Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 18, 2021

1,499 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $145.65/cwt ≈ $1,004/hd at 689 lb · 113 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $148.53/cwt ≈ $853/hd at 574 lb · 67 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $158.91/cwt +5.41 vs last sale · ≈ $775/hd at 488 lb · 51 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,499 233 0
Feeder cattle 754 70 0
Slaughter cattle 455 108 0
Replacement cattle 290 55 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were all too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on feeders under 650 and weak undertones were noticed on cattle over 650 lbs. Demand was moderate to good for mostly light to moderate offerings. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. A single load lot of steers was seen this week and sold on good demand. Packages of calves sold on mostly moderate demand. Good buyer participation this sale with many order buyers actively bidding on offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate to active as a result. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Slaughter cows sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Packers continue to buy for the storm market as extreme cold has slowed cattle being delivered to the plant. Feeding cow buyers showed moderate to good demand for cows today however most feeding buyers purchased cows that were young and of higher quality. No comparisons can be made for feeding cows as all cows last week were destined for immediate harvest. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Young age cows suitable to rebreed sold on mostly moderate to good demand this week. Most of these offerings were average to attractive in quality and many had freshly lost calves. None of these offerings were seen last week so no comparison can be made.

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
403–430 418 30 186.00 $186.00 $777 —
463 463 8 188.00 $188.00 $870 —
517–544 535 22 177.00–188.00 $181.07 $969 —
550–565 559 31 170.00–180.50 $178.68 $999 —
600–645 626 30 154.00–161.00 $157.00 $983 —
655–692 689 113 138.50–147.50 $145.65 $1,004 —
701 701 14 143.00 $143.00 $1,002 —
813–818 817 31 132.00–133.50 $133.23 $1,088 —
862–890 866 7 129.50–132.00 $131.63 $1,140 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376–381 378 11 185.00–188.00 $186.10 $703 —
418 418 2 182.50 $182.50 $763 —
463 463 2 179.00 $179.00 $829 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
399 399 11 170.00 $170.00 $678 —
473–491 488 51 156.00–165.00 $158.91 $775 +5.41
505–547 516 29 155.00–160.00 $157.47 $813 +10.47
559–580 574 67 145.00–151.50 $148.53 $853 —
600–646 620 49 139.00–144.00 $141.49 $877 —
660–682 662 51 134.00–136.00 $135.87 $899 —
702–734 708 28 128.50–135.00 $131.32 $930 —
791 791 24 123.00 $123.00 $973 —
902 902 3 112.00 $112.00 $1,010 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
427 427 6 160.00 $160.00 $683 —
453–475 466 7 146.00–150.00 $147.67 $688 —
592–593 592 8 130.00–134.00 $131.50 $778 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
418 418 14 185.00 $185.00 $773 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1237–1485 1353 80-85% 34 63.50–67.50 $65.65 $888 —
1272–1482 1397 80-85% 69 55.00–61.50 $59.51 $831 —
1316–1495 1404 80-85% 64 61.00–68.50 $63.71 $894 -1.12
1359–1478 1410 80-85% 19 58.50–61.00 $59.73 $842 -5.10
1555 1555 80-85% 1 48.00 $48.00 $746 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900 900 85-90% 1 59.00 $59.00 $531 —
965 965 85-90% 1 52.00 $52.00 $502 +11.00
1045 1045 85-90% 1 48.00 $48.00 $502 —
1165 1165 85-90% 2 71.00 $71.00 $827 +8.90
1165–1210 1168 85-90% 14 65.00–68.00 $67.78 $792 +5.68
1090–1329 1212 85-90% 68 53.50–61.00 $57.37 $695 —
1063–1313 1225 85-90% 24 56.50–61.00 $57.79 $708 —
1020–1303 1247 85-90% 52 60.50–64.00 $61.37 $765 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1518 1390 75-80% 21 64.25–65.00 $64.36 $895 —
1570 1570 75-80% 3 61.50 $61.50 $966 —
1510–1788 1610 75-80% 17 59.00–63.75 $61.58 $991 -0.42
1685 1685 75-80% 1 67.50 $67.50 $1,137 +1.91
1735–2000 1868 75-80% 2 64.00–66.50 $65.34 $1,221 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1760–2193 1983 6 86.00–92.00 $89.85 $1,782 —
2425 2425 1 86.00 $86.00 $2,086 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2475 2475 1 85.00 $85.00 $2,104 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
853–1442 987 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 114 61.00–90.00 $80.93 $799
860–1198 1024 (<2 yrs)Open 24 89.00–108.50 $96.97 $993
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
798–904 851 (<2 yrs)Open 12 91.00–99.50 $94.99 $808
975 975 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 63.00 $63.00 $614

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1166–1187 1170 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 27 975.00 $975.00
1273 1273 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 10 1,025.00 $1,025.00
1289 1289 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 12 1,075.00 $1,075.00
1318 1318 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 8 800.00 $800.00
1319 1319 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,150.00 $1,150.00
1272–1418 1393 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 52 850.00–910.00 $900.52
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1317 1317 Aged (>8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 9 60.00 $60.00 $790
1420 1420 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 59.50 $59.50 $845
1496 1496 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 7 59.00 $59.00 $883

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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.