Cattle Market Pulse

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, January 11, 2021

13,350 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $150.45/cwt -4.50 vs last sale · ≈ $930/hd at 618 lb · 625 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $149.74/cwt -5.18 vs last sale · ≈ $786/hd at 525 lb · 515 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $172.84/cwt -5.45 vs last sale · ≈ $909/hd at 526 lb · 501 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 13,350 9,071 6,193
Feeder cattle 6,988 7,263 1,680
Slaughter cattle 1,699 1,347 324
Replacement cattle 1,359 461 2,793

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers sold with lower undertones. Steer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly 10.00 to 15.00 lower. Steers 500-599 lbs sold 5.00-8.00 lower, steers over 600 lbs sold steady to 4.00 lower. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower, heifers over 500 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 lower. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Many long strings of weaned calves were on offer. Most calves were weaned 60-90 days. Cattle sold in mostly moderate size packages with several load lots on offer as well. Corn and soybean prices continue to increase following the bullish WASDE report that was released last Tuesday. Feeder cattle contracts have fallen off sharply over the last week as a result. The January feeder cattle contract closed at 134.575 and the March closed at 135.825 a loss of 1.25 and 1.00 respectfully since last Friday. Market activity this week was mostly active to very active with many buyers actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for mostly heavy offerings. Packers were less active this week as they showed no desire to push the market higher in order to obtain offerings. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-2.00 lower on all classes. Feeding cow demand was moderate throughout the week. The majority of cows sold this week returned to the country to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly good demand this week. Bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher as feeding buyers pushed packer buyers in order to buy offerings. 2 year old to young age cows sold on light demand for mostly moderate offerings. This class of cows sold generally steady.

