Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-06-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-06-26

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle offerings were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average this week and mostly offered in small lots or as singles. Demand for limited offerings was good to very good. Market activity was mostly active with a moderate size crowd on hand actively bidding on offerings. Today and tomorrow are buyers last chance to buy cattle before the 4th of July holiday break, as no sales will be held next week. Weigh up cows comprised most of todays offering. Demand was good to very good for moderate to heavy offerings. Additional packers were in the market again this week and they showed very good demand for cows for immediate and for next week's harvest. All offerings sold steady to 2.00 higher. Demand for feeding cows was good as well, as packers and feeding buyers both competed over high quality offerings suitable to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly mostly 1.00-2.00 higher, however most offerings were purchased for harvest. Packer buyers trying to buy high quality cows to feed were forced to pay up for cows again this week in order to secure offerings. All thin light boning and lean cows are in the report as slaughter cows this week as the 4th of July holiday break starts next week. Cow quality was mostly average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average this week, however yielding conditions were not as attractive this week as they were last week. Many cows are starting to put on flesh from grass and some offerings are starting to hold some fill. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00-6.00 higher. Bulls Quality today was mostly attractive. Packers and some private feeding buyers opted to feed several sets of light to middle weight bulls again this week. Demand for bulls suitable to feed was very good and these offerings sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher than last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand for very high quality offerings remains very good.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $288.88/cwt on 32 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −132.66 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$288.88

32 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,591

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$56

per head · Medium 1 over Medium and Large 2

$22.58/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.71

vs MT average

+19.60 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	527	297.30	1,567	15thin
Medium and Large 1	596	289.00	1,722	8thin
Medium and Large 2	550	274.72	1,511	9thin

One grade step is worth $22.58/cwt here — about $56 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale32 hd

288.88

—

MT average2 barns · 40 hd

289.58

−0.71

National average153 barns · 8,958 hd

269.28

+19.60

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−132.66

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	1,857	175.16	3,252	90
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,614	147.76	2,385	44
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,406	145.16	2,040	264
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,192	136.20	1,624	83

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)	1,243	$2,000	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,605	$3,250	11
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,661	$2,850	13
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,342	$2,575	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,457	$2,550	4thin

Every lot, as filed

59 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	850–900	863	231.69/cwt	231.00–232.00	1,999	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	251.00/cwt	251.00–251.00	1,807	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	787	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	1,897	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	898	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	2,021	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	680	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	1,843	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	550–600	596	289.00/cwt	289.00–289.00	1,722	8
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,661	2,850.00/head	2,850.00–2,850.00	2,850	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,956	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	763	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,885	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	691	258.79/cwt	257.00–262.50	1,788	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,071	188.18/cwt	149.00–201.00	2,015	143
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	619	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,764	14
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,260	2,250.00/head	2,250.00–2,250.00	2,250	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	711	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	2,019	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	925	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	2,026	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,051	159.99/cwt	143.00–180.00	1,681	10
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,523	2,650.00/head	2,650.00–2,650.00	2,650	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,605	3,250.00/head	3,250.00–3,250.00	3,250	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,123	160.67/cwt	141.00–191.00	1,804	61
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,243	2,000.00/head	2,000.00–2,000.00	2,000	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	100–150	125	325.00/head	325.00–325.00	325	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	50–100	68	425.00/head	425.00–425.00	425	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	540	326.00/cwt	326.00–326.00	1,760	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,508	166.19/cwt	156.00–171.00	2,506	14
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,533	142.77/cwt	135.00–155.00	2,189	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,549	151.69/cwt	148.00–154.50	2,350	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,401	150.56/cwt	147.00–154.50	2,109	95
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	960	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	1,286	1
Bulls	—	—	1,998	183.71/cwt	175.00–192.50	3,671	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	892	239.49/cwt	239.00–242.50	2,136	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	521	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	1,472	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	586	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,553	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	958	153.78/cwt	150.00–157.50	1,473	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,342	2,575.00/head	2,575.00–2,575.00	2,575	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	810	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	1,952	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,181	124.87/cwt	119.00–130.00	1,475	8
Heifers	Large 1	950–1000	982	203.00/cwt	203.00–203.00	1,993	3
Heifers	Large 1	850–900	889	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,991	16
Heifers	Medium 2	400–450	428	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,070	3
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	527	297.30/cwt	295.00–307.00	1,567	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,783	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	126.89/cwt	120.00–130.00	1,490	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,361	130.38/cwt	123.00–136.00	1,774	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,404	133.68/cwt	131.00–136.00	1,877	6
Bulls	—	—	1,825	168.32/cwt	156.00–174.00	3,072	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	920	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,168	2
Bulls	—	—	1,585	144.78/cwt	140.00–149.00	2,295	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,237	143.79/cwt	140.00–146.00	1,779	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,395	142.16/cwt	138.00–145.00	1,983	28
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,653	134.99/cwt	134.00–136.00	2,231	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,437	148.88/cwt	147.00–153.50	2,139	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,120	143.93/cwt	142.00–146.00	1,612	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,538	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,230	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,060	111.00/cwt	111.00–111.00	1,177	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,744	144.39/cwt	141.00–148.00	2,518	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,546	150.44/cwt	149.00–154.00	2,326	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,406	141.26/cwt	137.00–147.00	1,986	101
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,184	135.84/cwt	132.50–139.00	1,608	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,206	136.50/cwt	130.00–140.00	1,646	33

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 →