Cattle Market Pulse

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, September 26, 2022

8,679 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $198.80/cwt -28.89 vs last sale · ≈ $920/hd at 463 lb · 247 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $176.15/cwt +2.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,547/hd at 878 lb · 236 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $174.92/cwt +2.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,347/hd at 770 lb · 152 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,679 3,153 19,619
Feeder cattle 4,221 2,051 8,234
Slaughter cattle 291 921 3,825
Replacement cattle 327 181 2,439

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Steer calves sold mostly 10.00-12.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Heifer calves under 600 lbs sold mostly 8.00-12.00 lower, calves over 600 lbs were too lightly tested to trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed. Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers all sold steady to weak. Larger consignments of calves were seen this week as more ranchers are starting to market spring born calves. CME positions saw mostly lower price movement last week which put some pressure on the market. Demand was light to moderate for moderate to heavy offerings. While receipts were large compared to the 5 year average, receipts remain well under last year which was sharply inflated due to the drought. Market activity was moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Due to limited reporter availability slaughter cows and bulls were not fully covered this week. Lower undertones were noticed on both cows and bulls on a limited reported volume.

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
290 290 7 240.00 $240.00 $696 —
303 unweaned 303 16 192.50 $192.50 $583 —
338 338 10 247.50 $247.50 $837 +5.69
366 unweaned 366 38 193.00 $193.00 $706 —
425–447 435 66 200.50–213.50 $207.13 $901 -9.74
450–498 463 247 172.50–214.50 $198.80 $920 -34.20
505–548 535 97 186.00–200.00 $191.36 $1,024 -24.26
553–592 564 119 184.00–194.00 $191.75 $1,081 -6.15
627–648 632 25 179.50–195.00 $189.14 $1,195 -10.69
658–696 671 22 184.50–190.50 $186.64 $1,252 -10.22
708–709 708 14 179.00–180.00 $179.64 $1,272 -11.58
758–797 782 97 176.50–181.00 $180.54 $1,412 -4.99
800–846 817 29 169.00–179.00 $175.07 $1,430 -5.25
860–884 878 236 165.00–177.00 $176.15 $1,547 +2.41
913–949 931 12 165.00–166.00 $165.49 $1,541 -9.63
963–991 981 51 160.00–170.00 $165.86 $1,627 +0.60
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 215.00 $215.00 $666 —
423–444 432 18 186.00–196.00 $191.80 $829 +17.80
478–494 487 12 191.00–201.50 $197.48 $962 —
528–549 541 23 166.00–185.00 $174.95 $946 +12.95
561–586 576 15 169.00–187.00 $176.01 $1,014 +1.01
628 628 2 170.50 $170.50 $1,071 +1.06
651–694 667 42 164.50–173.00 $170.75 $1,139 +24.75
700–704 702 11 164.00–165.00 $164.45 $1,154 -5.47
767–798 774 13 165.00 $165.00 $1,277 -4.47
830–842 838 19 161.00–166.00 $162.83 $1,365 -5.31
863–894 879 11 159.00–167.00 $162.94 $1,432 +1.94
901–940 907 7 160.00–163.00 $160.44 $1,455 —
1030 1030 3 143.00 $143.00 $1,473 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1048 1019 70 162.50–177.50 $171.33 $1,746 —
1046 1046 8 149.50 $149.50 $1,564 —
1056–1085 1073 27 157.25–166.00 $160.76 $1,725 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630–645 633 5 151.00 $151.00 $956 —
652 652 5 161.00 $161.00 $1,050 —
770 770 1 143.00 $143.00 $1,101 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830 830 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,311 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 200.00 $200.00 $530 ±0.00
278 unweaned 278 6 180.00 $180.00 $500 —
311–340 316 9 185.00–205.00 $188.18 $595 —
339 unweaned 339 42 170.00 $170.00 $576 —
359–385 377 26 199.00–205.00 $200.76 $757 +10.13
410–448 438 127 185.00–195.00 $189.24 $829 -2.08
465–491 488 97 176.50–181.00 $178.10 $869 -8.25
500–548 517 30 164.00–177.00 $169.86 $878 -15.02
539 value added 539 5 184.00 $184.00 $992 —
556–591 566 67 162.50–175.00 $170.34 $964 -11.97
608 608 7 172.50 $172.50 $1,049 +1.73
609–645 633 41 165.00–167.00 $165.93 $1,050 -4.84
662 662 10 178.00 $178.00 $1,178 +3.69
667 667 12 180.00 $180.00 $1,201 +5.69
678–696 681 37 165.00–172.50 $171.05 $1,165 -3.26
