Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 7, 2022

1,165 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $195.91/cwt -1.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,087/hd at 555 lb · 47 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $151.87/cwt -10.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,086/hd at 715 lb · 44 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $144.00/cwt -10.00 vs last sale · ≈ $948/hd at 658 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,165 6,172 1,486
Feeder cattle 374 5,203 476
Slaughter cattle 509 244 688
Replacement cattle 282 725 322

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested this week to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and significantly lower than last weeks very attractive offerings. Buyers all showed lighter demand for feeders as quality was lower. Buyers all showed a desire to buy everything lower as higher input costs are weighing on buyers. CME positions have also taken a hit from last week which put additional pressure on the market. Market activity was mostly slow to moderate this week. Fewer buyers were on hand this week compared to last. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed a desire to buy cows lower, but feeding buyers helped support the market. Slaughter cows sold steady on breaking cows, while boning and lean cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. High quality front end cows sold with the best demand and traded mostly steady, while plain or lower quality feeding cows sold mostly 2.00 lower. Cows were very full this sale with most cows offering buyers below average weigh up conditions. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady to weak. These offerings started the sale lower but as buyers started loads demand increased quickly. Quality this week was average to attractive.

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
482–487 486 18 201.00–206.00 $202.38 $984 -14.93
550–583 555 47 188.00–197.50 $195.91 $1,087 -2.97
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
423 423 4 196.00–200.00 $198.00 $838 -15.78
478 478 2 190.00 $190.00 $908 -20.69
532 532 9 189.00 $189.00 $1,005 -2.52
706 706 4 154.00 $154.00 $1,087 -4.14
811 811 14 139.00 $139.00 $1,127 -0.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500–518 509 16 175.00–185.00 $179.01 $911 -6.39
570–583 573 12 164.00–174.00 $171.46 $982 -9.20
625 625 2 158.00 $158.00 $988 -10.72
703–730 715 44 145.00–155.50 $151.87 $1,086 -7.55
837 837 9 143.00 $143.00 $1,197 -2.95
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 5 170.00 $170.00 $656 -16.90
415–439 432 13 162.50–172.00 $169.19 $731 -16.77
520–549 539 6 166.00–171.00 $169.39 $913 -6.23
658 658 19 144.00 $144.00 $948 -10.00
773 773 2 135.00 $135.00 $1,044 -6.56
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
414 414 9 165.00 $165.00 $683 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 4 159.00 $159.00 $676 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
150 150 1 250.00 $250.00 —

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Feeder Bulls

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1058–1086 1070 15 111.00–113.00 $111.66 $1,195 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
618 618 3 160.00 $160.00 $989 —
772 772 5 134.00 $134.00 $1,034 —
898 898 2 126.00 $126.00 $1,131 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
100 100 7 175.00 $175.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
590 590 1 164.00 $164.00 $968 —
941 941 5 119.00 $119.00 $1,120 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
100–120 110 2 325.00–350.00 $338.64 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065 1065 1 104.00 $104.00 $1,108 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–920 860 85-90% 2 56.00–60.00 $58.14 $500 —
855–960 907 85-90% 6 65.00–72.00 $68.55 $622 —
970–993 985 85-90% 3 75.50–76.00 $75.66 $745 +6.66
990–1300 1178 85-90% 40 67.00–78.00 $72.38 $853 —
1000–1328 1186 85-90% 61 64.50–76.50 $73.89 $876 —
1045–1300 1190 85-90% 3 60.50–63.00 $62.27 $741 —
1080–1330 1218 85-90% 52 77.00–83.00 $78.82 $960 +7.70
1095–1325 1219 85-90% 62 76.50–80.50 $78.18 $953 +7.06
1185–1365 1275 85-90% 3 85.00–86.50 $85.85 $1,095 +7.29
1290 1290 85-90% 1 86.00 $86.00 $1,109 +7.44
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1455 1358 80-85% 4 86.50–87.50 $87.04 $1,182 +10.04
1304–1625 1403 80-85% 72 80.00–86.50 $82.84 $1,162 -0.14
1325–1600 1442 80-85% 57 72.00–77.00 $75.34 $1,086 -7.64
1140–1620 1467 80-85% 28 78.00–84.50 $80.65 $1,183 +7.33
1140–1685 1467 80-85% 12 73.50–78.00 $76.13 $1,117 +2.81
1323–1747 1577 80-85% 5 85.50–89.50 $88.16 $1,390 -0.51
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430–1605 1551 75-80% 13 84.50–87.50 $85.81 $1,331 —
1542–1965 1580 75-80% 11 82.50–84.00 $82.67 $1,306 —
1625–1720 1680 75-80% 5 85.50–88.50 $87.40 $1,468 —
1840 1840 75-80% 1 88.00 $88.00 $1,619 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–1790 1626 4 88.00–96.00 $93.50 $1,520 —
1565–2030 1880 17 99.00–108.00 $104.00 $1,955 +0.42
1900–2295 2204 6 109.50–115.00 $112.54 $2,480 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
730–1270 991 (<2 yrs)Open 177 91.00–129.00 $114.70 $1,137
910–1355 1038 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 45 78.00–90.00 $83.33 $865
1331 1331 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 77.00 $77.00 $1,025
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
750–1010 895 (<2 yrs)Open 3 92.00–105.00 $97.70 $874
1010–1400 1143 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 71.00–84.00 $76.26 $872
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1275 1275 (<2 yrs)Open 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,084

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1145 1145 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00
1328 1328 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,235.00 $1,235.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1364 1364 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 1,300.00 $1,300.00

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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.