Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, November 17, 2021

2,419 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction report →

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $144.42/cwt +6.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,194/hd at 827 lb · 59 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $173.78/cwt +18.78 vs last sale · ≈ $747/hd at 430 lb · 29 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $155.50/cwt ≈ $1,134/hd at 729 lb · 25 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,419 3,956 3,162
Feeder cattle 548 743 502
Slaughter cattle 1,085 1,135 1,988
Replacement cattle 786 2,078 672

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Yearling feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noted for yearling heifers. Demand for feeder calves was mostly moderate on plain to average offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand on plain to average offerings. The majority of the cow offering sold as feeding cows this week. Demand for boning and breaking cows and young cows was good as both packers and feeding buyers purchased these cows to feed to premium white. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.50 lower on these types of offerings. Packer buyers opted to only purchase extremely lame or cows with major blemishes to send to slaughter. Both packers and feeding buyers purchased cows with slight blemishes to feed until the market improves. A moderate offering of thin cows was seen this sale. Thin feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. Feeding buyers continue to be active in purchasing very thin cows. These offerings offer lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Competition with feeding buyers helped keep offerings steady. Young age replacement cows sold mostly weak on a light test this week. Too few bred cows and heifers were tested this week for a market comparison, but a weak undertone was noted.

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
315 unweaned 315 2 170.00 $170.00 $536 -5.00
395 unweaned 395 3 170.00 $170.00 $672 —
404–446 unweaned 430 29 170.00–179.00 $173.78 $747 +18.78
504–520 unweaned 513 11 158.50–160.00 $159.33 $817 +9.78
529 529 4 157.00 $157.00 $831 —
581–585 unweaned 583 9 145.00 $145.00 $845 —
640 640 7 144.00 $144.00 $922 —
747 unweaned 747 8 150.00 $150.00 $1,120 —
810 810 2 136.00 $136.00 $1,102 —
1180 1180 4 123.00 $123.00 $1,451 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
579 unweaned 579 4 138.00 $138.00 $799 -3.00
601 unweaned 601 5 125.00 $125.00 $751 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
489 unweaned 489 5 140.00 $140.00 $685 +8.00
501 501 5 143.00 $143.00 $716 —
522 unweaned 522 11 142.00 $142.00 $741 +10.00
553–587 unweaned 579 16 131.00–136.50 $134.86 $781 +2.36
642–643 unweaned 643 9 131.00–144.50 $135.50 $871 —
650 650 11 132.00 $132.00 $858 —
729 unweaned 729 25 155.50 $155.50 $1,134 —
801–844 827 59 143.00–146.00 $144.42 $1,194 +6.58
865–888 872 25 135.00–144.50 $142.74 $1,245 +1.74
949 949 7 139.50 $139.50 $1,324 +1.57
950–997 977 20 130.00–141.00 $136.07 $1,329 -0.11
1025–1036 1032 6 111.00–127.00 $116.30 $1,200 +3.99
1065–1079 1077 6 121.00–128.00 $122.15 $1,316 -2.85
1100 1100 2 124.50 $124.50 $1,370 +5.50
1185 1185 2 111.00 $111.00 $1,315 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–382 unweaned 379 5 131.00–136.00 $132.98 $504 —
522 unweaned 522 3 120.00 $120.00 $626 —
652 unweaned 652 5 127.00 $127.00 $828 —
895 unweaned 895 3 122.00 $122.00 $1,092 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 unweaned 493 2 125.00 $125.00 $616 —
513 unweaned 513 2 135.00 $135.00 $693 —
584 unweaned 584 6 132.00 $132.00 $771 —
716–722 unweaned 720 10 137.00–140.00 $138.81 $999 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024–1257 1123 85-90% 47 27.00–34.00 $31.76 $357 -9.27
843–1309 1131 85-90% 39 27.00–36.00 $32.03 $362 -9.00
1095–1275 1167 85-90% 11 43.00–49.00 $44.80 $523 -2.47
900–1478 1174 85-90% 269 34.00–43.00 $39.64 $465 -7.63
1050–1495 1193 85-90% 77 34.00–42.50 $38.48 $459 —
970–1460 1274 85-90% 114 45.50–55.00 $48.91 $623 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1358 1240 80-85% 9 34.00–42.00 $39.52 $490 -0.38
1165–1645 1299 80-85% 173 53.00–64.00 $57.47 $747 —
1285–1461 1317 80-85% 22 53.50–62.00 $60.29 $794 -1.01
1119–1625 1356 80-85% 127 43.00–53.50 $50.42 $684 +3.85
1260–1550 1442 80-85% 7 41.00–47.00 $43.49 $627 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1328 1328 75-80% 5 68.00 $68.00 $903 —
1405–1532 1481 75-80% 25 49.00–55.00 $52.79 $782 -2.16
1330–1665 1506 75-80% 67 57.00–62.00 $59.67 $899 -2.05
1614–1830 1657 75-80% 5 48.00–55.50 $49.66 $823 —
1645–1860 1696 75-80% 5 60.50–65.00 $63.09 $1,070 —
1710–1765 1738 75-80% 2 38.00–45.00 $41.44 $720 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1745 1745 65-75% 1 61.50 $61.50 $1,073 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450–1790 1573 5 76.00–84.00 $80.14 $1,261 —
1425–1953 1657 13 64.00–76.00 $71.32 $1,182 -2.91
1493–2275 1723 16 62.00–75.00 $71.79 $1,237 -6.84
1515–1935 1791 9 76.00–85.00 $79.32 $1,421 —
2035–2115 2075 2 87.00 $87.00 $1,805 —
YG2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2305 2305 2 76.00 $76.00 $1,752 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
792–1165 913 (<2 yrs)Open 262 74.00–114.50 $98.61 $900
805–1095 thin fleshed 928 (<2 yrs)Open 4 40.00–77.00 $56.53 $525
923–1530 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 123 56.00–99.50 $78.96 $805
1100 1100 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 62.00 $62.00 $682
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
773–1133 1013 (<2 yrs)Open 17 62.00–77.00 $71.55 $725
820–1186 thin fleshed 1140 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 42.00–55.00 $53.83 $614
980–1425 1184 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 17 47.50–57.50 $52.36 $620

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
951–1108 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 25 735.00–1,160.00 $1,015.40
1100–1266 1144 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 15 1,060.00–1,125.00 $1,079.18
1150–1240 1207 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 84 735.00–1,285.00 $827.58
1224–1255 1234 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 76 650.00–750.00 $736.03

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
752–1070 857 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 8 600.00–925.00 $826.17

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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.