Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 15, 2020

4,990 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $156.82/cwt +4.03 vs last sale · ≈ $822/hd at 524 lb · 607 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $146.97/cwt +0.16 vs last sale · ≈ $837/hd at 569 lb · 462 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $145.73/cwt +9.23 vs last sale · ≈ $692/hd at 475 lb · 431 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,990 2,358 6,381
Feeder cattle 4,990 1,990 6,381
Slaughter cattle — 240 —
Replacement cattle — 128 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

This sale marked the Annual NILE Week Feeder Special at Billings Livestock Commission. Compared to last week, feeder steers 300 to 500 lbs sold steady; feeder steers 500 to 600 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher; feeder steers 600 to 700 lbs sold steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers 300 to 400 lbs sold steady; feeder heifers 400 to 600 lbs sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher; feeder heifers 600 to 700 lbs sold steady; feeder heifers 700 to 900 lbs sold 2.00 to 3.00 lower; feeder heifers 900 lbs and higher sold steady. Buyer demand was good on a heavy supply.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 thin fleshed 320 13 218.00 $218.00 $698 —
310–343 330 18 202.00–212.50 $209.35 $691 —
353 thin fleshed 353 3 202.00 $202.00 $713 —
355–393 385 49 187.50–197.00 $194.46 $749 —
400–401 thin fleshed 401 21 185.50–190.50 $187.64 $752 —
402–446 425 108 177.00–184.00 $179.56 $763 —
455 thin fleshed 455 93 180.00 $180.00 $819 —
452–483 472 97 160.00–169.00 $163.27 $771 —
500–545 524 607 150.00–162.00 $156.82 $822 —
551–593 569 455 142.50–152.00 $147.06 $837 —
599 unweaned 599 7 141.00 $141.00 $845 -5.81
605–646 626 164 136.00–147.00 $143.16 $896 —
626 unweaned 626 17 145.50 $145.50 $911 -3.89
650–690 670 55 138.00–148.00 $142.46 $954 —
727–747 732 23 133.00–139.00 $136.50 $999 —
754–773 770 32 134.50–141.25 $140.22 $1,080 -6.03
823–830 824 42 132.00–141.00 $138.89 $1,144 +0.89
856–887 881 23 134.00–140.75 $135.54 $1,194 —
920–948 946 12 131.00–139.00 $138.35 $1,309 +7.35
965 965 2 125.00 $125.00 $1,206 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
309 309 6 177.50 $177.50 $548 —
365–393 392 52 172.00–179.00 $178.67 $700 —
397–398 397 9 153.00–156.00 $153.67 $610 —
413–446 432 82 165.00–174.00 $170.62 $737 —
452–480 474 72 154.00–162.00 $158.00 $749 —
470–485 474 23 145.00–149.00 $147.46 $699 —
502–548 536 140 142.50–149.50 $146.72 $786 +1.72
573–599 588 39 135.00–141.50 $139.52 $820 —
606–645 613 16 132.00–135.00 $134.68 $826 —
668–693 687 17 134.00–137.00 $136.01 $934 —
750 750 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,012 —
800–845 813 7 128.00–136.00 $133.62 $1,086 —
857 857 5 127.00 $127.00 $1,088 —
915 915 1 122.00 $122.00 $1,116 -6.16
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1002–1022 1015 20 119.50–126.00 $124.31 $1,262 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–348 326 26 165.00–177.00 $171.30 $558 —
356–394 382 94 153.00–163.00 $158.99 $607 —
400–446 423 264 147.50–157.50 $153.68 $650 —
451–492 475 431 140.00–150.00 $145.73 $692 —
503–546 523 387 134.00–144.00 $139.56 $730 —
553 thin fleshed 553 9 147.00 $147.00 $813 —
552–598 575 199 132.00–141.00 $136.95 $787 —
602–645 628 96 133.00–142.00 $138.06 $867 —
663–699 688 29 140.00–142.00 $140.60 $967 -2.49
705–747 742 65 137.00–140.50 $140.12 $1,040 -3.18
765–785 768 104 130.00–140.25 $138.62 $1,065 -1.29
855 855 29 133.50 $133.50 $1,141 -1.31
870–898 879 76 125.00–129.00 $127.54 $1,121 -7.27
913–928 927 110 123.50–129.00 $128.36 $1,190 -2.00
955–985 958 71 120.00–127.00 $125.95 $1,207 -2.08
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318–332 330 12 155.00–161.00 $160.04 $528 +17.54
355–395 374 19 141.00–152.00 $146.86 $549 —
422–448 434 60 135.00–143.50 $140.44 $610 —
463–487 477 9 126.00–135.00 $131.93 $629 —
500–546 526 17 121.00–129.50 $127.27 $669 —
560–593 587 15 128.00–131.00 $130.61 $767 —
612–640 623 9 122.00–130.00 $125.26 $780 —
695–698 697 4 124.00 $124.00 $864 —
760–783 772 9 124.00–135.00 $128.05 $989 —
800 800 1 115.00 $115.00 $920 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1034 1012 31 114.00–122.25 $120.08 $1,215 —
1024 1024 28 119.00 $119.00 $1,219 —
1060–1076 1066 35 117.00–119.25 $117.91 $1,257 —
1100–1129 1123 10 110.50–115.25 $114.56 $1,287 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180 1180 2 100.00 $100.00 $1,180 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363 363 2 185.00 $185.00 $672 —
422–447 438 14 164.00–172.00 $167.92 $735 —
483–490 484 8 144.00–151.00 $144.89 $701 —
513–540 527 4 132.00–140.00 $135.90 $716 —
554–580 557 9 135.00–142.00 $141.19 $786 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.