Cattle Market Pulse

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, January 2, 2023

5,523 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 steers $190.33/cwt +11.42 vs last sale · ≈ $1,279/hd at 672 lb · 249 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $212.32/cwt +13.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,207/hd at 569 lb · 235 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $187.69/cwt +14.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,088/hd at 580 lb · 224 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,523 11,399 2,545
Feeder cattle 4,163 4,907 1,848
Slaughter cattle 1,014 2,359 474
Replacement cattle 346 4,133 223

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Steer calves under 500 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher, steers 500-749 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher, with instances of 15.00 higher seen at times. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher, heifers 500-749 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher, heifers over 750 lbs sold steady to firm. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Many sets of weaned calves were noted this week. Weaned offerings were mostly attractive this week. Plain offerings found more buyers this week as demand for all feeders improved. A large buyer pool was seen this week and market activity was mostly active as a result. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light offerings. A large winter storm dumped heavy amounts of snow on the upper plains which has slowed the volume of cows available to the packer. Packers were willing to pay significantly higher money for slaughter cows in order to secure offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly 4.00 -8.00 higher on all classes. Feeding cows sold steady to 4.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 6.00-8.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to firm.

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
350–391 369 59 253.00–277.50 $261.62 $965 -8.84
401–443 424 97 245.00–263.00 $249.46 $1,058 +17.15
450–493 472 102 220.00–253.00 $237.79 $1,122 +11.83
511 unweaned 511 9 232.00 $232.00 $1,186 +34.14
503–548 520 88 211.00–236.00 $223.01 $1,160 +20.39
559–565 unweaned 560 35 212.00–219.50 $216.12 $1,210 +17.18
555–598 570 200 207.00–215.00 $211.65 $1,206 +13.35
601 unweaned 601 8 209.50 $209.50 $1,259 +23.75
600–642 617 204 186.00–212.00 $201.68 $1,244 +10.54
668 thin fleshed 668 53 197.50 $197.50 $1,319 —
652–691 672 157 182.00–193.00 $189.06 $1,270 +5.62
676–686 unweaned 677 39 183.00–186.00 $185.69 $1,257 +11.89
704–736 725 68 180.00–189.50 $187.74 $1,361 +11.74
750–770 unweaned 757 28 170.00–173.00 $171.09 $1,295 —
750–798 772 78 175.00–183.50 $180.50 $1,393 +12.50
824–834 830 16 174.00–181.00 $177.04 $1,469 -0.96
907 907 6 165.00 $165.00 $1,497 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335–337 336 5 225.00–250.00 $234.96 $789 —
356–386 371 8 230.00–245.00 $237.20 $880 +10.05
403–443 425 9 217.50–232.50 $228.92 $973 +7.89
460–481 472 18 205.00–215.00 $209.71 $990 +7.13
487 unweaned 487 5 211.00 $211.00 $1,028 +12.79
504–547 523 55 185.00–210.00 $198.78 $1,040 +20.68
550–599 579 67 184.00–205.00 $194.49 $1,126 +15.32
603–618 unweaned 608 9 184.00–190.00 $186.03 $1,131 +14.73
618–623 620 9 174.00–186.00 $180.57 $1,120 —
667–680 670 14 169.00–186.00 $182.25 $1,221 +12.51
710–735 726 7 165.00–170.00 $167.45 $1,216 —
751–764 755 22 165.00–172.00 $169.75 $1,282 —
842–848 847 13 159.00 $159.00 $1,347 -4.00
962 962 3 147.00 $147.00 $1,414 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 4 203.00 $203.00 $1,001 —
555 unweaned 555 6 190.00 $190.00 $1,054 —
562–586 580 12 185.00–191.00 $189.55 $1,099 —
614–646 628 16 174.00–181.00 $177.68 $1,116 +15.68
705–746 unweaned 732 18 164.00–167.50 $165.12 $1,209 —
758 758 5 173.00 $173.00 $1,311 —
818 818 4 166.00 $166.00 $1,358 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364 364 6 259.00 $259.00 $943 +8.19
477 477 11 225.00 $225.00 $1,073 —
539 539 5 213.00 $213.00 $1,148 +8.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
572 572 5 175.00 $175.00 $1,001 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
301–343 322 26 202.50–225.00 $213.02 $686 —
359–391 385 74 190.00–213.00 $200.32 $771 +1.32
409–445 423 104 190.00–219.00 $210.82 $892 +17.76
428 unweaned 428 6 206.00 $206.00 $882 +6.78
451–469 460 55 177.50–217.00 $205.68 $946 +13.26
459–460 unweaned 460 9 199.00–201.00 $199.89 $919 +3.23
500–543 518 159 190.00–203.00 $197.18 $1,021 +12.76
533 unweaned 533 13 175.00 $175.00 $933 -11.85
554–573 unweaned 565 17 186.00–192.00 $189.58 $1,071 +20.37
562–594 581 207 169.50–195.00 $187.53 $1,090 +25.53
606 fancy 606 17 187.00 $187.00 $1,133 —
602–642 628 160 165.00–182.50 $175.20 $1,100 +22.20
674 unweaned 674 38 164.50 $164.50 $1,109 +5.62
650–688 679 94 161.50–172.00 $169.12 $1,148 +9.12
