Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-04-10
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-04-10

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were to lightly tested for a trend. Demand good. Slaughter cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00 lower. Quality plain to average on slaughter cattle. Feeding cows sold steady.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $286.67/cwt on 40 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −134.87 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$286.67

40 head · 541 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,552

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$135

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

$23.64/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−5.80

vs MT average

+22.71 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	542	296.12	1,606	24
Medium and Large 1-2	540	272.48	1,471	16thin

One grade step is worth $23.64/cwt here — about $135 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

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 sale40 hd

286.67

—

MT average3 barns · 935 hd

292.46

−5.80

National average181 barns · 13,137 hd

263.96

+22.71

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−134.87

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	1,921	134.62	2,586	30
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,492	132.92	1,983	65
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,314	132.04	1,735	35
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,204	120.15	1,447	14

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 Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,038	$2,441	14
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,583	$1,975	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	960	$1,800	1thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,494	$1,751	3thin

Every lot, as filed

37 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	Boner 80-85%	—	1,353	122.56/cwt	112.00–129.00	1,658	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,302	133.60/cwt	131.00–138.00	1,739	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,500	134.46/cwt	127.00–140.00	2,017	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,456	138.73/cwt	133.00–142.00	2,020	23
Bulls	—	—	1,891	132.98/cwt	124.00–143.00	2,515	25
Bulls	—	—	2,220	150.52/cwt	145.00–154.00	3,342	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,583	1,975.00/head	1,975.00–1,975.00	1,975	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	487	305.39/cwt	303.00–307.00	1,487	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	675	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,553	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	475	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,710	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	648	292.50/cwt	292.50–292.50	1,895	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,074	168.08/cwt	151.00–180.00	1,805	53
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	404	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,172	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	531	299.84/cwt	287.50–303.00	1,592	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,494	1,750.71/head	1,700.00–1,850.00	1,751	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	685	263.98/cwt	256.00–267.00	1,808	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	374	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,421	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	586	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	1,653	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	851	237.00/cwt	237.00–237.00	2,017	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	605	283.00/cwt	283.00–283.00	1,712	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	680	281.85/cwt	277.50–284.00	1,917	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	393	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,267	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	784	239.00/cwt	239.00–239.00	1,874	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	854	198.00/cwt	198.00–198.00	1,691	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	612	278.69/cwt	270.00–283.00	1,706	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,475	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	2,154	1
Bulls	—	—	1,465	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	1,641	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,533	120.47/cwt	116.00–125.00	1,847	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,215	122.13/cwt	121.00–123.00	1,484	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,302	136.66/cwt	132.50–144.00	1,779	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	510	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,454	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,038	2,440.81/head	2,400.00–2,450.00	2,441	14
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	960	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	946	189.88/cwt	184.00–208.00	1,796	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	590	251.62/cwt	240.00–257.50	1,485	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	990	104.32/cwt	101.00–107.50	1,033	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,273	124.98/cwt	122.00–126.50	1,591	9

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 →