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
325–347 341 29 180.00–197.50 $185.34 $632 —
355–398 380 96 183.00–202.50 $191.18 $726 -14.09
400–449 427 198 181.00–199.00 $185.18 $791 -11.95
452–499 472 269 158.00–189.00 $179.81 $849 -10.20
480 unweaned 480 25 170.50 $170.50 $818 -13.20
498 498 18 159.00 $159.00 $792 -31.01
519 unweaned 519 10 157.00 $157.00 $815 -14.00
501–549 526 491 155.00–180.00 $173.16 $911 -5.18
550–597 577 417 149.00–165.00 $157.49 $909 -5.95
585 unweaned 585 21 145.00 $145.00 $848 -16.50
612 fancy 612 93 159.00 $159.00 $973 —
600–644 619 522 140.00–154.00 $149.11 $923 -6.25
634 unweaned 634 10 141.00 $141.00 $894 -7.00
658–699 667 205 138.00–146.00 $142.67 $952 -3.49
705–743 727 202 125.00–139.50 $136.64 $993 -2.88
748 unweaned 748 10 130.50 $130.50 $976 —
766–775 770 75 124.00–130.00 $128.54 $990 -3.24
803–844 812 55 127.00–131.00 $129.32 $1,050 -0.95
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390–396 395 13 180.00–185.00 $182.15 $719 +3.06
405–447 429 40 155.00–180.00 $174.36 $748 -15.14
450–496 473 90 150.00–176.00 $167.68 $793 -10.51
510–549 541 86 149.00–165.00 $157.47 $852 -13.19
561–595 568 51 133.00–155.00 $142.36 $809 -11.87
724–742 729 11 128.00–133.00 $131.61 $959 +1.18
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
609 609 8 134.00 $134.00 $816 —
656 656 10 128.00 $128.00 $840 -12.50
1024 1024 4 108.00 $108.00 $1,106 -12.00
1102 1102 13 108.50 $108.50 $1,196 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493–496 494 13 157.00–160.00 $158.16 $781 —
598 598 3 120.00 $120.00 $718 —
703 703 5 125.00 $125.00 $879 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
534 534 5 139.00 $139.00 $742 —
848 848 12 112.50 $112.50 $954 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–345 340 21 157.00–162.00 $158.84 $540 -31.16
351–393 365 77 160.00–164.00 $160.44 $586 -21.32
393 unweaned 393 16 157.50 $157.50 $619 -28.50
403–442 429 262 150.00–166.50 $159.99 $686 -13.93
453–488 unweaned 461 13 148.00–156.00 $154.05 $710 —
453–498 482 237 145.00–168.00 $154.53 $745 -5.27
500–537 fancy 519 29 159.00–165.50 $162.02 $841 —
519 unweaned 519 42 146.50 $146.50 $760 -2.21
504–546 526 444 138.00–159.50 $149.24 $785 -6.76
551–597 571 367 135.00–144.00 $141.11 $806 -8.33
600–648 615 385 122.00–138.75 $133.01 $818 -6.18
648 unweaned 648 16 127.00 $127.00 $823 —
651–695 658 192 125.00–132.00 $129.68 $853 -4.76
703–736 715 35 124.00–136.00 $128.49 $919 +2.49
795 795 32 115.00–120.50 $119.30 $948 -13.25
831 831 8 113.00 $113.00 $939 -15.00
860–878 868 49 113.00–114.50 $113.95 $989 -7.55
904–922 909 17 105.00–114.00 $107.08 $973 -13.11
961 961 7 106.00 $106.00 $1,019 -12.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
327–341 339 23 151.00–160.00 $152.13 $516 —
370–397 393 14 150.00–154.00 $153.46 $603 -13.19
397 unweaned 397 28 142.50 $142.50 $566 —
403–449 425 56 150.00–155.00 $153.17 $651 +0.15
476–493 487 26 137.50–147.00 $143.61 $699 -11.02
521–547 538 23 135.00–143.00 $139.73 $752 -10.81
573–598 590 36 122.00–135.00 $130.57 $770 -5.13
602–640 618 39 118.00–130.00 $124.96 $772 -6.94
690 690 3 122.50 $122.50 $845 -5.00
950–970 966 5 101.00–110.50 $102.87 $994 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 29 154.00 $154.00 $665 —
485 485 31 144.00 $144.00 $698 —
654 654 6 127.00 $127.00 $831 —
736 736 7 108.50 $108.50 $799 —
753–774 764 26 110.00–112.50 $111.27 $850 -7.73
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473 473 8 151.00 $151.00 $714 —
516 516 10 141.50 $141.50 $730 —
569 569 37 130.00 $130.00 $740 —
678 678 3 122.00 $122.00 $827 —
703–745 714 4 121.50–122.00 $121.87 $870 —
754 754 5 126.00 $126.00 $950 —
1073 1073 3 92.50 $92.50 $993 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 6 110.00 $110.00 $482 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454 454 4 131.00 $131.00 $595 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
471–498 489 24 150.00–155.00 $151.61 $741 —
620 620 3 129.00 $129.00 $800 —
685 685 4 126.00 $126.00 $863 -8.00
825 825 11 119.00 $119.00 $982 ±0.00
873 873 2 115.00 $115.00 $1,004 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
546 546 7 144.50 $144.50 $789 -1.50
589 589 5 120.00 $120.00 $707 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024 1024 5 90.00 $90.00 $922 -19.50
1203 1203 2 88.00 $88.00 $1,059 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
795–945 884 85-90% 5 29.00–33.00 $31.79 $281 —
827–980 922 85-90% 20 36.00–46.00 $41.03 $378 —
955 955 85-90% 1 48.00 $48.00 $458 +4.56
1003–1300 1114 85-90% 32 33.00–40.00 $36.94 $412 —
1000–1385 1163 85-90% 336 38.50–48.50 $44.33 $516 -15.67
1154–1305 1187 85-90% 18 57.50–59.25 $58.39 $693 +11.31
905–1955 1189 85-90% 112 42.00–48.50 $45.29 $538 -5.90
1005–1405 1211 85-90% 89 47.50–53.00 $48.86 $592 +4.96
965–1350 1217 85-90% 147 47.25–57.00 $50.84 $619 +6.94
1288 1288 85-90% 2 60.00 $60.00 $773 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–1595 1367 80-85% 166 48.50–57.50 $54.06 $739 -1.82
1185–1610 1396 80-85% 57 43.00–48.00 $45.88 $640 -1.49
1290–1685 1422 80-85% 67 42.00–48.50 $46.09 $655 +0.14
1320–1530 1428 80-85% 3 58.00–62.50 $59.56 $851 +13.61
1228–1720 1540 80-85% 29 49.50–55.00 $52.72 $812 +13.22
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450–1785 1594 75-80% 25 48.75–54.00 $52.60 $838 -0.31
1355–1948 1720 75-80% 14 54.50–57.50 $55.76 $959 —
1805 1805 75-80% 1 49.50 $49.50 $893 —
1905 1905 75-80% 1 71.00 $71.00 $1,353 —
2060 2060 75-80% 1 53.50 $53.50 $1,102 —
2070 2070 75-80% 1 45.00 $45.00 $932 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1315 1225 3 62.00–70.00 $67.73 $830 —
1320–1885 1564 20 75.00–84.25 $80.01 $1,251 —
1315–1890 1682 13 70.50–76.00 $74.13 $1,247 —
1335–2230 1756 20 68.00–77.50 $73.79 $1,296 +3.01
1468–2415 1935 29 75.00–86.50 $80.92 $1,566 +0.95
1800–2335 2057 12 84.00–92.00 $87.04 $1,790 —
2610 2610 1 77.50 $77.50 $2,023 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1858–2305 2077 4 76.00–78.50 $77.81 $1,616 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
783–809 thin fleshed 800 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 9 64.00–65.00 $64.67 $517
795–1335 960 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 478 47.00–89.00 $71.15 $683
785–1285 989 (<2 yrs)Open 12 81.00–99.00 $90.41 $894
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
976 976 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 9 62.00 $62.00 $605