712–749 724 63 159.50–165.00 $163.04 $1,180 -9.21
734 unweaned 734 8 166.00 $166.00 $1,218 +31.00
774–784 781 28 154.00–165.50 $161.23 $1,259 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358–397 367 40 186.00–210.00 $205.05 $753 +19.59
415–445 423 18 174.00–205.00 $200.55 $848 +23.94
455–488 470 28 191.00–200.00 $196.18 $922 +26.91
503–540 521 22 154.00–185.00 $173.43 $904 +13.78
552–591 581 53 155.00–178.00 $170.81 $992 +14.81
620–649 632 12 158.00–170.00 $163.46 $1,033 +13.46
653–690 674 22 150.00–158.00 $154.70 $1,043 —
706–737 724 26 145.00–155.00 $150.87 $1,092 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 14 206.00 $206.00 $752 +17.67
456–497 474 20 187.00–195.00 $190.77 $904 +25.38
490 unweaned 490 7 192.00 $192.00 $941 +17.00
506–534 516 31 168.00–189.00 $177.72 $917 —
552–590 575 39 167.00–175.00 $172.05 $989 —
618 618 12 165.00 $165.00 $1,020 —
734 734 11 148.00 $148.00 $1,086 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550–593 563 18 158.00–174.00 $161.95 $912 —
647 647 26 150.00 $150.00 $970 —
711 unweaned 711 8 146.00 $146.00 $1,038 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 8 195.00 $195.00 $712 +49.78
429 429 5 182.00 $182.00 $781 —
531 531 11 135.00 $135.00 $717 —
579 579 4 151.00 $151.00 $874 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 2 110.00 $110.00 $500 —
504–532 515 8 100.00–115.00 $105.82 $545 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
591 unweaned 591 5 151.00 $151.00 $892 —
598 598 3 159.00 $159.00 $951 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
372 372 31 250.00 $250.00 $930 —
433 433 57 249.50 $249.50 $1,080 —
439 unweaned 439 8 229.00 $229.00 $1,005 +10.81
481 unweaned 481 4 213.00 $213.00 $1,025 —
532–538 534 12 187.00–197.00 $193.64 $1,034 —
563 563 2 183.00 $183.00 $1,030 —
570 unweaned 570 2 172.00 $172.00 $980 —
618–638 628 4 160.00–167.00 $163.44 $1,026 —
758 758 2 149.00 $149.00 $1,129 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 3 172.00 $172.00 $800 —
645 645 26 147.00 $147.00 $948 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
667 667 8 178.00 $178.00 $1,187 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
613 613 2 152.00 $152.00 $932 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–960 883 85-90% 2 63.00–64.50 $63.68 $562 —
930–995 970 85-90% 3 49.00–57.00 $53.08 $515 -0.32
954–985 971 85-90% 13 37.50–48.00 $42.26 $410 -11.14
870–1290 1105 85-90% 84 54.00–64.00 $60.85 $672 —
1050–1330 1186 85-90% 5 41.00–51.00 $45.23 $536 -25.01
975–1640 1190 85-90% 120 51.00–64.00 $59.64 $710 -10.60
1190 1190 85-90% 1 71.00 $71.00 $845 +0.76
1075–1285 1191 85-90% 49 63.00–68.00 $65.99 $786 +12.14
1009–1350 1198 85-90% 116 62.00–69.00 $63.64 $762 +9.79
1185–1253 1218 85-90% 6 70.00–74.50 $72.03 $877 +13.09
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1306–1500 1400 80-85% 52 62.00–68.50 $65.17 $912 —
1230–1588 1406 80-85% 214 67.25–76.00 $69.96 $984 —
1290–1585 1414 80-85% 58 55.00–69.00 $65.34 $924 —
1306–1619 1447 80-85% 52 67.00–74.00 $71.25 $1,031 —
1510–1585 1560 80-85% 3 77.00–79.50 $78.69 $1,228 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1611 1611 75-80% 6 73.75 $73.75 $1,188 +2.46
1655–1765 1710 75-80% 2 77.00–80.00 $78.45 $1,341 —
1640–1790 1715 75-80% 2 74.00–76.50 $75.30 $1,291 —
1480–2045 1734 75-80% 22 62.00–73.50 $71.02 $1,231 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245 1245 1 76.00 $76.00 $946 —
1430–1470 1457 3 90.50–92.50 $91.15 $1,328 —
1275–2135 1632 31 74.00–92.00 $85.93 $1,402 —
1590–2143 1786 8 85.00–94.00 $89.70 $1,602 —
1508–2205 1825 40 92.00–108.00 $98.57 $1,799 +21.53
1775–2032 1901 21 95.00–101.00 $97.75 $1,858 +9.13
1825–2138 1973 5 103.00–104.50 $103.75 $2,047 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
920 thin fleshed 920 (<2 yrs)Open 1 86.00 $86.00 $791
785–1245 952 (<2 yrs)Open 105 83.00–107.00 $99.67 $949
785–1300 1061 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 131 61.50–93.00 $77.69 $824
1074 1074 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 59.00 $59.00 $634
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
850–898 thin fleshed 882 (<2 yrs)Open 3 57.00–80.00 $64.39 $568
895 895 (<2 yrs)Open 2 80.00 $80.00 $716
1045 1045 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 57.00 $57.00 $596

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1159–1205 1163 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 13 1,075.00 $1,075.00
1181 1181 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,200.00 $1,200.00
1182 1182 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 1,250.00 $1,250.00
1222 1222 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 1,100.00 $1,100.00
1214–1500 1309 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 900.00–1,050.00 $957.28
1404 1404 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 11 925.00 $925.00

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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.