Cattle Market Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report
Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Monday, October 18, 20211,992 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 1,992 | 2,207 | 405 |
| Feeder cattle | — | 605 | — |
| Slaughter cattle | 1,487 | 1,299 | 257 |
| Replacement cattle | 505 | 303 | 148 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Slaughter Cows
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1344–1413 | 1364 | 80-85% | 7 | 53.50–61.00 | $58.78 | $802 | +15.71 |
| 1252–1995 | 1365 | 80-85% | 186 | 55.00–64.50 | $60.91 | $831 | +17.84 |
| 1250–1440 | 1368 | 80-85% | 13 | 65.50–69.00 | $66.72 | $913 | +23.65 |
| 1310–1623 | 1407 | 80-85% | 67 | 42.00–54.50 | $48.15 | $677 | — |
| 1305–1635 | 1420 | 80-85% | 28 | 44.00–52.50 | $46.16 | $655 | -12.29 |
| 1540 | 1540 | 80-85% | 1 | 65.00 | $65.00 | $1,001 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 885–980 | 928 | 85-90% | 3 | 35.00–45.00 | $40.82 | $379 | — |
| 880–995 | 949 | 85-90% | 7 | 31.00–34.00 | $32.13 | $305 | — |
| 1025–1355 | 1173 | 85-90% | 38 | 37.50–47.00 | $42.06 | $493 | — |
| 945–1312 | 1203 | 85-90% | 45 | 43.00–46.50 | $45.57 | $548 | — |
| 1153–1298 | 1206 | 85-90% | 40 | 57.50–64.00 | $58.54 | $706 | — |
| 1025–1265 | 1212 | 85-90% | 10 | 46.00–51.50 | $48.40 | $587 | +6.90 |
| 1000–1389 | 1231 | 85-90% | 17 | 31.00–37.50 | $35.45 | $436 | -6.05 |
| 1185–1334 | 1272 | 85-90% | 121 | 47.00–56.50 | $52.35 | $666 | +12.37 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Dressing | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1524 | 1524 | 75-80% | 4 | 67.00 | $67.00 | $1,021 | — |
| 1472–1680 | 1537 | 75-80% | 54 | 63.00–66.00 | $64.31 | $988 | — |
| 1580–1695 | 1637 | 75-80% | 3 | 55.00–66.00 | $59.12 | $968 | -6.88 |
Slaughter Bulls
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1385–1627 | 1484 | 12 | 75.00–76.50 | $75.62 | $1,122 | — |
| 1495 | 1495 | 1 | 79.50 | $79.50 | $1,189 | — |
| 1400–1835 | 1518 | 4 | 70.00–76.00 | $72.89 | $1,106 | — |
| 1419–2075 | 1629 | 7 | 79.50–85.00 | $81.19 | $1,323 | +13.25 |
| 1980 | 1980 | 1 | 90.00 | $90.00 | $1,782 | — |
Stock Cows
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Age | Stage | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 770 | 770 | (<2 yrs) | Open | 1 | 81.00 | $81.00 | $624 |
| 725–1188 | 942 | (<2 yrs) | Open | 273 | 73.50–111.75 | $97.86 | $922 |
| 1025–1240 | 1095 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | Open | 9 | 48.00–72.00 | $64.42 | $705 |
| 1004–1490 | 1137 | Young (2-4 yrs) | Open | 145 | 54.50–82.50 | $68.13 | $775 |
| 1221 | 1221 | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | Open | 5 | 44.50 | $44.50 | $543 |
| 1508 | 1508 | Middle Aged (5-8 yrs) | Open | 8 | 64.50 | $64.50 | $973 |
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.
Compared to last Mondays sale: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Most offerings were offered in small groups or as singles. Quality was plain to average. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand today. An additional packer buyer was on hand today and demand for cows increased as more competition was seen. Slaughter cows sold steady on breaking cows in a narrow comparison; boning cows sold 3.00-5.00 higher; lean cows sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. While receipts remain heavy packers were not willing to give up market share as the cutter cow cutout remains fully steady despite heavy cow offerings. The cutter cow cutout as of this afternoons close was 233.55, 1.86 higher than Friday. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average this sale as most cows were very full. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00 to 7.00 lower. Many sets of attractive rebreed type cows were seen this sale, however fewer takers were seen for this class of cows.