Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 6, 2023

741 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 steers $236.76/cwt ≈ $1,856/hd at 784 lb · 13 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $233.78/cwt ≈ $1,718/hd at 735 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 741 914 887
Feeder cattle 165 182 111
Slaughter cattle 140 468 621
Replacement cattle 436 264 155

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Steers and heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Quality this sale was mostly plain to average. No load lots were seen today. Cattle were mostly offered in small packages or as singles. Demand for limited feeder cattle remains good to very good. CME positions have pushed higher over the last week as corn has weakened. Market activity was mostly active this week, with buyers aggressively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed very good demand for slaughter cows today. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-6.00 higher on breaking and lean cows. Boning cows sold 5.00-8.00 higher. Feeding cows sold 4.00-8.00 higher. The push for feeding cows pushed boning cows higher. Slaughter bulls sold sharply higher, with most sales 15.00-25.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were average to above average. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend. Quality this week was mostly average.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–440 433 2 280.00–285.00 $282.46 $1,223 —
586 586 9 279.00 $279.00 $1,635 +14.00
600 600 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,530 —
676–693 683 7 242.50–255.00 $249.57 $1,705 —
783–786 784 13 233.00–240.00 $236.76 $1,856 —
905 905 1 206.00 $206.00 $1,864 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
605 605 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,634 —
750 750 8 247.00 $247.00 $1,852 —
851 851 4 218.00 $218.00 $1,855 —
905 905 2 214.00 $214.00 $1,937 —
956 956 7 205.00 $205.00 $1,960 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1006–1025 1012 6 201.00–202.00 $201.34 $2,038 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
165 165 2 510.00 $510.00 —
230 230 1 625.00 $625.00 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
607 607 3 240.00 $240.00 $1,457 +0.50
801 801 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,666 +14.00
857 857 5 200.00 $200.00 $1,714 —
908 908 7 198.00 $198.00 $1,798 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,128 ±0.00
504–510 505 5 230.00–245.00 $241.97 $1,222 —
665 665 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,430 —
748 748 2 208.00 $208.00 $1,556 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
578 578 4 255.00 $255.00 $1,474 +26.53
727–749 735 11 230.00–236.00 $233.78 $1,718 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1043 1043 5 166.00 $166.00 $1,731 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1148 1148 3 156.00 $156.00 $1,791 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915 915 2 202.50 $202.50 $1,853 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1177–1560 1337 80-85% 56 102.00–107.00 $105.64 $1,412 +7.86
1200–1455 1349 80-85% 106 107.50–112.00 $110.01 $1,484 +20.40
1225–1590 1410 80-85% 25 107.00–117.00 $108.69 $1,533 +1.90
1355–1590 1450 80-85% 3 98.00–100.00 $98.95 $1,435 +7.99
1425–1605 1508 80-85% 6 104.00–107.50 $105.39 $1,589 —
1595 1595 80-85% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,595 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320 1320 75-80% 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,452 —
1373–1783 1456 75-80% 21 108.00–110.50 $108.80 $1,584 —
1438–1695 1536 75-80% 14 111.50–112.00 $111.58 $1,714 +1.58
1522–1551 1546 75-80% 30 110.00–112.00 $111.67 $1,726 +1.67
1495–1770 1663 75-80% 3 102.00–104.00 $103.01 $1,713 -1.49
1625–1760 1683 75-80% 5 105.00–107.50 $106.82 $1,798 +2.32
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950 950 85-90% 1 87.50 $87.50 $831 +8.50
940–1280 1082 85-90% 5 100.00–103.00 $101.69 $1,100 —
1045–1290 1153 85-90% 12 105.00–109.00 $107.92 $1,244 —
1040–1255 1155 85-90% 6 105.00–110.00 $107.08 $1,237 —
1170 1170 85-90% 1 79.00 $79.00 $924 -25.95
1025–1250 1184 85-90% 13 96.00–102.00 $100.02 $1,184 -4.93
1075–1446 1272 85-90% 11 82.00–93.00 $86.93 $1,106 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245–1280 1268 3 111.00–113.50 $112.68 $1,429 —
1210–1470 1340 2 129.00–134.00 $131.26 $1,759 —
1330–1790 1382 11 109.00–116.00 $113.80 $1,573 +10.80
1360–1880 1617 12 100.00–121.50 $115.52 $1,868 —
1680 1680 1 135.00 $135.00 $2,268 —
1480–2130 1720 26 124.00–138.50 $133.23 $2,292 +25.10
1558–2140 1895 54 140.00–160.00 $148.57 $2,815 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2310 2310 1 133.00 $133.00 $3,072 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
875–1008 977 (<2 yrs)Open 11 145.00–176.00 $148.12 $1,447
810–1425 1141 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 31 105.00–152.00 $119.70 $1,366
1254 1254 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 27 114.00 $114.00 $1,430

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1268 1268 Aged (>8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 6 106.00 $106.00 $1,344
1335 1335 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 11 108.00 $108.00 $1,442
1346 1346 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 4 106.00 $106.00 $1,427
1363 1363 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 4 107.00 $107.00 $1,458
1470 1470 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,602
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1088 1088 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 7 1,350.00 $1,350.00
1259 1259 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 6 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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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.