	235.00–250.00	1,656	24
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,042	160.06/cwt	142.50–185.00	1,668	39
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	887	169.99/cwt	143.00–205.00	1,508	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	736	249.95/cwt	249.00–251.00	1,840	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	785	223.49/cwt	215.00–229.00	1,754	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	622	229.41/cwt	223.00–240.00	1,427	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	720	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,548	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	624	292.43/cwt	288.50–307.00	1,825	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	488	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,659	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	534	287.06/cwt	267.50–292.00	1,533	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	428	305.12/cwt	292.50–312.50	1,306	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	525	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,391	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	567	307.38/cwt	302.50–310.00	1,743	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,294	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	736	237.26/cwt	232.00–238.00	1,746	72
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	388	293.39/cwt	290.00–300.00	1,138	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	900–950	900	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,710	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	462	318.06/cwt	315.00–320.00	1,469	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	800	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	1,552	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	567	271.18/cwt	251.00–278.00	1,538	47
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	489	303.25/cwt	295.00–306.00	1,483	31
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	340	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,156	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	789	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	1,681	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	781	196.89/cwt	185.00–200.00	1,538	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	473	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	1,289	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	672	219.85/cwt	205.00–227.50	1,477	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	337	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,045	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	545	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,717	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	711	197.41/cwt	196.00–210.00	1,404	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,429	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,872	27
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,393	124.15/cwt	121.50–128.00	1,729	15
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,443	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,587	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,295	124.45/cwt	121.00–127.00	1,612	63
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,059	128.88/cwt	116.00–129.50	1,365	83
Bulls	—	—	1,533	118.17/cwt	112.00–121.00	1,812	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,275	110.62/cwt	110.00–111.00	1,410	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,091	128.26/cwt	125.50–132.00	1,399	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,122	130.89/cwt	128.50–138.00	1,469	104
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,138	108.74/cwt	101.00–112.00	1,237	8
Bulls	—	—	1,918	143.92/cwt	140.00–149.00	2,760	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,224	123.97/cwt	119.00–125.50	1,517	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	125.63/cwt	120.00–128.00	1,475	56
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,597	130.51/cwt	128.50–133.00	2,084	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,464	125.97/cwt	123.00–127.00	1,844	25
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,030	92.24/cwt	90.00–99.00	950	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,373	124.08/cwt	120.00–127.50	1,704	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,045	109.00/cwt	109.00–109.00	1,139	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	527	250.44/cwt	240.00–255.00	1,320	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,349	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	679	224.41/cwt	222.00–235.00	1,524	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,409	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	621	276.46/cwt	265.00–280.00	1,717	11
Bulls	—	—	2,100	134.39/cwt	133.00–136.00	2,822	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	612	288.53/cwt	287.00–290.00	1,766	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	568	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,818	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	367.08/cwt	365.00–375.00	1,571	75
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	917	231.36/cwt	222.50–236.00	2,122	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	992	214.79/cwt	201.00–217.00	2,131	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	289	329.18/cwt	325.00–330.00	951	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	674	260.64/cwt	255.00–273.00	1,757	119
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	351.52/cwt	340.00–357.50	1,835	86
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	767	236.77/cwt	236.00–241.00	1,816	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	426	320.88/cwt	315.00–330.00	1,367	20
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,148	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	359.87/cwt	350.00–367.50	1,717	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	379	325.22/cwt	315.00–328.00	1,233	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	760	264.07/cwt	250.00–268.00	2,007	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	295	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,165	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	983	207.00/cwt	207.00–207.00	2,035	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	525	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,654	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	722	274.48/cwt	270.00–281.00	1,982	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	567	341.25/cwt	327.00–347.00	1,935	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	808	241.31/cwt	239.00–244.00	1,950	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	386	380.42/cwt	380.00–385.00	1,468	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	676	287.34/cwt	285.00–307.00	1,942	20
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	411	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,480	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	724	249.38/cwt	241.00–258.00	1,806	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	980	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	2,087	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	934	217.84/cwt	213.00–221.00	2,035	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	892	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	1,971	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	624	316.01/cwt	301.00–321.00	1,972	80
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	819	224.88/cwt	223.00–228.00	1,842	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,440	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	313	394.88/cwt	385.00–400.00	1,236	4

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 →