Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 5, 2022

827 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.44/cwt -8.78 vs last sale · ≈ $820/hd at 572 lb · 12 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $159.88/cwt +1.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,074/hd at 672 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 827 2,863 1,278
Feeder cattle 202 1,243 408
Slaughter cattle 419 1,111 659
Replacement cattle 206 509 211

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale(12-15-21): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to make an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Quality this week was plain to average. Most calves were offered in small packages or as singles. Very cold temperatures were seen across the region today which limited the volume of cattle being marketed. Demand for feeders was light to moderate this sale. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Packers were more aggressive as they purchased cows for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00-5.00 higher on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, steady to lower undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher. Demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate to good. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed to feed or rebreed sold generally steady on like quality offerings.

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
546 546 8 192.00 $192.00 $1,048 +2.96
595 595 3 173.00 $173.00 $1,029 +8.94
615–618 617 3 167.00–168.00 $167.33 $1,032 +8.30
651–690 672 11 159.00–161.00 $159.88 $1,074 +0.71
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 6 190.00 $190.00 $712 —
543 543 3 175.00 $175.00 $950 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
554–591 572 12 142.00–145.00 $143.44 $820 -8.78
630 630 1 142.00 $142.00 $895 -8.39
678 678 5 142.00 $142.00 $963 +7.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205 1205 8 112.50 $112.50 $1,356 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520 520 2 145.00 $145.00 $754 -3.15

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
688 688 3 135.00 $135.00 $929 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1373 1373 80-85% 2 55.50 $55.50 $762 —
1133–1523 1384 80-85% 26 48.00–55.00 $52.88 $732 —
1305–1680 1388 80-85% 10 65.00–66.00 $65.91 $915 —
1309–1740 1425 80-85% 55 55.50–62.50 $59.32 $845 -7.95
1250–1630 1429 80-85% 106 56.00–64.00 $60.05 $858 -7.22
1430 1430 80-85% 1 66.50 $66.50 $951 -0.77
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810–823 820 85-90% 5 41.00–44.00 $43.41 $356 —
1027–1313 1143 85-90% 22 42.00–50.50 $48.11 $550 —
935–1290 1146 85-90% 24 45.00–52.50 $48.69 $558 —
1145–1300 1221 85-90% 58 54.00–60.00 $55.18 $674 +4.53
1020–1335 1222 85-90% 32 51.00–57.50 $54.90 $671 +4.25
1150–1257 1247 85-90% 12 61.50–62.00 $61.58 $768 +10.93
1310 1310 85-90% 1 62.00 $62.00 $812 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1581 1581 75-80% 5 63.50 $63.50 $1,004 —
1629–1875 1693 75-80% 8 54.00–61.00 $57.87 $980 —
1910 1910 75-80% 2 63.50 $63.50 $1,213 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1170–1415 1320 5 72.00–79.00 $75.51 $997 —
1145–1755 1552 5 82.00–87.00 $83.95 $1,303 —
1445–2220 1734 9 83.00–89.50 $86.27 $1,496 —
1535–2260 1910 6 72.00–82.00 $78.34 $1,496 —
2185–2415 2288 3 90.00–94.00 $92.27 $2,111 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
800–1290 1018 (<2 yrs)Open 91 64.00–97.50 $81.89 $834
998–1193 1082 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 7 45.00–49.00 $47.11 $510
959–1428 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 56 54.00–78.00 $65.53 $721
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
925–1330 1172 (<2 yrs)Open 5 60.00–68.50 $64.78 $759

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1366 1366 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,100.00 $1,100.00
1433 1433 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 22 1,000.00 $1,000.00

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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.