Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2022-11-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-11-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Steer calves under 450 lbs traded steady to 10.00 lower in a narrow comparison, steer calves over 450 lbs traded steady to 3.00 higher. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly 5.00-8.00 higher, heifers over 500 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher. Demand was mostly moderate to good for moderate to heavy offerings. Quality today was average to very attractive, and even better than last weeks offering. Many sets of fresh calves, straight off the cow, were seen today. Demand for light weight cattle suitable to develop into yearlings remains very good, however after buyers filled loads the price for this class of claves lightened. This was more apparent on steers than heifers. Unweaned calves with both spring and fall preconditioning shots sold with the best demand. Fully preconditioned calves could sell with as much as a $5.00 premium to calves with with only spring shots. Calves weaned 45 days or longer sold on moderate to good demand today. Many sets of weaned calves were weaned 45 days up to 60 days. Demand for short weaned calves remains light especially if calves were rough haired and carrying some belly or excess fill. Market activity was mostly active today. A good crowd of buyers was on hand as both farmer feeders and order buyers were both active in filling loads. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for very light offerings. Both slaughter and feeding cows sold with steady undertones in a very narrow comparison. Cow quality was mostly plain to average today. Weigh up conditions were average to below average today with many cows carrying excess fill. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop any trend. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to trend.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $202.47/cwt on 1,729 head.

Average price

$202.47

1,729 head · 582 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,179

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$150

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

$41.42/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.40

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	507	210.92	1,070	50
Medium and Large 1	582	202.88	1,180	1,646
Large 1	720	169.50	1,220	33

One grade step is worth $41.42/cwt here — about −$150 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 sale1,729 hd

202.47

—

MT average5 barns · 4,061 hd

202.88

−0.40

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	1,662	81.10	1,348	5thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,511	78.64	1,188	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,412	66.34	937	28
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,230	56.55	695	54

Every lot, as filed

62 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	—	734	176.29/cwt	174.00–181.00	1,294	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	377	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	792	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	635	169.01/cwt	168.00–169.50	1,073	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	687	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	1,264	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	592	191.88/cwt	191.00–195.00	1,136	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	744	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	1,257	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	558	209.25/cwt	209.25–209.25	1,168	120
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	538	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	1,017	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	416	256.11/cwt	243.00–267.00	1,065	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	513	207.02/cwt	202.00–210.50	1,062	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	814	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	1,473	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	475	230.57/cwt	223.00–257.50	1,095	262
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	622	186.98/cwt	181.50–194.00	1,163	86
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	671	181.54/cwt	172.00–187.00	1,218	151
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	582	196.56/cwt	189.50–203.00	1,144	235
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	719	174.66/cwt	173.00–181.00	1,256	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	384	268.14/cwt	250.00–285.00	1,030	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	750	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	1,178	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	498	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	1,026	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	381	255.42/cwt	247.00–277.50	973	21
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	720	169.50/cwt	169.50–169.50	1,220	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	568	182.80/cwt	181.00–188.00	1,038	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	313	286.48/cwt	280.00–287.50	897	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	626	191.51/cwt	182.00–195.00	1,199	262
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	533	206.68/cwt	195.00–214.00	1,102	172
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	479	201.79/cwt	187.50–214.50	967	165
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	433	215.41/cwt	207.00–221.00	933	106
Heifers	Large 1	—	583	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	962	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	520	194.10/cwt	192.50–194.50	1,009	63
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	535	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	1,011	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	573	170.50/cwt	170.50–170.50	977	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,256	53.91/cwt	48.00–57.00	677	32
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,435	56.00/cwt	56.00–56.00	804	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,473	78.50/cwt	78.50–78.50	1,156	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,425	60.10/cwt	59.00–65.00	856	16
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,391	76.36/cwt	74.00–79.00	1,062	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,233	63.60/cwt	60.50–66.50	784	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,081	45.71/cwt	45.00–46.00	494	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,605	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	1,268	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	990	47.00/cwt	47.00–47.00	465	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,170	55.00/cwt	55.00–55.00	644	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,230	72.40/cwt	71.00–74.00	891	3
Bulls	—	—	1,733	77.17/cwt	72.00–86.00	1,337	3
Bulls	—	—	1,755	92.00/cwt	92.00–92.00	1,615	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,355	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	1,111	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,103	71.58/cwt	71.00–75.00	790	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	933	101.91/cwt	95.00–109.00	951	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	495	183.50/cwt	183.50–183.50	908	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	596	178.50/cwt	178.50–178.50	1,064	40
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	480	188.78/cwt	188.50–189.00	906	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	530	186.27/cwt	183.00–188.00	987	68
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	621	176.62/cwt	171.00–179.00	1,097	69
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	614	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,013	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	531	185.63/cwt	177.50–188.50	986	189
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	443	194.00/cwt	194.00–194.00	859	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	465	171.13/cwt	160.00–175.00	796	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	371	219.76/cwt	212.50–229.00	815	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	713	188.00/cwt	188.00–188.00	1,340	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	570	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	952	5
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	449	207.00/cwt	207.00–207.00	929	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	583	179.39/cwt	170.50–186.00	1,046	228
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	317	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	761	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 →