Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-10-30
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-10-30

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average today. Most feeders were offered in small packages or as singles. Demand was mostly light to moderate for light offerings. Fewer takers were seen for feeder cattle this sale as todays sale featured cows. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows comprised most of todays sale. Demand for slaughter cows was light to moderate and slightly stronger than last week. Quality this week was mostly mixed from plain to very attractive. Many lame, low yielding cows were seen again this sale. Feeding buyers were more active this week with 12 slaughter and feeding cow buyers in the stands or online bidding on cows. Most cows were purchased to feed this week as buyers took more lame and blemished cows this week. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly light. Slaughter cows sold steady to weak on breaking and boning cows; lean cows sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Weigh conditions were mostly average to below average today, however weigh conditions were better this week compared to last week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00 lower. Feeding bull sold generally steady. Quality today was mostly average for bulls. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand from rebreed buyers was mostly good. Quality was mostly average to attractive this week and more attractive than last weeks offering.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $280.99/cwt on 69 head. That ranks 1 of 11 comparable sales and sits −210.46 against this barn's trailing median of $491.45.

Average price

$280.99

69 head · 553 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,554

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$10

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

$25.44/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−21.12

vs MT average

−19.70 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	525	296.85	1,558	26
Medium and Large 1-2	570	271.41	1,548	43

One grade step is worth $25.44/cwt here — about $10 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 200–300 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

11 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $510.69, low $452.33, median $491.45 across 11 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 sale69 hd

280.99

—

MT average5 barns · 2,410 hd

302.12

−21.12

National average185 barns · 40,108 hd

300.69

−19.70

This barn, trailing median11 sales

491.45

−210.46

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	1,791	144.63	2,590	47
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,710	124.01	2,120	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,378	121.48	1,674	428
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,197	109.50	1,311	386

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)	1,118	$2,330	22
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,126	$2,225	22
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,250	$2,075	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,478	$1,975	2thin

Every lot, as filed

80 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
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,126	2,224.91/head	2,100.00–2,300.00	2,225	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,058	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	2,275	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	675	243.00/cwt	243.00–243.00	1,640	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	682	261.48/cwt	259.00–263.00	1,783	49
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	678	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,600	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	629	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,736	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	780	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,736	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	650–700	690	234.00/cwt	234.00–234.00	1,615	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	600–650	609	239.00/cwt	239.00–239.00	1,456	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	944	192.88/cwt	160.00–215.00	1,821	216
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,250	2,075.00/head	2,075.00–2,075.00	2,075	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	592	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,634	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	858	233.00/cwt	233.00–233.00	1,999	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	980	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,450	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	718	219.00/cwt	219.00–219.00	1,572	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	450–500	450	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,339	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Non-Legible BANGS	—	1,478	1,975.00/head	1,975.00–1,975.00	1,975	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	516	299.57/cwt	289.00–305.00	1,546	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	360	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,386	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	954	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	2,070	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,121	2,341.18/head	2,200.00–2,400.00	2,341	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,049	208.00/cwt	208.00–208.00	2,182	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	357	371.64/cwt	367.50–372.50	1,327	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,059	155.54/cwt	125.00–170.00	1,647	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,065	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	300	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,290	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	990	168.60/cwt	142.50–178.00	1,669	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	530	269.93/cwt	261.00–283.00	1,431	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	487	283.00/cwt	283.00–283.00	1,378	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	586	271.98/cwt	269.00–273.00	1,594	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	417	337.36/cwt	330.00–342.50	1,407	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,090	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	2,180	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	575	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	1,392	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	602	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,445	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	355	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,118	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,343	98.10/cwt	91.00–103.00	1,317	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,465	113.00/cwt	113.00–113.00	1,655	1
Bulls	—	—	1,485	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	2,079	1
Bulls	—	—	1,857	147.57/cwt	144.00–156.00	2,740	12
Bulls	—	—	2,142	158.68/cwt	158.00–160.00	3,399	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,621	146.39/cwt	145.00–152.00	2,373	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,371	124.49/cwt	117.00–131.50	1,707	231
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,010	113.00/cwt	113.00–113.00	2,271	1
Bulls	—	—	1,835	139.43/cwt	127.50–144.00	2,559	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,191	125.73/cwt	122.00–131.00	1,497	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,478	86.00/cwt	86.00–86.00	1,271	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,785	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	2,160	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,694	143.14/cwt	138.00–145.50	2,425	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,382	132.20/cwt	130.00–140.00	1,827	80
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,755	123.77/cwt	123.50–124.00	2,172	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,220	102.62/cwt	99.00–114.00	1,252	33
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,580	128.02/cwt	125.00–129.50	2,023	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,662	130.84/cwt	130.50–131.50	2,175	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,801	118.00/cwt	112.00–123.50	2,125	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	902	81.08/cwt	80.00–82.50	731	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,210	107.03/cwt	98.50–111.50	1,295	145
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,132	83.59/cwt	72.50–89.00	946	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	925	77.50/cwt	77.50–77.50	717	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,418	106.94/cwt	104.00–112.00	1,516	34
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	520	261.00/cwt	261.00–261.00	1,357	3
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	603	262.00/cwt	262.00–262.00	1,580	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,160	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	2,001	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,380	111.43/cwt	103.00–117.50	1,538	67
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,215	118.14/cwt	111.00–121.00	1,435	121
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,130	96.24/cwt	90.00–99.00	1,088	43
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	200–250	245	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	968	10
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,085	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	2,311	15
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,130	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,373	1
Bulls	Large 1	1150–1200	1,180	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	2,360	1
Steers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,125	225.96/cwt	221.00–231.00	2,542	2
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,220	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,952	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	288	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,296	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	472	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,487	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	428	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	1,145	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	634	254.46/cwt	254.00–255.00	1,613	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	290	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,102	4
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	250–300	260	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	871	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,098	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	2,449	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,050	163.82/cwt	131.00–197.50	1,720	104
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	586	249.06/cwt	241.00–254.00	1,459	24

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 →