Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-09-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-09-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder calves were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Quality was mostly plain to average today. Most feeders were offered in small packages or as singles. CME feeder contract positions continue to show positive movement following last weeks cattle on feed report. Demand was moderate to good for light offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate today, with a smaller buyer pool noticed compared to last week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers showed lighter demand for all cows destined for immediate harvest. Feeding cow demand was mostly moderate and significantly stronger than demand for slaughter cows. Slaughter cows sold mostly 6.00-12.00 lower on all classes. Feeding cows sold with the best demand again this week. A large percentage of the cow offering was purchased to feed as most sound cows sold to feeding orders. Feeding cows sold mostly 6.00-10.00 lower. Cow quality was mostly average to attractive and overall more attractive than last week. Weigh conditions were mixed with both very full and very empty cows noticed. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-5.00 lower. Feeding bull demand was light again this sale as packer buyers were the only buyers to purchase bulls to feed. Quality today was mostly average to attractive for bulls and similar to last weeks offering. Feeding bulls were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed as demand from rebreed buyers was mostly good.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $256.22/cwt on 27 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −165.31 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$256.22

27 head · 540 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,384

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$54

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

$21.99/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.94

vs MT average

+16.13 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	534	265.00	1,415	9thin
Medium and Large 1	535	258.20	1,381	10thin
Medium and Large 2	535	246.50	1,319	2thin
Large 1	560	243.01	1,361	6thin

One grade step is worth $21.99/cwt here — about $54 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 1000–1100 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 sale27 hd

256.22

—

MT average2 barns · 36 hd

253.28

+2.94

National average173 barns · 10,203 hd

240.09

+16.13

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−165.31

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	1,714	140.47	2,407	62
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,579	128.87	2,035	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,389	121.69	1,690	194
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,172	110.13	1,290	119

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	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,091	$2,034	16
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,360	$1,800	1thin

Every lot, as filed

70 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	1000–1050	1,022	211.50/cwt	211.00–212.00	2,162	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	558	243.00/cwt	243.00–243.00	1,356	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	512	273.40/cwt	271.00–274.00	1,400	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,091	2,034.26/head	1,900.00–2,225.00	2,034	16
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,080	148.61/cwt	135.00–175.00	1,605	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	943	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	2,065	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	863	229.44/cwt	227.00–230.50	1,980	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,304	113.00/cwt	113.00–113.00	1,474	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,283	111.00/cwt	111.00–111.00	1,424	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	477	291.83/cwt	290.00–294.00	1,392	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	990	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	2,168	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,360	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	633	240.70/cwt	238.50–242.00	1,524	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	150–200	194	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	863	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	828	172.25/cwt	165.00–180.00	1,426	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	210	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	935	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	570	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,397	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	900–950	922	204.50/cwt	204.50–204.50	1,885	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	945	186.10/cwt	165.00–193.50	1,759	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	266	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,157	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	828	234.00/cwt	234.00–234.00	1,938	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	208	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	957	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	260	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,209	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	534	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,415	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	532	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,277	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,038	122.23/cwt	122.00–122.50	1,269	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	1000–1050	1,016	183.03/cwt	182.00–186.00	1,860	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	469	268.89/cwt	265.00–279.00	1,261	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	555	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	1,504	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,595	92.00/cwt	92.00–92.00	1,467	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,341	113.19/cwt	109.00–114.00	1,518	10
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,619	136.93/cwt	131.00–146.00	2,217	13
Bulls	—	—	2,035	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	3,317	2
Bulls	—	—	1,868	149.51/cwt	147.00–155.00	2,793	18
Bulls	—	—	1,693	136.75/cwt	125.00–146.00	2,315	23
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,330	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,623	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,680	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,949	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,900	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	2,328	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,513	130.85/cwt	127.00–136.00	1,980	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,151	110.50/cwt	109.00–111.00	1,272	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,255	129.26/cwt	127.00–132.00	1,622	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,151	99.57/cwt	90.00–108.00	1,146	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	983	101.01/cwt	100.00–102.00	993	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	960	80.01/cwt	72.50–82.50	768	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	945	106.32/cwt	105.00–107.50	1,005	2
Bulls	—	—	2,335	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	3,666	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,249	121.94/cwt	112.50–128.00	1,523	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,199	110.05/cwt	108.00–117.00	1,319	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,005	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	754	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,403	130.72/cwt	129.00–135.00	1,834	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,367	123.64/cwt	116.00–128.00	1,690	131
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,443	109.35/cwt	103.00–113.00	1,578	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,499	128.23/cwt	127.00–129.00	1,922	5
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,090	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	2,344	3
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	560	243.01/cwt	235.00–247.00	1,361	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,599	128.77/cwt	124.00–131.00	2,059	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,481	119.18/cwt	114.00–125.00	1,765	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,192	121.27/cwt	113.00–125.00	1,446	25
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,737	129.34/cwt	127.00–134.50	2,247	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	834	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,751	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	841	223.55/cwt	221.00–227.00	1,880	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	500–550	535	246.50/cwt	246.50–246.50	1,319	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	391	283.02/cwt	282.50–285.00	1,107	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	923	213.57/cwt	213.00–214.00	1,971	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	452	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,130	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	333	392.50/cwt	392.50–392.50	1,307	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	756	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,814	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	1050–1100	1,058	208.00/cwt	208.00–208.00	2,201	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	687	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	1,738	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	925	217.69/cwt	217.00–218.00	2,014	8

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 →