Cattle Market Pulse

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 8, 2022

3,284 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 $215.61/cwt ≈ $1,339/hd at 621 lb · 54 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $155.87/cwt -5.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,520/hd at 975 lb · 49 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $181.40/cwt ≈ $1,324/hd at 730 lb · 44 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,284 928 3,373
Feeder cattle 586 299 1,687
Slaughter cattle 449 567 1,247
Replacement cattle 37 62 439

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Two sales were held this past week due to summer schedules. Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Quality this week was mostly average. Most cattle were coming right off grass and were in light flesh. A few sets of fall born calves which were out on grass were seen this week. These offerings were met with mostly moderate to good demand, while true yearling cattle were met with good to very good demand. Market activity was mostly active this week as a large crowd was on hand for both of this weeks lightly tested sales. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00 higher on all classes in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed saw increased demand from feeding buyers this week. This helped push very limited offerings higher.

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
525 525 5 216.00 $216.00 $1,134 —
562 562 16 205.00 $205.00 $1,152 —
606–647 621 54 211.00–218.50 $215.61 $1,339 —
672–693 681 21 193.00–206.00 $200.33 $1,364 —
726 726 5 194.00 $194.00 $1,408 —
776 776 10 194.00 $194.00 $1,505 —
814–849 823 31 179.00–188.50 $185.97 $1,531 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
617 617 3 199.00 $199.00 $1,228 —
787 787 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,377 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 11 178.00 $178.00 $1,095 +2.00
675–681 678 33 182.00–185.50 $184.49 $1,251 +9.31
709–735 730 44 181.00–183.00 $181.40 $1,324 —
750–792 766 14 168.00–177.00 $172.69 $1,323 +1.69
800–829 826 10 168.00–169.00 $168.90 $1,395 -3.60
858–898 874 26 165.00–169.50 $167.12 $1,461 +0.40
913–916 915 6 164.00–166.00 $164.67 $1,507 +1.08
951–998 975 49 150.50–163.00 $155.87 $1,520 -5.93
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502 502 10 185.00 $185.00 $929 —
577–579 578 34 183.00–184.00 $183.62 $1,061 —
621 621 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,087 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
453 453 3 170.00 $170.00 $770 —
556–557 556 16 175.00–176.00 $175.44 $975 —
665 665 9 169.00 $169.00 $1,124 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055 1055 7 153.50 $153.50 $1,619 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 unweaned 381 4 185.00 $185.00 $705 —
810 810 2 160.00 $160.00 $1,296 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–846 834 8 159.00–166.00 $161.56 $1,347 —
870 870 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,348 -11.00
935 935 1 153.00 $153.00 $1,431 -11.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040 1040 1 122.00 $122.00 $1,269 —
1140 1140 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,300 -6.00
1195 1195 2 117.00–121.00 $119.00 $1,422 —
1208 1208 2 120.00 $120.00 $1,450 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 unweaned 376 5 192.50 $192.50 $724 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1333–1490 1375 80-85% 11 91.00–93.00 $92.29 $1,269 +14.73
1110–1608 1412 80-85% 89 86.00–95.00 $91.25 $1,288 +6.56
1320–1505 1426 80-85% 10 95.00–97.50 $96.58 $1,377 +11.89
1382–1635 1472 80-85% 9 79.00–86.00 $84.27 $1,240 -0.66
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
770 770 85-90% 1 55.00 $55.00 $424 —
815–980 887 85-90% 3 71.00–83.00 $77.05 $683 +1.05
925 925 85-90% 1 77.00 $77.00 $712 —
1035–1085 1060 85-90% 2 64.00–72.00 $67.91 $720 —
1000–1385 1141 85-90% 18 75.00–86.00 $79.25 $904 +2.00
1005–1345 1256 85-90% 35 86.00–93.00 $88.86 $1,116 +2.06
1255–1310 1283 85-90% 2 93.00–94.00 $93.51 $1,200 +9.16
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1349–1960 1543 75-80% 42 87.50–96.50 $91.50 $1,412 +8.28
1570–1650 1610 75-80% 2 85.00–89.00 $86.95 $1,400 -3.72
1575–1742 1697 75-80% 6 96.50–100.00 $99.10 $1,682 —
2085 2085 75-80% 1 82.00 $82.00 $1,710 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1295 1173 3 82.00–90.00 $85.91 $1,008 —
1290–1680 1439 4 90.00–98.00 $95.32 $1,372 -0.01
1260–1695 1458 9 98.00–111.00 $105.31 $1,535 —
1275–2185 1634 19 85.00–99.50 $94.47 $1,544 —
1310–2475 1820 83 98.00–108.50 $103.83 $1,890 —
1755–2415 2019 35 107.00–126.50 $111.87 $2,259 —
2505 2505 1 103.00 $103.00 $2,580 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2175 2175 1 104.00 $104.00 $2,262 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
875–1383 1116 (<2 yrs)Open 17 95.00–130.00 $118.88 $1,327
1055–1645 1204 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 10 86.00–98.50 $92.53 $1,114

