Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 18, 2024

1,015 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 heifers $256.16/cwt ≈ $1,696/hd at 662 lb · 40 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $293.08/cwt +8.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,501/hd at 512 lb · 22 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,015 672 1,151
Feeder cattle 203 326 229
Slaughter cattle 521 213 577
Replacement cattle 291 133 345

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were to light to develop a trend. Slaughter cows and bulls steady. Lean slaughter cows and lean cows returning to feed 4.00 lower. Demand good for fleshy type cows.

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
440–449 448 6 360.00–372.50 $362.05 $1,622 -0.99
450–460 455 2 357.50–367.50 $362.45 $1,649 +12.74
525 525 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,706 -0.44
550 550 1 327.50 $327.50 $1,801 +5.79
650–657 654 5 280.00–281.00 $280.40 $1,834 +3.12
740 740 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,924 -9.54
800 800 2 240.00–246.00 $243.00 $1,944 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 357.50 $357.50 $1,269 —
410 410 2 317.50 $317.50 $1,302 —
490 490 1 322.50 $322.50 $1,580 —
555–597 588 8 290.00–306.00 $302.48 $1,779 -5.52
725 725 1 257.00 $257.00 $1,863 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 327.50 $327.50 $1,032 —
465 465 2 280.00 $280.00 $1,302 —
538 538 2 225.00 $225.00 $1,210 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
457 457 3 297.50 $297.50 $1,360 —
502–527 512 22 287.00–297.50 $293.08 $1,501 +8.16
588 588 2 275.00 $275.00 $1,617 -1.31
635–645 640 2 269.00–272.00 $270.51 $1,731 +2.25
655–677 662 40 249.00–258.50 $256.16 $1,696 —
765–790 778 2 221.00–234.00 $227.60 $1,771 +0.93
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–420 417 3 260.00–270.00 $266.64 $1,112 +11.64
494 494 5 288.00 $288.00 $1,423 —
505–545 525 2 272.50–275.00 $273.70 $1,437 +6.60
580 580 1 252.50 $252.50 $1,464 -17.50
640 640 1 251.00 $251.00 $1,606 —
805 805 1 207.50 $207.50 $1,670 —
875 875 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,859 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–445 441 4 225.00–232.50 $230.67 $1,017 —
470–488 484 4 215.00–230.00 $218.65 $1,058 —
520–530 525 2 245.00–250.00 $247.48 $1,299 +7.48
635 635 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,413 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 342.50 $342.50 $1,336 —
470 470 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,551 —
515 515 1 312.50 $312.50 $1,609 +2.50
645 645 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,806 -5.00
730–743 737 4 238.00–240.00 $238.99 $1,761 —
775 775 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,860 —
880 880 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,870 —
926 926 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,926 —
1074 1074 5 203.00 $203.00 $2,180 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1027–1363 1230 80-85% 201 122.00–142.00 $127.59 $1,569 -7.49
1115–1400 1267 80-85% 31 122.00–134.00 $127.19 $1,611 —
1335–1370 1363 80-85% 10 108.00–116.00 $115.00 $1,567 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1808 1496 75-80% 65 124.50–143.00 $133.06 $1,991 +15.65
1315–1785 1518 75-80% 3 117.00–122.00 $119.60 $1,816 —
1410–1805 1584 75-80% 11 126.00–141.00 $131.82 $2,088 —
1440–1723 1585 75-80% 5 114.00–123.00 $118.11 $1,872 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1243 1157 85-90% 19 113.00–121.50 $117.50 $1,359 —
1022–1267 1186 85-90% 14 109.00–120.00 $112.98 $1,340 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370–2170 1659 12 115.00–133.00 $125.83 $2,088 —
1415–2205 1887 47 135.00–158.00 $145.79 $2,751 —
2430 2430 1 161.00 $161.00 $3,912 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
755–1055 923 (<2 yrs)Open 126 174.00–210.00 $191.28 $1,766
750–1225 1078 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 58 158.50–185.00 $171.14 $1,845

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1135–1155 1142 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,700.00–1,900.00 $1,832.55
1115–1378 1303 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 15 2,200.00–2,975.00 $2,791.47
1355 1355 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,300.00 $2,300.00
1335–1393 1374 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 2,400.00 $2,400.00
1312–1522 1431 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 1,800.00–2,000.00 $1,935.01
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1260 1260 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950–1120 1057 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 2,000.00–2,700.00 $2,438.17

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150 1150 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,525.00 $1,525.00 —
1200 1200 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,475.00 $2,475.00 —

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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.