710–724 718 29 170.00–177.50 $174.17 $1,251 -4.06
720–739 730 21 172.50–173.00 $172.77 $1,261 -5.46
732 732 55 179.00 $179.00 $1,310 +0.77
751–784 769 141 172.00–178.75 $175.37 $1,349 +3.03
784–788 786 11 168.50–170.00 $169.18 $1,330 -3.16
801 801 17 167.00 $167.00 $1,338 -4.72
809–818 810 43 172.00–173.00 $172.88 $1,400 +1.16
852–894 877 87 162.00–168.00 $164.25 $1,440 -3.26
900–941 917 75 152.00–166.00 $161.99 $1,485 -1.94
922 922 17 162.00 $162.00 $1,494 -1.93
954–994 979 52 157.75–162.00 $158.73 $1,554 -3.10
1014–1038 1019 11 151.00–159.50 $153.18 $1,561 -6.03
1032 1032 35 162.25 $162.25 $1,674 +3.04
1105–1142 1125 8 138.00–145.50 $144.24 $1,623 -4.40
1185 1185 2 142.00 $142.00 $1,683 —
1175–1198 1194 6 153.00–155.50 $155.09 $1,852 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
396 396 5 178.50 $178.50 $707 +5.01
420–427 422 61 165.00–167.00 $166.50 $703 -8.50
485–496 490 61 150.00–170.00 $160.96 $789 -3.61
533–549 543 21 157.00–162.00 $159.67 $867 -7.26
704–743 716 12 157.00–169.00 $161.52 $1,156 +2.09
740 740 5 157.00 $157.00 $1,162 -2.43
780–791 789 6 159.00–160.00 $159.84 $1,261 +1.84
836–845 842 18 137.00–159.00 $151.18 $1,273 -5.37
860–873 869 3 157.00–159.00 $157.66 $1,370 +3.64
983–985 984 5 153.50–154.00 $153.70 $1,512 +3.19
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
588 588 4 147.00 $147.00 $864 —
623–635 630 11 133.00–145.00 $137.89 $869 —
675–690 683 2 125.00–147.50 $136.13 $930 —
708 708 2 152.00 $152.00 $1,076 —
755 755 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,132 —
950 950 1 141.00 $141.00 $1,340 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810 810 2 148.00 $148.00 $1,199 —
879 879 4 154.00 $154.00 $1,354 —
1112 1112 11 145.50 $145.50 $1,618 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
469 469 5 138.00 $138.00 $647 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 210.00 $210.00 $798 —
603–634 628 11 145.00–180.25 $174.10 $1,093 +15.39
688–693 691 4 140.00–149.00 $144.48 $998 —
876 876 6 138.00 $138.00 $1,209 +13.00
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 9 135.00 $135.00 $666 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
590 590 1 137.00 $137.00 $808 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
823–1170 1000 85-90% 14 37.50–57.00 $47.85 $478 —
1000 1000 85-90% 1 85.00 $85.00 $850 —
825–1665 1257 85-90% 16 61.00–66.00 $63.71 $801 —
1080–1446 1309 85-90% 50 67.00–79.00 $71.11 $931 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1355 1288 80-85% 2 91.00–94.00 $92.58 $1,192 —
1293–1315 1302 80-85% 5 71.00–75.00 $73.38 $955 -2.37
1345 1345 80-85% 1 63.00 $63.00 $847 -12.91
1280–1645 1515 80-85% 10 78.00–83.50 $79.54 $1,205 -11.89
1350–1710 1527 80-85% 26 70.50–75.00 $73.14 $1,117 -18.29
1255–1805 1568 80-85% 32 77.00–84.00 $80.30 $1,259 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1600 1600 75-80% 2 85.00 $85.00 $1,360 —
1625–1810 1670 75-80% 31 84.00–88.00 $84.60 $1,413 —
1689 1689 75-80% 8 78.50 $78.50 $1,326 —
1720–1840 1777 75-80% 3 74.00–82.00 $79.09 $1,405 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1113 1029 8 115.00–135.00 $121.25 $1,248 —
990–1365 1178 2 84.00–85.00 $84.42 $994 —
1185–1955 1426 15 62.00–78.00 $73.63 $1,050 —
1175–2135 1596 13 96.00–106.00 $98.55 $1,573 —
1343–2355 1830 50 81.00–96.00 $88.45 $1,619 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
860–1405 1004 (<2 yrs)Open 44 101.00–116.00 $110.14 $1,106
975–1468 1249 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 47 81.00–96.50 $88.03 $1,099
1270–1426 1324 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 28 80.00–82.00 $80.44 $1,065
1348–1395 1384 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 25 79.00 $79.00 $1,093
1270–1670 1397 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 23 80.50–88.50 $85.86 $1,199
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
995–1170 1103 (<2 yrs)Open 6 84.00–100.00 $94.99 $1,048
1090–1435 1264 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 33 67.00–80.00 $71.21 $900
1245–1373 1337 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 8 63.00–73.50 $68.53 $916
1043–1758 1427 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 70 64.00–79.50 $74.57 $1,064
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
746–1320 944 (<2 yrs)Open 8 120.00–136.00 $130.72 $1,234

