Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-05-15
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-05-15

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle offerings were too lightly tested the last two sales to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly good to very good for today sale. Most feeders were offered on moderate sized packages with several load lots and partial load lots seen. Quality this sale was mostly plain to average with a few attractive quality consignments seen. Most cattle were backgrounded cattle that were purchased earlier in the year or last fall. Most of these offerings were specifically developed for grass. A large crowd was on hand for todays sale and a good mix of order buyers and ranchers were on hand actively bidding on offerings. Market activity was mostly active. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers showed very good demand for cows for immediate harvest with cows going to slaughter in several different states. Several packers were present this week with some buying over the internet. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady on breaking cows, boing and lean cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher, in a narrow comparison. Cow quality was average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mostly average. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Several very high yielding bulls were seen this sale and these offerings were met with very good demand. Young age cows sold generally steady. Cows which lost calves sold with the best demand again this week. Feeding quality cows sold at a discount to cows suitable to rebreed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $291.54/cwt on 426 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −130.00 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$291.54

426 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,636

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$542

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

$72.27/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.96

vs MT average

+21.54 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	574	301.27	1,729	319
Medium 1	512	289.97	1,485	49
Medium and Large 1-2	569	278.65	1,586	12thin
Large 1-2	598	230.00	1,375	3thin
Medium 1-2	518	229.00	1,186	43

One grade step is worth $72.27/cwt here — about $542 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 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 sale426 hd

291.54

—

MT average3 barns · 514 hd

289.58

+1.96

National average167 barns · 11,471 hd

270.00

+21.54

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−130.00

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	1,747	147.31	2,573	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,610	136.13	2,192	8thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,390	133.98	1,863	78
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,159	123.94	1,437	72

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 Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,123	$2,300	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
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	548	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,781	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	649	286.00/cwt	286.00–286.00	1,856	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	900–950	910	212.00/cwt	212.00–212.00	1,929	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	820	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	2,001	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	671	275.02/cwt	270.00–277.00	1,845	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	569	278.65/cwt	272.00–288.00	1,586	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	588	304.33/cwt	302.50–310.00	1,789	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	783	239.00/cwt	239.00–239.00	1,871	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	360	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,141	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	273.82/cwt	261.00–279.00	1,807	304
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	557	335.71/cwt	325.00–336.00	1,870	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	681	278.77/cwt	277.00–292.50	1,898	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	474	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,517	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	727	250.82/cwt	249.00–255.00	1,823	64
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,067	184.08/cwt	158.00–210.00	1,964	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	705	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	1,918	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,040	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,222	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	614	316.06/cwt	309.00–321.00	1,941	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	617	292.39/cwt	280.00–300.00	1,804	64
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	925	234.00/cwt	234.00–234.00	2,165	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	777	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	1,966	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,320	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,980	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,123	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	581	299.98/cwt	293.00–309.00	1,743	281
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,010	170.53/cwt	141.00–187.00	1,722	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,630	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	2,184	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	880	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,144	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,165	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	1,829	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	727	251.09/cwt	249.00–263.00	1,825	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	482	341.18/cwt	335.00–355.00	1,644	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	780	249.00/cwt	249.00–249.00	1,942	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	641	270.64/cwt	251.00–274.00	1,735	66
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	664	248.86/cwt	247.50–250.00	1,652	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	850	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	1,896	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	567	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,588	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,152	110.51/cwt	100.00–117.00	1,273	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,585	144.50/cwt	144.50–144.50	2,290	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,441	124.45/cwt	122.00–125.00	1,793	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,413	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	2,014	3
Bulls	—	—	1,434	134.55/cwt	133.00–136.00	1,929	4
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,313	125.47/cwt	120.00–133.00	1,647	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,200	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,500	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,165	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,573	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,355	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,789	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,118	118.53/cwt	114.00–124.00	1,325	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,548	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	2,051	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,570	125.64/cwt	124.00–126.00	1,973	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,185	128.70/cwt	124.00–132.00	1,525	34
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,610	132.49/cwt	132.00–133.00	2,133	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,378	134.79/cwt	130.00–138.00	1,857	37
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,735	138.50/cwt	138.50–138.50	2,403	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,623	138.04/cwt	137.00–139.00	2,240	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,002	83.28/cwt	75.00–100.00	834	3
Heifers	Large 1-2	550–600	598	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,375	3
Steers	Large 1-2	650–700	692	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	1,585	3
Bulls	—	—	1,718	143.86/cwt	140.00–153.00	2,472	9
Bulls	—	—	2,102	165.41/cwt	161.00–170.00	3,477	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,363	135.20/cwt	131.00–136.00	1,843	28
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,173	133.75/cwt	133.00–135.00	1,569	12
Heifers	Medium 1-2	300–350	310	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	946	12
Steers	Medium 1-2	550–600	585	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,463	7
Steers	Medium 1-2	500–550	515	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,429	10
Heifers	Medium 2	400–450	441	227.34/cwt	225.00–230.00	1,003	17
Steers	Medium 2	400–450	413	269.00/cwt	269.00–269.00	1,111	6
Steers	Medium 2	500–550	508	243.91/cwt	242.50–255.00	1,239	35
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	437	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,311	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	685	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,617	13
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	512	289.97/cwt	280.00–299.00	1,485	49
Heifers	Medium 1	350–400	363	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	1,134	5
Heifers	Medium 1-2	500–550	518	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	1,186	43
Heifers	Medium 1-2	350–400	361	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,047	15
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	931	214.09/cwt	210.00–222.50	1,993	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	922	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	2,084	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	778	238.00/cwt	238.00–238.00	1,852	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	608	231.90/cwt	231.00–245.00	1,410	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	267.58/cwt	265.00–270.00	1,284	17
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	548	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,671	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	464	367.26/cwt	365.00–370.00	1,704	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	800–850	824	239.00/cwt	239.00–239.00	1,969	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	537	335.36/cwt	334.00–340.00	1,801	56
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	310.84/cwt	309.00–311.00	1,616	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	767	241.89/cwt	241.00–242.00	1,855	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	748	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,795	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 →