Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 28, 2021

787 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 $175.38/cwt +5.90 vs last sale · ≈ $908/hd at 518 lb · 42 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $151.06/cwt +1.39 vs last sale · ≈ $933/hd at 617 lb · 32 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $153.88/cwt +4.58 vs last sale · ≈ $805/hd at 523 lb · 25 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 787 1,328 4,397
Feeder cattle 262 728 4,150
Slaughter cattle 335 394 55
Replacement cattle 190 206 192

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand was moderate to good for light offerings. Quality was mostly average today. A good crowd was on hand for this sale despite light offerings. Most calves on offer were weaned 45-60 days and in light flesh. Market activity was mostly active with bidders quickly bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers were quick to bid on cows this sale as they showed strong need for cows for immediate harvest. Packers pushed to own the majority of the cow offering this week pushing cows higher again. Slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Cow quality was average this week. Cows offered buyers average to below average weigh up conditions. Slaughter bulls mostly steady to 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to rebreed sold mostly 5.00 higher on a much higher quality offering compared to last.

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
409 409 7 186.00 $186.00 $761 +4.00
458–490 469 3 180.00–185.00 $181.74 $852 +2.89
503–524 518 42 173.00–180.00 $175.38 $908 +5.90
611 611 15 146.00 $146.00 $892 -3.67
603–649 623 17 152.00–159.00 $155.53 $969 +5.86
718 718 7 143.00 $143.00 $1,027 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 353 3 185.00 $185.00 $653 +5.00
423–440 429 3 171.00–181.00 $177.58 $762 —
485–490 488 2 167.50–175.00 $171.27 $836 —
505 505 2 166.00 $166.00 $838 +4.08
575 575 2 146.00 $146.00 $840 -0.18
674 674 6 142.00 $142.00 $957 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
516–543 523 25 145.00–158.00 $153.88 $805 +4.58
562 562 3 143.00 $143.00 $804 +4.06
641 641 5 130.50 $130.50 $837 -4.67
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
418 418 8 152.50–158.00 $156.63 $655 —
610–648 640 9 128.00–131.00 $128.64 $823 —
668–673 671 7 120.50–121.00 $120.71 $810 -3.29
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060 1060 8 111.50 $111.50 $1,182 +6.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
462 462 3 125.00 $125.00 $578 -9.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 2 172.50 $172.50 $733 —
455 455 1 177.50 $177.50 $808 —
523 523 2 159.00 $159.00 $832 —
613 613 3 145.00 $145.00 $889 —
720 720 1 128.00 $128.00 $922 +9.00

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
868–1820 1037 85-90% 6 43.00–52.00 $48.04 $498 —
926–1225 1061 85-90% 19 51.50–54.00 $52.82 $560 —
1065–1370 1192 85-90% 6 54.50–56.00 $54.95 $655 +5.30
940–1345 1193 85-90% 121 46.00–54.00 $52.23 $623 +2.58
1075–1288 1213 85-90% 13 54.00–60.00 $56.48 $685 +3.47
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1331 1331 80-85% 5 54.00 $54.00 $719 -2.55
1385 1385 80-85% 2 61.50 $61.50 $852 +7.92
1309–1510 1390 80-85% 14 55.00–60.50 $56.53 $786 +5.91
1375–1473 1428 80-85% 11 61.75–62.00 $61.89 $884 +1.38
1380–1545 1457 80-85% 19 47.00–55.00 $53.30 $777 —
1348–1635 1462 80-85% 11 54.50–60.00 $56.41 $825 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1383–1845 1551 75-80% 9 58.00–61.50 $59.37 $921 —
1723 1723 75-80% 2 57.50 $57.50 $991 -2.00

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1387 1387 3 76.50 $76.50 $1,061 —
1660 1660 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,494 +9.50
1655–2010 1743 5 78.00–83.00 $79.82 $1,391 —
1512–2158 1784 24 83.00–89.00 $84.78 $1,512 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
825–1340 979 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 93 53.00–86.00 $76.42 $748

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1079–1108 thin fleshed 1089 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 600.00–650.00 $616.96
1366–1582 1474 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 34 775.00–910.00 $891.18

↑ Back to top

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.