Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 26, 2020

186 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $119.00/cwt ≈ $984/hd at 827 lb · 14 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $135.24/cwt ≈ $772/hd at 571 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 186 739 1,051
Feeder cattle 76 334 536
Slaughter cattle 96 257 117
Replacement cattle 14 148 398

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Not enough of any class to develop any accurate market trend. Near a foot of snow fell over the weekend and roads were snow covered and icy making travel difficult. Demand was light for very light offerings.

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
456–457 unweaned 456 8 148.00–153.00 $151.12 $689 —
508 unweaned 508 2 145.50 $145.50 $739 —
565–583 unweaned 571 12 134.00–135.50 $135.24 $772 —
739 739 5 127.00 $127.00 $939 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
471 unweaned 471 4 130.00 $130.00 $612 —
533 unweaned 533 7 126.00 $126.00 $672 —
827 827 14 119.00 $119.00 $984 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
351 unweaned 351 8 122.50 $122.50 $430 —
685 unweaned 685 2 121.00 $121.00 $829 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–900 879 85-90% 4 34.00–40.00 $35.39 $311 -0.61
920 920 85-90% 1 37.00 $37.00 $340 —
1071–1085 1072 85-90% 15 52.00–52.50 $52.47 $562 +5.31
1140 1140 85-90% 1 49.50 $49.50 $564 —
1020–1255 1146 85-90% 17 42.00–48.00 $43.65 $500 —
1025–1295 1195 85-90% 9 32.00–43.50 $39.52 $472 -6.01
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1393 1350 80-85% 7 53.00–57.00 $55.58 $750 -8.64
1370–1520 1395 80-85% 6 50.50–55.00 $51.32 $716 +1.82
1418 1418 80-85% 2 62.50 $62.50 $886 —
1450 1450 80-85% 1 46.00 $46.00 $667 —
1535 1535 80-85% 1 49.00 $49.00 $752 -2.60
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1547 1547 75-80% 3 62.00 $62.00 $959 -7.06
1508–1825 1613 75-80% 6 52.00–54.50 $53.79 $868 -17.71

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1635–2115 1875 3 74.50–80.00 $77.23 $1,448 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
875–1058 997 (<2 yrs)Open 3 67.00–71.00 $69.83 $696

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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.