Cattle Market Pulse

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 26, 2021

6,881 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.60/cwt +1.94 vs last sale · ≈ $958/hd at 667 lb · 318 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $184.71/cwt ≈ $978/hd at 529 lb · 221 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $147.76/cwt -6.63 vs last sale · ≈ $918/hd at 621 lb · 218 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,881 5,424 8,490
Feeder cattle 4,246 2,428 5,713
Slaughter cattle 1,154 618 714
Replacement cattle 1,481 505 2,063

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: The best test for steer calves was 550-599 lbs which sold mostly 5.00 lower, all other weights were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Heifers under 550 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower. Heifers over 550 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower. Quality this week was mixed as steer quality was mostly plain to average and heifer quality was average to attractive. Drought conditions are forcing some ranchers to cut back on replacement heifers. As a result heifer quality has been very good. Most of the replacement heifers on offer are being sold as feeders. Cattle were offered in all size packages this week with several load lots on offer. CME feeder cattle positions continue to struggle as high feed cost continue to weigh on the market. May feeder cattle settled Friday at 133.60, while the August settled at 146.75 which is 4.07 and 3.15 lower respectfully. Market activity was moderate to active as both ranchers and order buyers were actively bidding on offerings throughout the week.. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cow buyers were aggressive early in the week as they tried to secure slaughter cows, however as the week progressed demand diminished slightly. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 lower. Feeding cow demand remains strong and is mostly being driven by packers. Feeding cows sold steady to weak and remains a strong premium to slaughter cow prices. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower. Young age cows sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower. Feeding demand was significantly lower this past week as buyers adjust to higher feed costs; rebreed demand remains moderate to good.

