Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-11-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-11-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last Friday: All yearlings were too scarcely tested last week to develop any market trend. Demand for yearlings was mostly moderate. Most yearlings were out of a grow lot this week. Most of these yearling offerings were in moderate to moderate plus flesh and sold with a discount to the yearlings coming off grass. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher, 450-599 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher, steers over 600 lbs sold mostly steady to 10.00 higher. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Demand was stronger and more consistent today as trucks have started to loosen up. Vaccinations remain vital to getting front end prices this year. Calves with two rounds of vaccinations sold with strong 10.00-12.00 premiums. Price spreads remain large. Market activity this week was moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold steady to weak in a narrow comparison. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. All cows and bulls were packing lots of fill as they sold late in the sale. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady to firm. Bull quality was mostly attractive this sale. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $165.49/cwt on 1,358 head.

Average price

$165.49

1,358 head · 576 lb average

Value per head Derived

$953

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$294

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$25.59/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.35

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	570	166.92	951	1,237
Medium 1	554	156.90	870	49
Medium and Large 1-2	527	151.83	800	38
Large 1	881	141.32	1,245	34

One grade step is worth $25.59/cwt here — about −$294 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 sale1,358 hd

165.49

—

MT average3 barns · 3,781 hd

165.85

−0.35

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	1,754	81.88	1,436	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,505	60.50	911	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,392	55.50	773	65
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,194	45.68	545	179

Every lot, as filed

89 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	—	648	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	966	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	999	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,229	17
Steers	Large 1Fleshy	—	1,152	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	1,325	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	656	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	886	4
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	436	151.50/cwt	151.50–151.50	661	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	525	145.64/cwt	142.00–149.75	765	169
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	390	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	780	77
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	321	207.72/cwt	200.00–210.00	667	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	900	147.25/cwt	147.25–147.25	1,325	63
Steers	Large 1	—	1,081	130.50/cwt	130.50–130.50	1,411	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	473	154.78/cwt	149.00–162.00	732	140
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	463	187.25/cwt	183.50–190.00	867	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	560	154.50/cwt	154.50–154.50	865	32
Steers	Large 1	—	1,003	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,454	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	805	155.50/cwt	155.50–155.50	1,252	28
Steers	Large 1	—	476	159.50/cwt	159.50–159.50	759	6
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	480	142.56/cwt	140.50–144.00	684	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	515	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	798	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	525	165.47/cwt	156.00–169.00	869	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	385	194.53/cwt	187.00–200.00	749	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	335	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	677	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	460	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	768	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	555	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	799	2
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	562	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	843	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	355	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	657	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	282	211.51/cwt	205.00–225.00	596	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	572	157.67/cwt	150.00–168.50	902	426
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	535	146.77/cwt	140.00–156.00	785	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	441	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	856	4
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	380	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	718	15
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	529	148.73/cwt	137.00–155.00	787	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	755	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	1,125	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	481	182.95/cwt	167.50–194.00	880	156
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	631	161.49/cwt	148.50–166.50	1,019	74
Steers	Medium 1	—	746	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,015	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	430	196.19/cwt	188.00–207.00	844	76
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	682	149.53/cwt	144.00–151.50	1,020	126
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	671	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	939	4
Heifers	Medium 1	—	760	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,026	11
Heifers	Medium 1	—	463	139.74/cwt	137.00–142.00	647	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	788	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	1,131	131
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	383	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	613	15
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	698	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	698	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	609	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	639	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,107	36.33/cwt	34.50–38.00	402	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,168	46.81/cwt	46.00–47.50	547	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	922	36.62/cwt	35.50–39.00	338	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	995	33.00/cwt	33.00–33.00	328	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,350	44.00/cwt	44.00–44.00	594	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,401	61.42/cwt	56.50–65.50	860	27
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,456	67.37/cwt	65.00–68.00	981	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,505	60.50/cwt	60.50–60.50	911	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,130	41.21/cwt	38.00–44.00	466	44
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,250	44.03/cwt	40.50–46.50	550	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,205	58.50/cwt	58.50–58.50	705	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,258	50.01/cwt	47.00–54.00	629	86
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,377	49.17/cwt	47.00–54.50	677	31
Bulls	—	—	1,802	85.50/cwt	80.00–88.00	1,541	3
Bulls	—	—	1,610	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	1,143	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	888	86.75/cwt	70.00–92.00	770	27
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,058	62.50/cwt	62.50–62.50	661	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,069	62.16/cwt	49.00–76.00	664	27
Bred Heifers	Medium 1	—	955	1,000.00/cwt	1,000.00–1,000.00	9,550	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,045	1,000.00/cwt	1,000.00–1,000.00	10,450	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,278	51.24/cwt	49.00–52.00	655	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	323	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	565	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	375	169.10/cwt	168.00–170.00	634	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	710	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	944	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	354	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	559	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	569	142.57/cwt	139.50–144.75	811	221
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	322	175.40/cwt	171.00–176.00	565	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	416	159.32/cwt	155.00–163.00	663	69
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	698	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	914	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	873	137.17/cwt	134.00–140.50	1,197	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	629	139.22/cwt	134.00–141.50	876	121
Heifers	Medium 1-2Unweaned	—	429	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	592	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	408	149.28/cwt	142.00–154.00	609	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	735	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,029	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	918	134.34/cwt	133.00–134.50	1,233	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	917	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,183	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	573	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	808	12
Heifers	Medium 1	—	432	142.13/cwt	140.00–143.00	614	14
Heifers	Medium 1	—	529	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	693	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	542	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	753	10
Heifers	Medium 1	—	687	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	900	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	469	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	746	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	382	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	630	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	761	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	1,081	14
Heifers	Medium 1	—	730	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	1,000	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 →