Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-04-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-04-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to the last special sale: Steers steady. Heifers over 675lbs steady. Heifers under 675lbs 3.00 lower. Quality mostly average with some packages of attractive cattle. Demand moderate to good. Replacement heifers quality average to attractive. Slaughter bulls and cows steady in a light test. Cows returning to feed sold unevenly steady. Young age cows 5.00 higher in a light test.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $292.50/cwt on 560 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −129.04 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$292.50

560 head · 543 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,587

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$287

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

$57.93/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.03

vs MT average

+27.98 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	540	297.72	1,609	481
Medium and Large 1-2	556	266.43	1,482	62
Medium and Large 2	551	239.79	1,322	17thin

One grade step is worth $57.93/cwt here — about $287 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 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 sale560 hd

292.50

—

MT average3 barns · 699 hd

290.47

+2.03

National average180 barns · 13,997 hd

264.52

+27.98

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−129.04

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	1,983	143.22	2,840	8thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,522	139.37	2,122	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,313	128.69	1,690	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,077	116.11	1,251	3thin

Every lot, as filed

89 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	—	—	2,071	147.27/cwt	142.00–153.00	3,050	6
Bulls	—	—	1,718	131.06/cwt	128.00–134.00	2,252	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	680	247.50/cwt	247.50–247.50	1,683	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	483	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,531	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	863	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	1,804	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	637	248.58/cwt	241.00–255.00	1,583	15
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	732	246.00/cwt	246.00–246.00	1,801	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,077	116.11/cwt	112.00–119.00	1,251	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,613	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	616	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,033	105
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	410	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	1,630	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	546	314.62/cwt	314.00–315.00	1,718	55
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	568	309.37/cwt	307.00–315.25	1,757	54
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	706	208.76/cwt	205.00–212.50	1,474	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	862	239.26/cwt	233.00–244.00	2,062	88
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	707	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,866	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	918	226.71/cwt	220.00–230.50	2,081	78
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	601	298.00/cwt	298.00–298.00	1,791	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	564	348.00/cwt	348.00–348.00	1,963	58
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	688	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,754	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	677	272.35/cwt	264.00–275.50	1,844	457
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	707	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	2,008	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	815	246.75/cwt	232.00–258.00	2,011	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	574	332.62/cwt	321.00–341.00	1,909	147
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	928	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,763	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	631	279.13/cwt	265.00–288.00	1,761	408
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	774	229.46/cwt	220.00–238.00	1,776	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	252.06/cwt	240.00–257.00	1,853	131
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	783	235.98/cwt	229.00–246.00	1,848	211
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	363.47/cwt	355.00–375.00	1,745	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	900–950	903	2,275.00/head	2,275.00–2,275.00	2,275	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	290.92/cwt	278.50–298.50	1,684	112
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	850–900	878	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	54
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	683	281.85/cwt	275.50–293.00	1,925	135
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	383	323.36/cwt	320.00–325.00	1,238	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	377.50/cwt	377.50–377.50	1,416	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	868	220.50/cwt	217.00–222.00	1,914	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	507	339.69/cwt	325.00–342.50	1,722	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	517	294.66/cwt	285.00–310.00	1,523	260
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	965	212.26/cwt	210.00–213.00	2,048	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	721	267.70/cwt	262.50–280.00	1,930	154
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	962	221.73/cwt	219.50–229.00	2,133	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	737	2,000.00/head	2,000.00–2,000.00	2,000	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	676	267.93/cwt	267.00–272.00	1,811	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	313	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	939	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	674	250.85/cwt	240.00–265.00	1,691	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	260.77/cwt	252.00–271.00	1,499	32
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	393	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,297	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	718	236.37/cwt	236.00–237.50	1,697	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	335	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,106	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	582	306.99/cwt	303.00–320.00	1,787	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	474	331.43/cwt	325.00–340.00	1,571	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	762	254.43/cwt	250.00–255.00	1,939	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	716	254.41/cwt	251.00–256.00	1,822	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	645	287.10/cwt	275.00–289.00	1,852	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	366.25/cwt	365.00–367.50	1,264	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	945	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	2,051	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	225	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	675	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	438	347.46/cwt	335.00–365.00	1,522	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	983	203.00/cwt	203.00–203.00	1,995	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	841	219.01/cwt	215.00–223.00	1,842	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	485	292.71/cwt	285.00–298.00	1,420	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	641	256.52/cwt	242.50–259.00	1,644	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	440	281.19/cwt	280.00–282.00	1,237	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	536	272.47/cwt	267.00–282.50	1,460	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	938	213.17/cwt	204.00–214.00	2,000	90
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	481	310.00/cwt	305.00–320.00	1,491	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	254.82/cwt	246.00–262.50	1,957	52
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	306.32/cwt	295.00–325.00	1,902	65
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	831	223.38/cwt	220.00–239.00	1,856	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	485	240.94/cwt	235.00–265.00	1,169	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	510	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,632	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	583	234.31/cwt	227.50–242.50	1,366	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	639	230.68/cwt	229.00–233.00	1,474	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	667	229.05/cwt	225.00–233.00	1,528	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	312	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	780	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	811	211.00/cwt	211.00–211.00	1,711	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	523	244.66/cwt	225.00–255.00	1,280	9
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	538	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,385	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	793	239.16/cwt	239.00–240.00	1,897	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	569	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,588	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,521	138.84/cwt	135.00–142.00	2,112	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,523	139.73/cwt	137.00–140.00	2,128	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,357	129.21/cwt	126.00–131.00	1,753	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,237	127.77/cwt	127.00–131.00	1,581	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	436	296.80/cwt	290.00–310.00	1,294	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	785	1,922.60/head	1,875.00–2,000.00	1,923	153
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	802	1,910.00/head	1,910.00–1,910.00	1,910	62
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	857	226.18/cwt	225.00–234.00	1,938	26

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 →