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1085–1385 1215 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 9 1,025.00–1,175.00 $1,120.29
1325 1325 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 1,125.00 $1,125.00
1286–1437 1351 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 13 1,100.00–1,175.00 $1,122.72
1425 1425 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 7 1,100.00 $1,100.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
949 949 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 1,400.00 $1,400.00

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Bucks

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
150–189 177 13 79.00–85.00 $81.13 $144 —
205–240 226 15 77.00–89.00 $81.59 $184 —
275 275 2 77.00 $77.00 $212 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
58 58 2 232.50 $232.50 $135 —
63 63 4 252.50 $252.50 $159 —
70–78 73 12 225.00–230.00 $228.21 $167 —
93–95 94 3 210.00–222.50 $218.27 $205 —
145 145 1 220.00 $220.00 $319 —
185–190 188 2 217.50–220.00 $218.77 $411 —

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Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
88 88 7 87.00 $87.00 $77 —
120–144 129 87 57.00–70.00 $65.23 $84 —
120–149 142 107 62.00–69.50 $68.13 $97 —
142 142 13 50.00 $50.00 $71 —
154 154 4 85.00 $85.00 $131 —
155–168 165 14 58.00–71.00 $65.77 $109 —
152–195 168 229 58.00–70.00 $63.16 $106 —
201–214 208 16 59.00 $59.00 $123 —

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Kids

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
30 30 2 245.00 $245.00 $74 —
30–32 31 7 95.00–110.00 $103.33 $32 —
31–38 32 13 280.00–302.50 $284.10 $91 —
40–45 42 6 140.00–185.00 $175.96 $74 —
42 42 8 155.00 $155.00 $65 —
40–45 44 7 245.00–295.00 $261.01 $115 —
47–48 48 10 315.00–322.50 $320.28 $154 —
50 50 1 317.50 $317.50 $159 —
53 53 3 225.00 $225.00 $119 —
53 53 3 200.00 $200.00 $106 —
54–58 57 32 240.00–277.50 $262.77 $150 —
58 58 14 227.50 $227.50 $132 —
60–68 66 48 230.00–262.50 $240.44 $159 —
65–66 66 5 170.00–180.00 $178.02 $117 —
65–68 68 12 212.50–225.00 $214.34 $146 —
70 70 1 230.00 $230.00 $161 —
70–78 73 7 225.00–245.00 $233.76 $171 —
70–79 76 10 175.00–202.00 $188.99 $144 —
80 80 2 175.00 $175.00 $140 —
80–85 83 22 226.00–235.00 $228.13 $189 —
86 86 9 167.50 $167.50 $144 —
92–95 92 15 285.00–290.00 $289.66 $266 —
92 92 3 160.00 $160.00 $147 —
94 94 12 157.50 $157.50 $148 —
101 101 80 150.00 $150.00 $152 —

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Lambs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
27 27 5 151.00 $151.00 $41 —
34 34 8 150.00 $150.00 $51 —
41–49 47 16 157.50–158.00 $157.89 $74 —
50–59 57 68 142.00–158.00 $153.53 $88 —
61–69 65 173 137.00–153.00 $147.10 $96 —
70–78 76 338 123.00–138.00 $129.01 $98 —
80 80 14 110.00 $110.00 $88 —
80–89 83 362 113.00–130.00 $120.81 $100 —
90–99 97 235 110.00–118.00 $111.57 $108 —
100–108 104 310 108.00–117.50 $115.62 $120 —
111–115 112 36 108.00–116.50 $114.90 $129 —
120–129 127 149 101.00–115.00 $104.35 $133 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
44 44 2 135.00 $135.00 $59 —
57 57 12 135.00 $135.00 $77 —
87 87 18 108.00 $108.00 $94 —
93–98 96 46 90.00–98.00 $94.38 $91 —
98 98 19 93.00 $93.00 $91 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
100–104 102 2 102.00–104.00 $103.02 $105 —
116 116 7 94.00 $94.00 $109 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
55 55 1 175.00 $175.00 $96 —
70 70 2 167.50 $167.50 $117 —
76 76 4 135.00 $135.00 $103 —
88 88 2 147.50 $147.50 $130 —
90 90 3 152.50 $152.50 $137 —
110–119 117 36 142.50–157.50 $150.61 $176 —
112–138 124 30 122.00–140.00 $132.00 $164 —

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Wethers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
85 85 2 194.00 $194.00 $165 —
160–165 163 2 230.00–237.50 $233.81 $381 —
205 205 2 229.00 $229.00 $469 —

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Wooled & Shorn

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
59 59 6 175.00 $175.00 $103 —
61–65 63 50 147.00–162.00 $153.07 $96 —
70 70 11 170.00 $170.00 $119 —
73–79 74 68 119.00–128.00 $123.66 $92 —
80–86 83 82 115.00–125.00 $119.09 $99 —
90–98 96 4 90.00–107.00 $93.98 $90 —
108–128 118 33 101.00–106.00 $103.29 $122 —
153–178 163 108 63.00–79.00 $66.45 $108 —

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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.