Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 12, 2020

963 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 steers $145.18/cwt ≈ $1,105/hd at 761 lb · 28 head

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $186.89/cwt ≈ $708/hd at 379 lb · 22 head

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $160.41/cwt ≈ $738/hd at 460 lb · 22 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	963	2,731	581
Feeder cattle	424	—	180
Slaughter cattle	459	—	251
Replacement cattle	80	—	150

Market comments — USDA reporter

Today was the first Monday sale of the fall run. All Monday sale comparisons will be Monday to Monday. Demand and offerings were light to moderate this week. Quality was mostly average. Demand for yearlings was mostly moderate while demand for calves was mostly light to moderate. CME positions saw triple digit losses seen during the day, however prices rebounded before the close to settle near steady. Market activity today was mostly moderate. Weigh up cow sold on mostly moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers showed mostly good demand for feeding cows this week as they put mostly boning and breaking flesh cows away on feed. A two tier market continues to be seen as packers showed mostly light demand for thin cows to feed or to slaughter. Both slaughter and feeding cows sold steady to firm with Thursdays sale. Quality was average this week. Weigh up conditions were average to below average. Both Slaughter bulls as well as young age replacement cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
300–342 unweaned	336	7	192.50–195.00	$192.82	$648
363–388 unweaned	379	22	185.00–190.00	$186.89	$708
439 unweaned	439	13	173.50	$173.50	$762
453–497 unweaned	460	22	154.00–162.00	$160.41	$738
510–535 unweaned	521	5	146.50–152.00	$148.61	$774
565–586 unweaned	579	6	138.00–141.00	$138.98	$805
604–618 unweaned	610	10	139.50–142.50	$141.28	$862
674	674	4	144.50	$144.50	$974
742	742	10	142.00	$142.00	$1,054
752–767	761	28	144.75–145.50	$145.18	$1,105
822	822	17	142.50	$142.50	$1,171
903	903	4	137.00	$137.00	$1,237
981	981	4	129.50	$129.50	$1,270

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
301 unweaned	301	4	165.00	$165.00	$497
403 unweaned	403	5	167.00	$167.00	$673
577 unweaned	577	5	129.00	$129.00	$744
710–728	722	3	134.00–138.00	$135.31	$977

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
668	668	4	140.00	$140.00	$935

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
400 unweaned	400	13	140.00	$140.00	$560
459–486 unweaned	476	19	132.00–139.00	$134.49	$640
527 unweaned	527	9	130.00	$130.00	$685
562–587 unweaned	575	10	124.00–126.50	$125.22	$720
605–635 unweaned	608	10	129.50–130.00	$129.55	$788
660 unweaned	660	3	122.00	$122.00	$805
818	818	4	123.00	$123.00	$1,006
892	892	9	131.50	$131.50	$1,173

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
646	646	5	131.50	$131.50	$849
694	694	7	131.00	$131.00	$909

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
300 unweaned	300	3	150.00	$150.00	$450
471–499 unweaned	485	8	131.00–132.00	$131.49	$638

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1003	1003	8	124.00	$124.00	$1,244

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
511–538 unweaned	518	11	142.50–150.00	$147.88	$766
590 unweaned	590	2	126.00	$126.00	$743
610 unweaned	610	4	130.50	$130.50	$796

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
425 unweaned	425	3	145.00	$145.00	$616

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1109–1165	1126	85-90%	10	41.25–42.50	$41.64	$469
1109–1243	1157	85-90%	37	45.00–50.50	$48.09	$556
1024–1319	1180	85-90%	24	32.00–44.00	$40.34	$476
1163–1256	1209	85-90%	26	51.00–59.00	$52.54	$635
1120–1270	1214	85-90%	11	44.50–49.50	$46.65	$566
1000–1320	1242	85-90%	25	49.50–52.50	$50.57	$628

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1290–1370	1330	80-85%	3	49.00–50.50	$49.50	$658
1338–1473	1389	80-85%	21	64.50–68.50	$67.36	$936
1300–1485	1406	80-85%	37	54.00–63.00	$58.52	$823
1381–1469	1423	80-85%	18	53.00–58.00	$53.85	$766

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1404–1795	1509	75-80%	27	66.00–70.00	$68.17	$1,029
1650	1650	75-80%	1	72.00	$72.00	$1,188
1658–1795	1704	75-80%	3	57.00–58.00	$57.65	$982

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1195–1360	1278	2	64.00–66.00	$64.94	$830
1435–1840	1558	4	61.50–72.00	$66.73	$1,040
1885	1885	1	76.00	$76.00	$1,433

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
894–1065	943	(<2 yrs)	Open	27	78.00–93.50	$85.14	$803
1028–1200	1119	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	15	56.00–81.00	$73.01	$817

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1200	1200	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	1,060.00	$1,060.00
1325–1425	1334	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	11	760.00	$760.00
1357	1357	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	860.00	$860.00

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1463–1495	1479	Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	4	60.00–65.00	$62.53	$925

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
1129	1129	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	5	1,175.00	$1,175.00

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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.