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Bucks

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
180–185 181 4 75.00–81.00 $79.00 $143 —
208 208 1 71.00 $71.00 $148 —
265 265 3 74.00 $74.00 $196 —
315 315 1 72.50 $72.50 $228 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
100 100 1 177.50 $177.50 $178 —
130 130 2 190.00 $190.00 $247 —
150–165 158 2 185.00–190.00 $187.38 $296 —
150–195 173 2 190.00 $190.00 $329 —
250 250 1 172.50 $172.50 $431 —

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Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
125 125 1 49.00 $49.00 $61 —
138–147 145 53 66.00–71.50 $70.11 $102 —
150–173 155 117 66.00–72.50 $70.03 $109 —
153–159 156 11 56.00–57.00 $56.55 $88 —
170–198 182 98 52.00–56.00 $54.86 $100 —
200–230 209 33 50.00–56.00 $53.65 $112 —
237 237 3 48.00 $48.00 $114 —
273 273 2 48.00 $48.00 $131 —

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Kids

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
28 28 6 80.00 $80.00 $22 —
30 30 2 50.00 $50.00 $15 —
30 30 1 175.00 $175.00 $52 —
33 33 6 150.00–155.00 $152.50 $50 —
36 36 13 252.50 $252.50 $91 —
43 43 3 125.00 $125.00 $54 —
40–45 44 4 210.00–217.50 $211.71 $93 —
45 45 11 170.00 $170.00 $76 —
42–48 47 52 217.50–227.50 $219.22 $103 —
48 48 2 172.50 $172.50 $83 —
48 48 27 170.00 $170.00 $82 —
50 50 5 222.50 $222.50 $111 —
50 50 1 190.00 $190.00 $95 —
51 51 5 237.50 $237.50 $121 —
55 55 3 140.00 $140.00 $77 —
58 58 4 227.50–235.00 $231.25 $134 —
59 59 4 155.00 $155.00 $91 —
59 59 19 182.50 $182.50 $108 —
60–62 61 32 215.00–235.00 $227.52 $139 —
62–63 63 9 180.00–210.00 $200.11 $126 —
65 65 1 145.00 $145.00 $94 —
70 70 6 180.00–185.00 $181.67 $127 —
70–77 75 13 220.00–232.50 $229.62 $172 —
80–89 88 42 207.50–227.00 $209.40 $184 —
90–95 90 11 225.00 $225.00 $202 —
115 115 1 195.00 $195.00 $224 —

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Lambs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
45–49 48 23 191.00–195.00 $192.40 $92 —
56–59 58 21 184.00–212.50 $189.20 $110 —
60–69 65 134 185.00–207.00 $194.51 $126 —
70–74 72 106 171.00–185.00 $177.55 $128 —
84–89 87 345 143.00–153.00 $149.30 $130 —
91–98 93 180 120.00–140.50 $137.12 $128 —
102 102 11 106.00 $106.00 $108 —
103–108 107 151 125.00–134.50 $130.65 $140 —
110 110 12 105.00 $105.00 $116 —
118 118 6 125.00 $125.00 $148 —
121 121 9 92.00 $92.00 $111 —
125 125 3 90.00 $90.00 $112 —
127 127 5 90.00 $90.00 $114 —
136 136 8 91.50 $91.50 $124 —
144 144 14 96.00 $96.00 $138 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
58 58 4 182.00 $182.00 $106 —
60 60 28 177.00 $177.00 $106 —
95–99 97 22 112.00–122.00 $116.90 $113 —
107 107 9 115.00 $115.00 $123 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
79 79 25 142.00 $142.00 $112 —
98 98 13 100.00 $100.00 $98 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
64–68 65 6 87.50–105.00 $93.57 $61 —
70–75 73 3 115.00–142.50 $132.05 $96 —
75 75 1 115.00 $115.00 $86 —
77 77 5 107.50 $107.50 $83 —
82 82 7 122.50 $122.50 $100 —
90 90 2 94.50 $94.50 $85 —
95–96 96 6 100.00–120.00 $103.30 $99 —
100–130 108 12 77.50–125.00 $102.65 $111 —
125 125 1 140.00 $140.00 $175 —
105–143 130 17 100.00–132.50 $116.63 $152 —
194 194 4 123.00 $123.00 $239 —

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Shorn

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
132 132 37 89.00 $89.00 $117 —

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Wethers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
70 70 1 165.00 $165.00 $116 —
80 80 2 170.00 $170.00 $136 —
85 85 1 180.00 $180.00 $153 —
103 103 2 182.50 $182.50 $188 —
120–140 130 2 192.50–210.00 $201.92 $262 —
150 150 1 185.00 $185.00 $278 —

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Wooled & Shorn

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
57 57 9 203.00 $203.00 $116 —
60–67 66 30 190.00–200.00 $195.59 $129 —
71–78 75 132 157.00–184.50 $175.08 $131 —
81–83 82 32 141.00–156.00 $151.39 $124 —
102–118 112 14 101.00–119.00 $109.48 $123 —

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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.