Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2024-10-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-10-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer calves 350-549 lbs sold mostly 5.00-15.00 higher. Steers over 550 lbs sold steady to 3.00 lower. Heifer calves under 450 lbs were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on a lower quality offering. 450-549 lbs heifers sold steady to 5.00 higher, heifers over 550 lbs sold 2.00-4.00 lower. Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling heifer sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Yearling quality was mostly average today. Spring born calf quality was mixed from plain to attractive, but not as attractive as last weeks sale. Demand for calves was mostly light to moderate for calves over 500 lbs and moderate to good for calves under 500 lbs. Package sizes were small to moderate. Demand for packages under 5 head was considerably lighter than demand for moderate size packages. The best demand continues to be for light weight calves suitable to develop into yearlings. Market activity was mostly moderate to active. A smaller buyer pool was seen this week compared to last weeks sale. Weigh up cows and bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on both slaughter and feeding cows and bulls.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $295.10/cwt on 854 head. That ranks 1 of 1 comparable sales and sits −208.78 against this barn's trailing median of $503.89.

Average price

$295.10

854 head · 554 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,636

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$121

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

$37.28/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−3.31

vs MT average

−3.94 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	553	296.87	1,642	789
Medium and Large 1-2	554	285.80	1,584	27
Large 1	579	274.71	1,590	14thin
Medium and Large 2	586	259.59	1,521	24

One grade step is worth $37.28/cwt here — about $121 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale854 hd

295.10

—

MT average5 barns · 2,211 hd

298.41

−3.31

National average191 barns · 36,605 hd

299.04

−3.94

This barn, trailing median1 sales

503.89

−208.78

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	2,153	144.25	3,105	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,187	108.08	1,283	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,455	107.97	1,571	19

Every lot, as filed

75 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	432	337.00/cwt	337.00–337.00	1,456	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	380	331.06/cwt	328.50–334.00	1,258	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	551	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	1,493	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	461	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,614	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	527	287.60/cwt	265.00–295.00	1,516	168
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	703	234.54/cwt	233.00–241.50	1,649	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	923	145.14/cwt	115.00–155.00	1,340	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	995	217.89/cwt	217.00–218.00	2,168	37
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	583	285.90/cwt	280.00–295.50	1,667	406
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	326	355.86/cwt	346.00–374.00	1,160	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	573	261.30/cwt	250.00–267.00	1,497	234
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	425	314.68/cwt	310.00–325.00	1,337	54
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	659	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,661	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	750–800	755	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,699	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,425	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	2,081	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	619	281.04/cwt	270.50–290.00	1,740	271
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	461	284.51/cwt	280.00–286.00	1,312	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	306	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,056	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	341	373.01/cwt	365.00–375.00	1,272	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	356	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,139	40
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	469	295.77/cwt	287.00–308.00	1,387	177
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	658	251.00/cwt	251.00–251.00	1,652	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	700–750	749	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,858	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	666	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,432	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	400–450	414	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,139	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	380	360.68/cwt	358.00–372.50	1,371	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	574	278.78/cwt	276.00–281.00	1,600	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	630	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,512	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	510	260.91/cwt	250.00–263.00	1,331	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	930	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,046	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	423	310.78/cwt	302.50–320.00	1,315	6
Bulls	—	—	2,460	144.50/cwt	144.50–144.50	3,555	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,115	94.24/cwt	89.00–97.00	1,051	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,550	129.24/cwt	129.00–129.50	2,003	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,217	116.52/cwt	116.00–119.00	1,418	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,474	119.74/cwt	116.50–121.50	1,765	4
Bulls	—	—	1,845	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	2,657	1
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	350–400	379	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,213	9
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	538	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	1,512	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,220	99.00/cwt	99.00–99.00	1,208	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,655	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,390	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,364	101.26/cwt	93.00–103.00	1,381	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,467	103.75/cwt	97.00–112.00	1,522	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	550–600	586	259.59/cwt	241.00–267.50	1,521	24
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	250–300	279	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,214	4
Steers	Medium 2Unweaned	400–450	424	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	848	4
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	500–550	535	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,257	7
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	800–850	832	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	1,880	3
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	590	273.00/cwt	273.00–273.00	1,611	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	725	241.00/cwt	237.00–243.50	1,747	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	350–400	398	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,214	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	628	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,601	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	490	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,495	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	533	293.37/cwt	288.00–298.00	1,564	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	443	301.00/cwt	301.00–301.00	1,333	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	750–800	799	253.50/cwt	253.50–253.50	2,025	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	370	388.98/cwt	387.50–392.00	1,439	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	750–800	755	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,925	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	550–600	555	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,388	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	733	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	1,642	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	811	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,946	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	426	367.46/cwt	322.50–376.00	1,565	182
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	722	256.02/cwt	252.00–266.00	1,848	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	674	268.87/cwt	261.00–276.00	1,812	84
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	634	255.63/cwt	249.00–259.50	1,621	75
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	700–750	714	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,742	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	550–600	584	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,577	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	462	343.21/cwt	315.00–357.50	1,586	110
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	800–850	838	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	1,919	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	2,105	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	510	287.00/cwt	287.00–287.00	1,464	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	520	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,508	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	678	270.50/cwt	270.50–270.50	1,834	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	520	309.31/cwt	297.00–321.00	1,608	375
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	334	416.51/cwt	415.00–420.00	1,391	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 →