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1045–1060 1056 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,100.00–1,125.00 $1,106.18
1135 thin fleshed 1135 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 550.00 $550.00
1098–1397 1183 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 42 1,300.00–1,410.00 $1,335.23
1134–1217 1196 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 16 950.00–975.00 $969.08
1182–1355 1211 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 775.00–810.00 $781.53
1174–1372 1240 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 9 860.00–1,025.00 $920.85
1308 1308 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 1,185.00 $1,185.00
1284–1378 thin fleshed 1317 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 12 710.00–735.00 $718.72
1317 1317 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 850.00 $850.00
1121–1573 1343 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 177 735.00–925.00 $830.61
1345 1345 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,150.00 $1,150.00
1363 1363 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 1,050.00 $1,050.00
1145–1688 1379 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 17 1,110.00–1,275.00 $1,215.75
1018–1495 1390 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 69 860.00–1,075.00 $994.39
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1183 1183 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 675.00 $675.00
1175–1359 1295 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 16 700.00–810.00 $792.88
1415 1415 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 1,200.00 $1,200.00
1565 1565 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 775.00 $775.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
933 933 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 1,100.00 $1,100.00
969 969 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 35 1,285.00 $1,285.00
976–1113 1061 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 35 1,085.00–1,325.00 $1,261.65
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1010 1010 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 1,075.00 $1,075.00

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Bucks

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
152–172 167 12 140.00–165.00 $145.69 $243 —
170 170 1 122.00 $122.00 $207 —
170–198 189 3 82.00–85.00 $82.90 $157 —
190 190 1 96.00 $96.00 $182 —
200 200 14 113.00 $113.00 $226 —
220 220 1 93.00 $93.00 $205 —
203–243 227 64 97.00–111.00 $106.48 $242 —
258–288 274 5 96.00–103.00 $99.05 $271 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
93 93 2 220.00 $220.00 $205 —
95 95 1 170.00 $170.00 $162 —
115 115 2 207.50 $207.50 $239 —
110–125 118 2 247.50–255.00 $251.01 $296 —
128–145 131 5 222.50–230.00 $224.16 $294 —
150–180 169 4 244.00–247.50 $246.59 $417 —
200 200 1 222.50 $222.50 $445 —

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Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
118–130 127 15 116.00–118.00 $116.50 $148 —
137 137 3 82.50 $82.50 $113 —
115–148 140 110 94.00–110.00 $103.42 $145 —
154–161 160 127 98.00–111.00 $101.33 $162 —
150–163 161 7 75.00–84.00 $76.20 $123 —
170–193 182 104 85.00–95.00 $90.70 $165 —
213–235 219 9 93.00–99.00 $94.42 $207 —

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Hair Breeds

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
53 53 63 347.50–357.50 $347.82 $184 —
60–65 63 94 270.00–345.00 $322.93 $203 —
73–77 76 154 280.00–315.00 $285.87 $217 —
93 93 2 242.50 $242.50 $226 —

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Hair Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
176 176 6 96.00 $96.00 $169 —

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Kids

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
34–38 34 21 402.50 $402.50 $137 —
39 39 17 355.00 $355.00 $138 —
40 40 5 260.00 $260.00 $104 —
44 44 7 365.00 $365.00 $161 —
40–49 47 156 390.00–413.00 $408.92 $192 —
50–56 53 64 375.00–402.50 $393.90 $209 —
55 55 4 360.00 $360.00 $198 —
55–59 57 47 335.00–382.50 $364.54 $208 —
60–69 67 109 342.50–380.00 $351.45 $235 —
60–68 68 107 337.50–350.00 $337.60 $230 —
68 68 2 255.00 $255.00 $173 —
70 fancy 70 1 375.00 $375.00 $262 —
70 70 1 305.00 $305.00 $214 —
78 78 4 288.00–295.00 $291.50 $227 —
80–81 81 10 275.00–295.00 $286.03 $232 —
83–85 83 10 300.00–307.50 $301.53 $250 —
90–93 92 3 290.00–292.50 $290.82 $268 —
93 93 2 235.00 $235.00 $219 —
95 95 1 270.00 $270.00 $256 —
115 115 2 250.00 $250.00 $288 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
65 65 1 180.00 $180.00 $117 —
90 90 2 185.00 $185.00 $166 —
95 95 13 196.00–230.00 $224.77 $214 —
116–140 118 14 182.50–190.00 $189.36 $223 —
110–140 128 23 190.00–220.00 $204.07 $261 —
130 130 1 165.00 $165.00 $214 —
150 150 1 180.00 $180.00 $270 —
155 155 4 187.50 $187.50 $291 —

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Wethers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
63 63 2 270.00 $270.00 $170 —
80–88 83 5 275.00–285.00 $280.77 $233 —
96 96 6 275.00 $275.00 $264 —
105–117 114 4 222.50–255.00 $229.98 $262 —

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Wooled & Shorn

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
40–49 48 32 335.00–345.00 $344.48 $165 —
52–59 57 86 337.50–380.00 $344.28 $196 —
61–68 65 166 310.00–340.00 $327.91 $213 —
70–78 72 165 287.50–325.00 $300.93 $217 —
77 77 70 277.50 $277.50 $214 —
80–89 83 585 260.00–291.00 $272.12 $226 —
83–85 84 23 227.50–268.00 $252.87 $212 —
92 fancy 92 7 295.00 $295.00 $271 —
90–99 93 409 220.00–260.00 $238.52 $222 —
100–115 103 34 186.00–236.00 $218.13 $225 —
120–148 133 85 159.00–185.00 $170.09 $226 —

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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.