Cattle Market Pulse

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, November 15, 2021

2,192 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,192 2,932 2,629
Feeder cattle 397 525 1,275
Slaughter cattle 1,354 1,690 1,189
Replacement cattle 441 717 165

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Too few Feeder Cattle were tested last week to develop a market trend for todays sale. Yearling heifers sold mostly steady on a light test this and last week. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to firm on boning and lean cows, breaking cows were not well tested last week and no trend could be developed. Packer buyers opted to send primarily lower quality or lame cows to immediate harvest this week as they purchased the majority of the cow offering to feed. Boning and lean feeding Cows sold mostly steady with a firm market undertone. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to below average today. Cows with favorable weigh up conditions sold with the best demand. Slaughter Bulls sold weak on a light market test this and last week. Young age cows suitable to rebreed were too lightly tested last week to develop a market trend. Quality this week was average to attractive.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
795 795 4 142.00 $142.00 $1,129 —
805 805 1 134.00 $134.00 $1,079 —
985 985 3 132.00 $132.00 $1,300 +0.34
1063 1063 4 128.50 $128.50 $1,366 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
946 946 9 124.00 $124.00 $1,173 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–940 909 85-90% 6 24.00–36.00 $31.75 $289 -16.25
933–1235 1097 85-90% 65 22.00–34.00 $29.80 $327 -4.61
1000–1346 1185 85-90% 33 21.00–36.00 $31.15 $369 -13.60
1215 1215 85-90% 1 63.00 $63.00 $765 +14.36
1050–1466 1241 85-90% 396 34.25–48.75 $41.59 $516 -4.76
1067–1515 1297 85-90% 46 49.00–57.50 $53.17 $690 —
1060–1520 1338 85-90% 30 38.00–45.00 $39.83 $533 —
1845 1845 85-90% 1 61.50 $61.50 $1,135 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1268–1325 1279 80-85% 5 64.00–65.00 $64.21 $821 —
1355–1359 1358 80-85% 15 35.50–39.00 $38.30 $520 -17.73
1395–1440 1423 80-85% 5 40.00–46.00 $41.57 $592 -4.41
1408–1496 1470 80-85% 26 52.00–58.50 $56.21 $826 —
1103–1775 1487 80-85% 65 43.00–51.00 $46.27 $688 —
1415–1689 1586 80-85% 10 50.00–60.00 $56.71 $899 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1610 1610 75-80% 3 63.00 $63.00 $1,014 +10.12
1375–1699 1634 75-80% 5 53.00–54.00 $53.83 $880 +0.95
1730–1800 1765 75-80% 2 61.00 $61.00 $1,077 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1990 1651 10 65.00–77.00 $73.87 $1,220 -1.13
1795–2100 1965 8 77.00–85.00 $81.68 $1,605 -3.31
1670–2293 1983 4 64.00–73.00 $69.37 $1,376 -15.62

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
795–1365 997 (<2 yrs)Open 69 71.00–101.00 $87.13 $869
755–1278 1056 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 27 58.00–91.00 $71.11 $751
1297 1297 (<2 yrs)Open 3 73.00 $73.00 $947
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
903–973 950 (<2 yrs)Open 7 64.00–79.00 $73.64 $700
905–1185 1038 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 12 61.00–69.00 $63.68 $661
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885–1090 941 (<2 yrs)Open 4 52.00–55.00 $52.94 $498

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1010–1270 1137 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 800.00–1,150.00 $926.43
1125–1320 1212 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 700.00–1,010.00 $878.86
1219–1288 1234 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 9 875.00–1,035.00 $997.90
1095–1495 1273 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 11 700.00–975.00 $930.06
1308 1308 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 950.00 $950.00

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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.