Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-12-04
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-12-04

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Weaned and unweaned steers sold mostly 8.00-13.00 higher on all weights. Weaned and unweaned heifer calves under 550 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher; heifers over 550 lbs sold mostly 2.00-6.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand this sale was mostly good to very good. Todays feeder special featured enhanced health protocol cattle. Many sets of calves were weaned and given an extensive vaccination protocol. Weaned calves sold on mostly very good demand this sale. Most unweaned calves were given 2 rounds of vaccinations. Quality this sale was mostly attractive to very attractive. Many buyers were on hand today actively bidding on offerings. Market activity was mostly active with offerings quickly moving through the ring. Weigh up cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend. Demand was mostly good for very light offerings. Higher undertones were noticed on both slaughter and feeding cows. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly good demand as well. Bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, higher undertones were noticed. Two year old to young age cows sold on mostly moderate demand this sale. Quality was average. This class of cows was too lightly tested to develop any market trend.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $166.22/cwt on 1,587 head.

Average price

$166.22

1,587 head · 532 lb average

Value per head Derived

$884

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$227

per head · Medium 1 over Medium and Large 1

$12.30/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.63

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	384	177.77	683	81
Medium 1-2	385	167.50	645	6thin
Medium and Large 1-2	454	166.62	757	146
Medium and Large 1	550	165.48	910	1,354

One grade step is worth $12.30/cwt here — about −$227 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 0–100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale1,587 hd

166.22

—

MT average5 barns · 4,816 hd

170.84

−4.63

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	1,851	76.59	1,417	6thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,778	57.50	1,022	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,403	56.32	790	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,207	46.87	566	52

Every lot, as filed

81 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Fri)

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 1-2Unweaned	—	417	172.69/cwt	167.00–178.00	720	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	520	148.06/cwt	144.00–151.00	770	132
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	685	145.99/cwt	138.00–148.50	1,000	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	711	150.02/cwt	149.50–150.50	1,067	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	549	153.50/cwt	153.50–153.50	843	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	566	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	860	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	476	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	671	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	372	185.35/cwt	185.00–185.50	690	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	531	167.69/cwt	161.00–171.00	890	102
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	413	187.20/cwt	181.00–193.00	773	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	336	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	612	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	501	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	716	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	618	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	865	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	653	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	947	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	608	156.73/cwt	146.00–161.50	953	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	561	160.12/cwt	159.50–163.00	898	93
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	703	125.83/cwt	124.50–126.50	885	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	667	129.74/cwt	126.00–130.00	865	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	631	124.64/cwt	124.00–127.00	786	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	472	156.28/cwt	145.00–161.00	738	211
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	658	125.26/cwt	125.00–126.50	824	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	584	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	841	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	938	129.25/cwt	129.25–129.25	1,212	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	421	187.96/cwt	181.00–193.50	791	54
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	483	177.34/cwt	170.00–189.00	857	260
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	421	154.35/cwt	153.00–158.00	650	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	574	136.04/cwt	133.00–137.50	781	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	615	155.94/cwt	148.50–162.00	959	237
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	568	159.36/cwt	155.00–163.50	905	189
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	529	167.41/cwt	160.00–172.00	886	102
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	883	135.50/cwt	135.50–135.50	1,196	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	384	159.25/cwt	156.50–168.00	612	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	722	137.88/cwt	137.50–138.00	995	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	626	129.80/cwt	128.00–131.00	813	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,375	53.50/cwt	53.50–53.50	736	1
Bulls	—	—	1,815	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	1,307	1
Bulls	—	—	1,880	78.28/cwt	77.00–79.50	1,472	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,350	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	648	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,087	37.13/cwt	37.00–38.00	404	8
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,843	77.00/cwt	77.00–77.00	1,419	3
Steers	Medium 1	—	387	176.57/cwt	175.00–187.00	683	59
Heifers	Medium 1	—	378	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	529	9
Steers	Medium 1	—	432	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	782	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,411	56.68/cwt	52.50–61.00	800	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,365	62.00/cwt	62.00–62.00	846	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,212	47.21/cwt	45.50–49.75	572	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	474	179.50/cwt	169.00–185.00	851	96
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	571	137.92/cwt	134.00–145.00	788	153
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	885	62.00/cwt	62.00–62.00	549	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,260	49.83/cwt	49.50–52.00	628	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,230	63.00/cwt	63.00–63.00	775	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,221	51.27/cwt	50.00–54.00	626	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	357	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	468	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	483	136.21/cwt	135.00–138.00	658	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	393	154.30/cwt	154.00–156.50	606	41
Steers	Medium 1	—	337	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	610	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,778	57.50/cwt	57.50–57.50	1,022	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,254	43.79/cwt	41.00–47.00	549	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	495	128.50/cwt	128.50–128.50	636	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	410	146.38/cwt	145.00–150.00	600	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	528	138.43/cwt	138.00–139.00	731	27
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,049	75.47/cwt	69.00–85.00	792	11
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	385	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	645	6
Heifers	Medium 1-2	—	367	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	477	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	318	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	501	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	823	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,008	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	388	174.00/cwt	174.00–174.00	675	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	418	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	585	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	717	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	975	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	678	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	922	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	609	132.09/cwt	130.00–135.00	804	39
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	420	155.72/cwt	152.00–160.00	654	229
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	514	153.45/cwt	143.00–157.00	789	89
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	339	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	627	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	466	164.91/cwt	164.00–165.00	768	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	379	179.05/cwt	175.50–187.00	679	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	390	161.37/cwt	158.00–163.00	629	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	391	196.50/cwt	196.50–196.50	768	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	475	156.55/cwt	151.00–161.50	744	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	614	141.33/cwt	138.00–143.00	868	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	480	164.27/cwt	164.00–165.00	788	43

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 →