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
398 398 6 194.50 $194.50 $774 —
405–445 423 45 190.00–197.00 $193.75 $820 —
460–488 482 45 186.50–192.50 $188.86 $910 +2.86
510 thin fleshed 510 43 195.00 $195.00 $994 —
510–548 534 178 179.00–187.00 $182.22 $973 —
556–587 573 212 170.00–179.50 $176.26 $1,010 -6.30
607–616 thin fleshed 608 67 176.50–179.00 $176.84 $1,075 —
605–638 624 57 159.00–170.00 $164.57 $1,027 -5.16
643 643 5 148.00 $148.00 $952 -21.73
650–696 661 94 148.00–164.50 $158.18 $1,046 -0.30
702–746 736 112 141.50–149.50 $145.52 $1,071 -6.83
761–791 773 14 131.00–137.00 $135.94 $1,051 -7.38
821 821 4 121.00 $121.00 $993 -13.00
824 824 5 128.00 $128.00 $1,055 -6.00
856–884 869 29 123.00–125.00 $123.97 $1,077 —
885 885 4 120.00 $120.00 $1,062 —
909–944 924 15 115.00–120.50 $117.91 $1,089 -3.82
904–939 927 12 107.00–114.00 $109.27 $1,013 -12.46
982 982 3 114.00 $114.00 $1,119 -11.63
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
394 394 11 191.00 $191.00 $753 +4.72
420–430 425 15 184.00–188.00 $184.99 $786 +1.89
450–498 474 29 175.00–183.00 $178.18 $845 -4.24
510–540 521 39 166.00–177.00 $171.04 $891 -2.83
563–597 586 23 159.00–169.00 $166.22 $974 -5.13
600–648 632 23 144.00–155.00 $150.30 $950 -6.53
678–695 688 22 139.00–146.00 $144.12 $992 -7.55
734–744 738 20 135.00–137.00 $136.19 $1,005 -10.31
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1081 1081 7 107.00 $107.00 $1,157 —
1083 1083 24 113.50 $113.50 $1,229 —
1144 1144 10 102.00 $102.00 $1,167 —
1291 1291 7 111.00 $111.00 $1,433 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 353 7 185.00 $185.00 $653 —
465–470 469 7 180.00–182.00 $181.43 $851 —
540 540 18 176.00 $176.00 $950 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
632 632 11 110.00 $110.00 $695 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
436 436 8 163.00 $163.00 $711 -20.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
195 195 1 375.00 $375.00 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
377 377 8 160.00 $160.00 $603 —
426–443 437 21 161.50 $161.50 $706 -15.63
469–491 478 95 158.00–162.00 $160.33 $766 -9.62
500–543 522 86 157.00–163.75 $158.58 $828 -6.93
565 565 11 138.00 $138.00 $780 -22.67
552–598 579 187 148.00–158.00 $152.83 $885 -7.84
604–649 620 208 140.50–156.75 $148.59 $921 -5.80
645–649 647 10 129.00–132.00 $130.50 $844 -23.89
655 thin fleshed 655 102 150.00 $150.00 $982 —
655–686 668 138 136.00–149.00 $142.48 $952 +0.98
662–670 669 41 133.00–134.00 $133.93 $896 -7.57
690 690 9 134.00 $134.00 $925 -7.68
699 699 28 143.00 $143.00 $1,000 +1.32
701–721 713 12 119.00–123.00 $120.64 $860 -18.97
704–748 713 67 128.50–139.00 $133.85 $954 -5.76
743 743 31 139.00 $139.00 $1,033 —
760 760 60 132.25 $132.25 $1,005 -3.25
751–779 770 95 126.00–131.50 $130.50 $1,005 -2.50
769–798 779 6 116.00–121.00 $119.29 $929 -13.71
825–841 830 29 119.00–123.75 $122.67 $1,018 +3.03
838 838 6 113.00 $113.00 $947 -6.64
856–881 866 35 116.00–120.00 $118.59 $1,027 -3.41
898 898 14 108.00 $108.00 $970 -14.00
968 968 13 110.50 $110.50 $1,070 +4.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326 326 9 163.00 $163.00 $531 -3.84
381–399 390 35 156.00–160.50 $158.05 $616 +3.58
401–444 425 21 150.00–157.00 $153.27 $651 -6.21
455–498 480 82 144.00–159.00 $152.91 $734 -5.01
509–549 531 60 141.00–156.50 $149.06 $792 -1.30
558–591 585 84 131.00–150.00 $136.43 $798 -8.23
610–648 628 53 131.00–144.50 $139.19 $874 +3.19
657–658 657 7 124.00–135.00 $131.85 $866 -2.69
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
571 571 31 144.00 $144.00 $822 —
640 640 20 127.00 $127.00 $813 —
1003 1003 54 114.00 $114.00 $1,143 —
1020 1020 4 112.50 $112.50 $1,148 —
1121 1121 7 104.00 $104.00 $1,166 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 11 157.50 $157.50 $762 —
508–546 524 38 147.00–150.00 $148.68 $779 -9.82
607 607 18 136.00 $136.00 $826 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364–368 367 18 151.00–153.00 $152.56 $560 -3.76
479 479 16 135.00 $135.00 $647 -15.00
525 525 6 136.00 $136.00 $714 -1.00
566 566 16 124.00 $124.00 $702 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
561–577 572 13 121.00–130.00 $127.28 $728 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502 502 8 129.00 $129.00 $648 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
70–75 73 3 100.00 $100.00 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
70 70 1 200.00 $200.00 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
451 451 18 185.00 $185.00 $834 —
515 515 7 149.00 $149.00 $767 —
721 721 5 119.00 $119.00 $858 -14.00
805–840 823 10 111.50–123.50 $115.43 $950 -10.57
879–884 882 12 106.00–111.50 $109.67 $967 -20.93
940 940 1 105.50 $105.50 $992 —
950–987 969 33 103.00–110.50 $107.64 $1,043 -15.36
1082 1082 3 106.00 $106.00 $1,147 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
966 966 7 105.50 $105.50 $1,019 —
1008–1040 1024 4 103.00–108.00 $105.46 $1,080 —
1059–1090 1071 16 100.50–103.00 $102.06 $1,093 -13.94
1100–1138 1127 21 98.00–101.00 $99.29 $1,119 -10.71
1130 fancy 1130 11 108.00 $108.00 $1,220 —
1155–1188 1172 14 94.00–104.00 $99.50 $1,166 +3.70
1233 1233 5 93.00 $93.00 $1,147 —
1260 1260 2 91.50 $91.50 $1,153 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
608–625 615 7 129.00–132.00 $130.31 $801 —
663 663 2 127.00 $127.00 $842 —
903 903 2 105.00 $105.00 $948 -12.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1103–1131 1121 8 94.00–97.00 $95.11 $1,066 —
1175 1175 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,104 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
75 75 1 200.00 $200.00 -64.72
100–145 115 4 200.00–310.00 $275.71 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
125 125 —— 1 175.00 $175.00 —
1100 1100 (<2 yrs)N/A 2 1,450.00 $1,450.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705 705 85-90% 1 46.00 $46.00 $324 —
850–975 914 85-90% 6 53.00–60.00 $55.37 $506 -2.92
915–940 928 85-90% 2 61.00–65.00 $63.03 $585 +4.74
1130–1150 1142 85-90% 3 70.00–72.00 $70.67 $807 -0.85
1010–1380 1173 85-90% 7 47.00–52.50 $50.75 $595 -12.84
995–1325 1184 85-90% 129 53.00–64.50 $59.44 $704 +7.49
845–1305 1185 85-90% 77 56.00–64.00 $60.82 $721 +8.87
1143–1315 1201 85-90% 32 70.00–74.00 $71.64 $860 +11.16
1017–1360 1218 85-90% 82 64.00–69.50 $66.06 $805 -0.33
1100–1393 1222 85-90% 52 62.00–69.50 $64.95 $794 -1.44
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385 1385 80-85% 1 54.00 $54.00 $748 —
1325–1675 1412 80-85% 44 59.00–65.00 $63.18 $892 -4.37
1215–1640 1414 80-85% 69 48.00–65.50 $62.06 $878 -5.49
1190–1533 1418 80-85% 65 65.00–70.00 $68.04 $965 +0.49
1305–1525 1422 80-85% 22 70.00–75.00 $72.03 $1,024 +0.76
1240–1729 1439 80-85% 39 63.50–69.50 $66.90 $963 +2.54
1315–1683 1489 80-85% 17 70.00–74.50 $71.66 $1,067 +9.08
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425 1425 75-80% 1 73.00 $73.00 $1,040 —
1538–1555 1541 75-80% 6 61.00–68.00 $66.82 $1,030 -5.08
1395–1785 1591 75-80% 13 68.00–73.00 $69.95 $1,113 —
1440–1840 1648 75-80% 40 57.00–68.50 $64.05 $1,056 -6.60
1790 1790 75-80% 1 58.00 $58.00 $1,038 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1712 1712 65-75% 9 73.00 $73.00 $1,250 —
2240 2240 65-75% 1 71.00 $71.00 $1,590 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1036–1395 1250 31 85.00–89.50 $88.07 $1,101 —
1305 1305 2 67.00 $67.00 $874 —
1140–1440 1308 14 72.00–84.00 $80.15 $1,048 —
1170–2140 1611 53 72.00–84.50 $80.04 $1,289 —
1683–1710 1689 9 87.00–93.00 $91.65 $1,548 —
1745 1745 2 85.00 $85.00 $1,483 —
1290–2220 1756 62 84.50–92.00 $88.14 $1,548 —
1878 1878 8 95.00 $95.00 $1,784 —
1670–2385 2035 32 90.00–101.00 $94.82 $1,930 —
2535–2710 2623 2 85.00–85.50 $85.24 $2,236 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370 1370 2 82.50 $82.50 $1,130 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
725–793 thin fleshed 770 (<2 yrs)Open 4 61.00–93.00 $77.23 $595
720–1360 980 (<2 yrs)Open 371 71.00–124.00 $90.84 $890
955–1050 thin fleshed 998 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 63.00–75.00 $68.15 $680
855–1460 1140 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 152 64.00–87.00 $74.91 $854
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
764–960 thin fleshed 829 (<2 yrs)Open 6 59.00–68.00 $62.47 $518
789–1068 892 (<2 yrs)Open 10 71.00–95.00 $83.68 $746
915–1015 952 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 9 63.00–74.00 $68.94 $656

