Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2022-12-02
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-12-02

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago: Steer calves under 500 lbs were too lightly tested last sale to develop a full market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Steer calves over 500 lbs sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher with most of the advance seen on weaned calves. Heifer calves under 500 lbs were too lightly tested last sale to develop a full market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Heifer calves over 500 lbs sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive, however quality was more attractive this week compared to last sale. Demand for weaned calves was mostly good this sale as weaned calf quality has improved due to the fact that most offerings are weaned longer. Many sets of weaned calves have been off the cow for 60 days. Market activity this week was mostly active with a good buyer pool on hand actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows and bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Cow quality was mostly plain to average this sale. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average, with many full cows and bulls noticed.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $204.09/cwt on 988 head.

Average price

$204.09

988 head · 562 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,148

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$44

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

$43.12/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.53

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	450	212.24	955	112
Medium 1-2	400	210.00	840	11thin
Medium and Large 1	582	203.81	1,187	829
Medium 1	491	187.41	921	28
Medium and Large 2	539	169.13	911	8thin

One grade step is worth $43.12/cwt here — about $44 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 sale988 hd

204.09

—

MT average5 barns · 5,086 hd

202.56

+1.53

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	1,769	94.60	1,673	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,653	71.40	1,180	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,450	61.14	887	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,188	55.92	664	75

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	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,081	$963	8

Every lot, as filed

80 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	—	478	239.84/cwt	233.00–244.00	1,146	101
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	564	199.27/cwt	191.00–208.00	1,124	72
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	342	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	670	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	738	164.00/cwt	164.00–164.00	1,210	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	461	211.00/cwt	211.00–211.00	973	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	633	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	924	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	560	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	997	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	612	197.50/cwt	185.00–203.00	1,209	64
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	673	193.30/cwt	183.00–197.50	1,301	120
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	528	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	972	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	430	212.75/cwt	212.50–213.00	915	10
Steers	Medium 1-2	—	400	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	840	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	781	177.31/cwt	167.00–179.00	1,385	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	750	182.50/cwt	182.50–182.50	1,369	22
Steers	Medium and Large 2	—	482	183.00/cwt	183.00–183.00	882	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	623	190.10/cwt	184.00–200.00	1,184	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	425	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,003	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	721	187.88/cwt	181.00–195.00	1,355	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	543	190.50/cwt	190.00–191.00	1,034	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	484	212.58/cwt	211.00–221.00	1,029	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	390	227.67/cwt	220.00–232.50	888	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	522	209.04/cwt	196.00–212.00	1,091	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	571	192.28/cwt	188.00–206.00	1,098	68
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	477	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	959	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	408	222.92/cwt	217.50–224.00	910	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	564	180.36/cwt	172.00–182.00	1,017	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	520	210.51/cwt	208.00–211.00	1,095	87
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	676	178.78/cwt	172.00–185.00	1,209	44
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	621	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	1,099	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	870	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,436	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	702	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,264	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	346	232.50/cwt	232.50–232.50	804	4
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	463	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	857	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	442	241.05/cwt	241.00–242.50	1,065	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	934	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	1,392	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	474	201.38/cwt	190.00–204.50	955	125
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	583	185.23/cwt	176.00–187.00	1,080	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	901	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	1,415	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,180	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,227	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	623	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,028	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,298	53.56/cwt	48.00–57.00	695	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,340	61.00/cwt	61.00–61.00	817	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,460	56.15/cwt	51.00–59.50	820	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	935	53.00/cwt	53.00–53.00	496	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,625	68.00/cwt	68.00–68.00	1,105	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,423	58.96/cwt	57.00–63.00	839	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,079	43.46/cwt	42.00–44.00	469	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,694	66.86/cwt	59.00–72.00	1,133	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,626	75.72/cwt	75.50–76.50	1,231	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,458	67.91/cwt	65.00–75.50	990	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,194	55.06/cwt	47.00–57.00	657	45
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,155	61.46/cwt	59.00–62.00	710	16
Bulls	—	—	1,769	94.60/cwt	94.00–96.00	1,673	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	408	211.00/cwt	211.00–211.00	861	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,135	1,000.00/head	1,000.00–1,000.00	1,000	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,063	950.00/head	950.00–950.00	950	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	940	80.67/cwt	75.00–82.50	758	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	987	95.97/cwt	75.00–110.00	947	29
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,083	56.83/cwt	56.00–59.00	615	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,097	76.00/cwt	65.00–81.00	834	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	340	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	581	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	548	131.50/cwt	131.50–131.50	721	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	430	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	710	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	530	184.26/cwt	180.00–190.00	977	113
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	872	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	1,386	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	638	168.11/cwt	164.00–174.00	1,073	108
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	763	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,183	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	364	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	710	13
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	534	162.00/cwt	162.00–162.00	865	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	483	193.00/cwt	191.00–195.00	932	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	438	203.43/cwt	192.00–212.50	891	88
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	397	208.00/cwt	208.00–208.00	826	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	622	165.22/cwt	159.00–176.00	1,028	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	686	164.00/cwt	164.00–164.00	1,125	15
Steers	Medium 1	—	549	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,016	6
Steers	Medium 1	—	494	192.50/cwt	192.50–192.50	951	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	391	185.18/cwt	183.00–186.00	724	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	591	180.00/cwt	173.00–185.00	1,064	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	534	187.17/cwt	180.00–192.00	999	41
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	500	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	885	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 →