Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-12-04
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-12-04

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Quality was mostly plain to average today. Most feeders were offered in small packages or as singles. Demand for limited feeders was good to very good. Market activity was mostly moderate to active today with a large pool of buyers both ringside as well as over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows comprised most of the sale today. Demand was mostly good to very good for heavy offerings. A very large pool of cow buyers were on hand for todays sale as 12 buyers were active in buying cows both ringside as well as over the internet. Cow quality this sale was mostly average to attractive. Most cows were purchased to go to feed in some capacity. High quality feeding cows, suitable to feed to premium white sold mostly 4.00-6.00 higher. Thin, short term feeding cows which were purchased to feed for the holidays sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher. Many low yielding, slightly lame, or slightly blemished cows were purchased for this purpose. Slaughter cow demand was stronger today as buyers showed need for cows for immediate harvest, however very few cows were purchased to slaughter as a large pool of feeding cow buyers pushed cow prices above slaughter orders. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all classes. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 7.00-11.00 higher. Packer and feeding buyers both showed good demand for all bulls on offer. Feeding bulls sold mostly 5.00-8.00 higher. Bull quality was average to very attractive today and much more attractive than the last few sales. Weigh up conditions were mostly average today for both cows and bulls. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Front end high quality offerings sold higher while the bulk of the offering sold fully steady. Demand from rebreed buyers remains good to very good, especially for light weight offerings. Quality this week was average to attractive.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $319.18/cwt on 128 head. That ranks 1 of 11 comparable sales and sits −172.27 against this barn's trailing median of $491.45.

Average price

$319.18

128 head · 547 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,744

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$530

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 2

$86.33/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.77

vs MT average

−6.19 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	537	336.33	1,807	51
Medium and Large 1-2	548	315.50	1,730	61
Medium 1	588	288.00	1,693	12thin
Medium 2	511	250.00	1,278	4thin

One grade step is worth $86.33/cwt here — about $530 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

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 sale128 hd

319.18

—

MT average3 barns · 317 hd

319.95

−0.77

National average187 barns · 33,494 hd

325.37

−6.19

This barn, trailing median11 sales

491.45

−172.27

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	1,822	144.23	2,627	69
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,658	121.21	2,010	26
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,391	121.03	1,684	280
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,165	113.54	1,322	222

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)	1,177	$2,324	20
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,029	$2,200	6
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,363	$2,161	17
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	905	$2,050	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,252	$1,950	6
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,346	$1,939	16
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,315	$1,750	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,235	$1,702	12
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,246	$1,619	30

