Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-10-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-10-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to lower undertones were noticed on both steer and heifer calves. All yearlings were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand started the sale mostly good, however after the release of the cattle on feed report at 1pm demand slipped and most cattle sold lower. The monthly cattle on feed report showed feedlots with 1,000 or more head capacity totaled 11.6 million head or 1% above the October 1 2022. Placements totaled 2.21 million head or 6% over October 2022, marketings totaled 1.66 million head 6% below September 2022. Quality was mostly average to attractive on calves and plain to average on yearlings. A larger selection of cattle was seen this week compared to last which attracted a larger buyer pool. Most offerings were in small to moderate size packages again this week as no load lots were seen. Very light weight calves continue to sell with the best demand as buyers look for high quality calves suitable to develop into yearlings. Market activity was mostly moderate to active today. Weigh up cows and bulls sold on light to moderate demand for very light offerings. Not enough cows or bulls sold to develop an accurate market trend, steady undertones were noticed as buyers pushed to finish filling loads for the week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $278.54/cwt on 1,252 head.

Average price

$278.54

1,252 head · 566 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,576

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$502

per head · Medium 2 over Medium and Large 1

$11.87/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−26.90

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 2	385	290.00	1,117	2thin
Medium and Large 2	452	281.33	1,272	12thin
Medium and Large 1-2	529	279.48	1,477	340
Medium and Large 1	582	278.13	1,618	898

One grade step is worth $11.87/cwt here — about −$502 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 sale1,252 hd

278.54

—

MT average5 barns · 4,547 hd

305.44

−26.90

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	—	High	1,750	106.97	1,872	18
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,492	107.07	1,597	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,393	97.91	1,363	37
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,165	82.13	957	27

Every lot, as filed

87 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,212	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,018	5
Bulls	—	—	2,485	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	2,957	1
Bulls	—	—	1,640	107.00/cwt	107.00–107.00	1,755	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,255	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	1,067	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,184	82.16/cwt	77.00–86.00	973	18
Heifers	Medium 1-2Unweaned	—	453	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	906	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	680	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,428	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	351	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	983	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	636	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,781	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	388	376.23/cwt	375.00–377.50	1,460	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	985	214.00/cwt	214.00–214.00	2,108	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	611	246.14/cwt	234.50–252.50	1,504	122
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	833	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,916	43
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	413	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,074	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	—	459	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	1,244	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	433	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	1,221	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	490	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,372	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	732	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,757	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	626	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,552	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	548	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,512	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	616	249.22/cwt	239.00–251.00	1,535	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	465	323.51/cwt	300.00–329.50	1,504	113
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	670	254.88/cwt	246.00–259.75	1,708	90
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	652	246.00/cwt	246.00–246.00	1,604	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	601	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,659	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	563	249.00/cwt	249.00–249.00	1,402	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	534	270.56/cwt	260.00–276.00	1,445	111
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	721	249.13/cwt	245.00–253.00	1,796	59
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	432	339.98/cwt	337.50–345.00	1,469	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	582	253.88/cwt	244.50–263.00	1,478	32
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	385	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,117	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	387	339.18/cwt	335.00–347.50	1,313	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	625	260.81/cwt	251.00–270.00	1,630	135
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	579	271.86/cwt	263.00–287.00	1,574	213
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	727	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	1,687	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	661	237.31/cwt	231.00–247.00	1,569	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	434	321.39/cwt	310.00–335.00	1,395	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	491	289.99/cwt	275.00–293.00	1,424	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	529	289.00/cwt	279.00–298.00	1,529	133
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	329	366.26/cwt	362.50–377.50	1,205	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	—	625	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	1,356	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	719	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,618	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	523	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,412	25
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	332	359.00/cwt	359.00–359.00	1,192	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	390	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,287	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	623	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,402	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,405	97.00/cwt	97.00–97.00	1,363	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,155	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	837	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,600	101.33/cwt	99.00–103.50	1,621	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,468	85.37/cwt	80.50–87.50	1,253	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,253	110.95/cwt	110.50–114.00	1,390	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,421	98.16/cwt	96.00–105.00	1,395	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	977	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	801	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,470	108.22/cwt	108.00–110.00	1,591	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,475	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	1,328	1
Bulls	—	—	1,763	104.71/cwt	98.00–111.00	1,846	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,705	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	1,790	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,730	110.15/cwt	109.00–114.00	1,906	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,125	107.26/cwt	104.00–145.00	1,207	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	901	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,352	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	989	166.65/cwt	150.00–170.00	1,648	43
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	549	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	988	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	481	258.17/cwt	257.00–265.00	1,242	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	813	213.00/cwt	213.00–213.00	1,732	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	870	215.18/cwt	215.00–216.00	1,872	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	—	503	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,157	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,009	197.00/cwt	197.00–197.00	1,988	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	555	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,304	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	361	293.17/cwt	290.00–295.00	1,058	8
Heifers	Medium 1	—	732	212.00/cwt	212.00–212.00	1,552	14
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,130	191.00/cwt	191.00–191.00	2,158	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	572	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	1,447	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	295	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,003	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	526	262.20/cwt	258.00–266.00	1,379	118
Heifers	Medium 1-2Unweaned	—	418	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	941	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	373	316.94/cwt	311.00–334.00	1,182	63
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	690	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,628	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	798	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,756	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	635	231.11/cwt	229.00–236.00	1,468	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	478	272.34/cwt	265.00–285.00	1,302	91
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	568	254.99/cwt	249.00–263.00	1,448	98
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	416	290.54/cwt	280.00–313.00	1,209	87
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	575	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,357	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	541	252.18/cwt	251.00–258.00	1,364	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	324	333.19/cwt	325.00–352.50	1,080	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	522	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,514	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	682	249.81/cwt	249.50–250.50	1,704	28

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 →