Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · Weekly summary · Mon, Mar 25
● As filed79 lines reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1778

The state in one line

Counts as USDA filed them
Montana reported 79 priced lines covering 769 head across feeder cattle, slaughter cattle, replacement cattle. USDA puts feeder cattle receipts at 236 head. slaughter cattle receipts at 461 head. replacement cattle receipts at 209 head. Counted as USDA files them — 3 of those are cow-calf pairs, each counted once.

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Mon Mar 25, 2024
USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Billings, MT (LS-BL)
Feeder CattleReceipts 236Last week 4,464Year ago 4,619
Slaughter CattleReceipts 461Last week 701Year ago 693
Replacement CattleReceipts 209Last week 167Year ago 534

Compared to last week: An early week snowstorm and poor road conditions cancelled early week sales and late week sales were slow too as a result. Too few feeder cattle sold this week to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Several ranchers were in town this week buying cattle for grass, which kept prices near steady for like quality offerings compared to the previous week. Quality was mostly plain to average. CME positions struggled much of the week. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers pounced on light offerings this week as snowy conditions have slowed to volume of cows available to the packer. Packers were also forced to compete with feeding buyers as well as a few ranchers looking for young to middle-aged cows to turn out and rebreed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to below average this week as weather had many cows early in the week pushing heavy amounts of fill. Packers showed very good demand for slaughter cows this week as they were forced to push offerings sharply higher in order to procure them. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-6.00 higher on breaking and boning cows; lean cows sold 4.00-7.00 higher. Feeding cows suitable to feed to premium white sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand remains good for high quality offerings.

Slaughter Cattle

As reported
HeadWt rangeAvg wtPrice rangeAvg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
291,090128.50128.50
161,04690.00–95.0091.23
141,172114.00–124.50118.43
141,152101.00–112.00107.44
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
51,634140.00–143.00141.15
81,593131.00–140.00135.45
31,590116.00–128.00124.09
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
241,405107.00–119.50116.36
291,378121.00–133.00126.89
11,390143.00143.00
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
9918117.00117.00
3990103.00–112.50106.80
785484.00–100.0087.65
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
11,075110.00110.00
31,180130.00–132.50131.45
381,185116.00–131.00126.35
Cows — Premium White 65-75%$ per cwt · actual wt
31,685141.00141.00
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
41,602138.00–140.00138.57
81,686114.00–126.00122.07
241,655129.00–136.00132.84
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
461,425135.00–145.00138.16
101,388114.00–120.00117.62
511,402123.00–136.00129.62
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
321,764132.00–152.50142.11
72,021153.00–159.50156.94
121,713113.00–125.00120.72
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
111,508135.00–149.00143.27
51,282122.50–132.00126.33

Replacement Cattle

As reported
AgeStageHeadWt rangeAvg wtPrice rangeAvg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)Open21,230123.00123.00
(<2 yrs)Open31,022160.00–178.00171.54
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)Open2940155.00–180.00166.37
Young (2-4 yrs)Open51,007117.00–162.50140.80
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open21,123132.00132.00
Young (2-4 yrs)Open561,098125.00–177.00151.17
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open11,410141.00141.00
(<2 yrs)Open71986145.00–217.50188.31
Stock Cows — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)Open1660180.00180.00
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo)31,6422,500.002,500.00
Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo)21,2602,600.00–2,700.002,648.21
Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo)51,0831,900.001,900.00
Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)31,2432,300.00–2,400.002,336.46
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)51,3401,800.001,800.00
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)Open31,4832,300.002,300.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported
HeadWt rangeAvg wtPrice rangeAvg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6400–450421337.50–342.00339.69
4450–500470335.00–345.00342.37
2500–550528333.00333.00
5550–600584310.00–317.50311.49
4600–650621290.00–308.00298.98
1650–700660272.00272.00
9700–750716255.00–275.00265.83
2800–850838225.00225.00
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2350–400360375.00375.00
2400–450403360.00360.00
Steers — Medium 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3350–400383300.00300.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4450–500470350.00350.00
32550–600564334.00334.00
16750–800778255.00255.00
2800–850823241.00241.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
2800–850843236.00236.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3400–450422320.00320.00
3500–550527290.00–293.00292.03
6550–600592272.00–282.50275.46
2650–700685242.50242.50
4750–800789230.00230.00
3900–950917200.50200.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
26450–500477315.00–321.00320.45
3550–600572286.00286.00
13600–650637273.00–274.00273.53
5650–700691262.00262.00
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2300–350335335.00335.00
7400–450412321.00–324.00322.29
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2500–550510313.00313.00
3550–600569292.50–315.00307.35
3600–650640284.00284.00
1750–800785230.00230.00
2800–850845220.00220.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2700–750713267.50267.50
1900–950935220.00220.00
1950–1000965215.00215.00
Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.
Source: USDA AMS, as filed — nothing recomputed and nothing rounded. This summary aggregates the same sales the Montana barn reports cover, so it must never be added to a state total built from those barns.