Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-02-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-02-26

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Friday sale(1-29-21): Steers under 450 lbs sold sharply higher with most sales 15.00-18.00 higher, 450-799 lbs sold mostly 4.00-7.00 higher, steers over 800 lbs not well compared. Heifers all sold 4.00-8.00 higher. This is the last Friday feeder special for the season and buyers took full advantage of todays heavy offering. Demand was mostly good to very good for cattle suitable to run on grass and mostly moderate to good for backgrounded feedlot ready cattle. Buyers were able to buy cattle in load lots or piece together loads of uniform cattle this sale. Cattle developed for grass were in mostly very light to light flesh. Buyers offered strong premiums for very lightly fleshed, home raised, reputation cattle. Despite sharply lower CME contract prices buyers showed very good demand as this was the last big feeder special of the season and many buyers anticipate seasonally light receipts going forward. Market activity was active to very active this sale with 18 order buyers and several farmer feeders in the stands actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows and bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed with this past Wednesdays sale.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $153.25/cwt on 2,199 head.

Average price

$153.25

2,199 head · 589 lb average

Value per head Derived

$903

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$91

per head · Medium 1 over Medium 2

$26.31/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.28

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	479	157.18	753	40
Medium and Large 1	598	153.90	920	1,932
Medium and Large 1-2	542	149.95	812	182
Medium and Large 2	477	140.00	668	23
Medium 2	506	130.86	662	22

One grade step is worth $26.31/cwt here — about $91 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 sale2,199 hd

153.25

—

MT average3 barns · 3,312 hd

153.53

−0.28

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	1,304	83.05	1,083	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,384	59.78	828	45
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,675	57.99	971	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,128	51.43	580	21

Every lot, as filed

86 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 1Fleshy	—	773	130.15/cwt	127.00–132.00	1,006	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	527	187.72/cwt	182.50–195.00	989	114
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	818	129.22/cwt	122.50–130.50	1,057	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	679	153.45/cwt	151.00–156.00	1,042	95
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	789	141.10/cwt	141.00–142.00	1,113	132
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	462	197.50/cwt	197.50–197.50	912	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	483	198.21/cwt	191.00–207.50	957	134
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	685	141.63/cwt	138.00–143.50	970	190
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	930	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,125	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	534	167.57/cwt	166.00–173.00	895	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	—	746	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	955	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	777	131.90/cwt	128.50–133.50	1,025	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	378	175.31/cwt	173.00–178.00	663	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	384	212.48/cwt	212.00–215.00	816	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	621	136.26/cwt	134.50–137.00	846	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	490	186.38/cwt	176.00–189.00	913	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	537	162.98/cwt	157.00–166.00	875	483
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	474	169.81/cwt	166.00–173.00	805	113
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	573	155.30/cwt	150.50–159.00	890	282
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	717	151.04/cwt	147.00–155.00	1,083	228
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	529	176.56/cwt	175.00–178.00	934	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	439	172.32/cwt	169.00–181.00	756	93
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	644	169.53/cwt	169.50–170.00	1,092	247
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	560	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	1,050	226
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	567	175.69/cwt	167.00–181.00	996	176
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	512	169.81/cwt	169.50–170.00	869	116
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	950	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	1,178	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	825	141.65/cwt	137.00–142.00	1,169	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	937	124.64/cwt	123.00–125.00	1,168	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	434	214.00/cwt	205.00–218.00	929	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	619	160.91/cwt	158.00–166.00	996	80
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	882	133.27/cwt	126.50–135.00	1,175	136
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	615	154.40/cwt	153.00–156.00	950	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	733	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	968	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	996	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,205	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	715	139.79/cwt	133.00–143.50	999	263
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	592	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	876	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,375	60.07/cwt	57.50–64.00	826	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	925	45.00/cwt	45.00–45.00	416	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,152	52.39/cwt	46.50–57.00	604	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,095	47.00/cwt	47.00–47.00	515	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,108	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	875	4
Bulls	—	—	2,135	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	1,708	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,675	57.99/cwt	55.50–59.50	971	11
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,107	85.50/cwt	85.50–85.50	946	5
Steers	Medium 1	—	520	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	889	4
Steers	Medium 1	—	707	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	940	13
Steers	Large 1	—	647	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	983	28
Bulls	—	—	2,240	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	2,016	1
Steers	Large 1	—	586	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	926	45
Steers	Large 1	—	1,085	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	1,280	1
Heifers	Medium 2	—	592	129.50/cwt	129.50–129.50	767	12
Heifers	Medium 1	—	411	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	647	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,350	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	797	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,522	56.15/cwt	56.00–56.50	855	3
Heifers	Medium 1	—	619	138.50/cwt	138.50–138.50	857	7
Heifers	Medium 1	—	363	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	606	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,283	53.50/cwt	53.50–53.50	686	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,168	735.00/cwt	735.00–735.00	8,585	9
Steers	Large 1	—	1,020	117.34/cwt	117.00–118.00	1,197	6
Steers	Large 1	—	684	153.50/cwt	153.50–153.50	1,050	77
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,057	70.20/cwt	58.00–87.00	742	52
Heifers	Medium 2	—	402	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	533	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	462	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	739	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	672	144.71/cwt	141.00–148.00	972	21
Heifers	Medium 1	—	497	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	800	18
Steers	Medium 1	—	615	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	947	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	589	147.35/cwt	147.00–148.00	868	28
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,003	100.63/cwt	87.00–112.50	1,009	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	582	158.82/cwt	150.00–165.00	924	23
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	577	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	854	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	930	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,116	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	822	73.00/cwt	73.00–73.00	600	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	476	158.87/cwt	149.25–164.00	756	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	428	160.61/cwt	154.00–165.00	687	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	631	149.62/cwt	146.00–155.00	944	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	625	145.09/cwt	140.00–149.50	907	148
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	815	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,035	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	703	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	970	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	477	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	668	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	416	191.37/cwt	185.00–200.00	796	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	940	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,090	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	871	121.27/cwt	119.00–122.50	1,056	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	682	132.89/cwt	124.50–136.50	906	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	482	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	759	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	537	150.84/cwt	144.50–155.50	810	65

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 →