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1065 1065 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 7 910.00 $910.00
988–1518 1117 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 38 1,175.00–1,450.00 $1,270.83
1214–1319 1231 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 82 1,425.00 $1,425.00
1243 1243 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 12 1,350.00 $1,350.00
1259 1259 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,150.00 $1,150.00
1276–1570 1322 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 19 875.00–925.00 $881.84
1283–1437 1362 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 49 1,100.00–1,160.00 $1,132.31
1224–1581 1364 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 59 1,100.00–1,275.00 $1,219.59
1447 1447 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 950.00 $950.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
934–1304 1032 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 29 1,135.00–1,310.00 $1,195.76
1012–1160 1089 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 30 1,150.00–1,235.00 $1,201.97

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1040–1503 1223 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 149 1,550.00–1,875.00 $1,754.32 —
1175–1533 1260 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 34 1,600.00–1,810.00 $1,775.06 —
1218–1528 1365 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 52 1,350.00–1,775.00 $1,592.00 —
1309–1528 1403 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 14 1,125.00–1,235.00 $1,176.35 —
1333–1668 1494 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 70 1,300.00–1,450.00 $1,330.28 -244.72

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Dairy Heifers

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
743 743 23 113.50 $113.50 $843 —
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
618 618 9 113.00 $113.00 $698 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825 825 27 111.50 $111.50 $920 —
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730 730 8 112.00 $112.00 $818 —

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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.