Every lot, as filed

104 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	1,038	214.17/cwt	212.50–215.00	2,223	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,801	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	502	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,591	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,020	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	2,346	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	440	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,738	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,029	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	513	352.39/cwt	340.00–353.00	1,808	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	464	388.00/cwt	388.00–388.00	1,800	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	539	291.29/cwt	291.00–291.50	1,570	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	495	364.00/cwt	364.00–364.00	1,802	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	709	241.26/cwt	240.00–245.00	1,711	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,346	1,938.81/head	1,850.00–1,985.00	1,939	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	361	431.49/cwt	420.00–445.00	1,558	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	888	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	2,096	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,315	1,750.00/head	1,750.00–1,750.00	1,750	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,390	1,875.00/head	1,875.00–1,875.00	1,875	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	988	2,036.09/head	1,950.00–2,100.00	2,036	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	660	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,650	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,013	171.34/cwt	126.50–203.00	1,736	82
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	563	320.40/cwt	320.00–322.00	1,804	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	954	199.71/cwt	131.50–232.00	1,905	181
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	788	247.50/cwt	247.50–247.50	1,950	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	944	138.10/cwt	119.00–155.00	1,304	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,250	1,650.00/head	1,650.00–1,650.00	1,650	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	523	343.11/cwt	342.50–347.50	1,794	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,363	2,160.69/head	2,050.00–2,200.00	2,161	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	593	298.70/cwt	297.50–299.00	1,771	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	840	231.00/cwt	231.00–231.00	1,940	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	844	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	2,093	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	577	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,673	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,210	2,374.40/head	2,300.00–2,400.00	2,374	17
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,214	1,775.00/head	1,775.00–1,775.00	1,775	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	413	381.79/cwt	375.00–389.00	1,577	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	463	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,609	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	993	205.28/cwt	200.00–210.50	2,038	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	392	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,637	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	995	159.91/cwt	132.50–195.00	1,591	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,252	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	525	325.09/cwt	322.00–328.00	1,707	20
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	612	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	1,668	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	290	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,421	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	603	294.50/cwt	294.50–294.50	1,776	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	520	327.77/cwt	325.00–330.00	1,704	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	290	388.23/cwt	360.00–400.00	1,126	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,103	1,500.00/head	1,500.00–1,500.00	1,500	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,271	1,599.70/head	1,500.00–1,650.00	1,600	17
Bulls	—	—	2,485	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	3,554	1
Bulls	—	—	1,904	151.34/cwt	147.00–155.00	2,882	26
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,543	137.45/cwt	132.00–143.50	2,121	14
Bulls	—	—	1,811	135.02/cwt	120.00–146.50	2,445	20
Bulls	—	—	2,049	159.01/cwt	157.00–160.00	3,258	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,793	147.57/cwt	146.00–149.50	2,646	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,840	130.21/cwt	129.50–131.00	2,396	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,552	115.60/cwt	113.00–116.50	1,794	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,390	91.08/cwt	86.00–95.00	1,266	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,411	100.16/cwt	96.00–101.50	1,413	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	880	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	880	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	840	80.65/cwt	77.50–85.00	677	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,184	120.02/cwt	114.00–125.00	1,421	102
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,211	127.08/cwt	125.00–132.50	1,539	27
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,134	108.25/cwt	97.50–114.00	1,228	68
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,743	125.22/cwt	121.50–128.50	2,183	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,159	95.25/cwt	90.00–103.00	1,104	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,152	82.97/cwt	72.00–91.00	956	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,387	122.19/cwt	115.00–128.50	1,695	176
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,415	111.39/cwt	93.00–115.50	1,576	43
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,550	119.06/cwt	115.00–120.00	1,845	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,035	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	2,544	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,453	114.06/cwt	110.50–117.00	1,657	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,378	129.56/cwt	127.00–132.00	1,785	49
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,060	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	2,253	1
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	478	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,554	3
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	915	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,418	1
Heifers	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,177	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	2,119	3
Heifers	Large 1-2	1200–1250	1,200	187.00/cwt	187.00–187.00	2,244	2
Heifers	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,110	193.00/cwt	193.00–193.00	2,142	1
Heifers	Medium 1	400–450	420	300.49/cwt	300.00–301.00	1,262	6
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	745	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	1,267	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	573	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,599	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	450–500	454	412.00/cwt	412.00–412.00	1,870	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,947	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	280	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,428	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	650–700	692	266.00/cwt	266.00–266.00	1,841	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	985	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	2,192	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	913	229.24/cwt	224.00–231.00	2,093	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	660	252.50/cwt	252.50–252.50	1,667	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	467	322.01/cwt	321.00–323.00	1,504	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	980	221.25/cwt	220.00–222.50	2,168	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	300–350	337	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,028	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	905	2,050.00/head	2,050.00–2,050.00	2,050	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	487	333.00/cwt	333.00–333.00	1,622	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	406	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	1,736	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	371	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,632	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	900–950	931	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,048	5
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	550–600	588	288.00/cwt	288.00–288.00	1,693	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	350–400	391	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,212	13
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	860	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,247	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	672	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	1,841	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	633	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,630	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	420	314.22/cwt	310.00–316.00	1,320	7
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,237	179.16/cwt	172.50–192.50	2,216	3
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,137	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,388	10
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	450–500	478	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,243	4
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	500–550	511	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,278	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 →