Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, November 9, 2020

841 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.25/cwt ≈ $1,112/hd at 867 lb · 15 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $134.62/cwt ≈ $541/hd at 402 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 841 1,594 5,898
Feeder cattle 140 517 5,318
Slaughter cattle 621 822 110
Replacement cattle 80 255 470

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Monday: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Heavy snow fell over the weekend and road conditions were treacherous in many places. All receipts were light as a result. Demand was light for light offerings. Market activity today was mostly slow. Weigh up cow sold on mostly moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Cow prices pushed higher today as a result of light offerings and slightly stronger packer demand. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Weigh up conditions were average to below average this sale. Cow and bull quality was mixed this week from plain to attractive. Young 2-3 year old's suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed.

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
330 unweaned 330 3 165.00 $165.00 $544 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820–823 822 4 124.00–126.00 $125.00 $1,028 —
867 867 15 128.25 $128.25 $1,112 —
933 933 2 122.00 $122.00 $1,138 -2.25
950–985 965 4 118.50–122.00 $120.98 $1,167 +1.98
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–403 unweaned 402 13 134.00–136.00 $134.62 $541 —
750 750 3 125.00 $125.00 $938 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
451 unweaned 451 9 148.00 $148.00 $667 —
620 unweaned 620 2 134.00 $134.00 $831 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1074 1074 7 88.00 $88.00 $945 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815 815 85-90% 1 43.00 $43.00 $350 —
880 880 85-90% 2 31.00 $31.00 $273 -4.00
870–993 975 85-90% 7 40.00–42.50 $42.18 $411 +4.18
1015–1120 1066 85-90% 4 40.00–41.00 $40.74 $434 —
1021–1255 1114 85-90% 21 34.00–42.00 $38.79 $432 +4.33
860–1360 1161 85-90% 137 42.00–51.00 $46.70 $542 —
1075–1365 1210 85-90% 38 51.00–60.50 $54.60 $661 +12.09
1090–1370 1231 85-90% 15 47.00–51.00 $48.70 $599 +2.40
1070–1345 1252 85-90% 36 42.00–47.00 $45.60 $571 -13.90
1175–1310 1276 85-90% 7 62.00–64.50 $64.03 $817 +4.53
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1293–1389 1341 80-85% 24 41.00–49.50 $46.70 $626 —
1351–1435 1353 80-85% 43 47.00–53.25 $53.10 $718 +8.37
1345–1400 1363 80-85% 3 47.00–48.00 $47.66 $650 +2.93
1245–1582 1413 80-85% 78 51.00–61.50 $57.38 $811 +13.95
1220–1530 1447 80-85% 87 62.00–67.00 $64.75 $937 +26.26
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1550–1735 1623 75-80% 3 63.00–66.00 $64.69 $1,050 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1500 1434 4 64.00–73.00 $69.40 $995 —
1390–1665 1594 5 79.00–80.00 $79.63 $1,269 +2.38
1460–2045 1670 4 52.00–75.00 $67.41 $1,126 —
1810 1810 1 80.50 $80.50 $1,457 —
2145 2145 1 82.75 $82.75 $1,775 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
883 thin fleshed 883 (<2 yrs)Open 2 66.00 $66.00 $583
879–1165 968 (<2 yrs)Open 26 65.00–79.00 $74.08 $717
855–1152 1003 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 25 52.00–73.00 $63.78 $640

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
992 992 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 1,035.00 $1,035.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1090 1090 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 53.00 $53.00 $578

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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.