Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 30, 2022

934 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $219.03/cwt +11.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,021/hd at 466 lb · 48 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $157.46/cwt +4.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,052/hd at 668 lb · 14 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 bulls $162.00/cwt ≈ $1,072/hd at 662 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 934 1,140 934
Feeder cattle 190 355 190
Slaughter cattle 439 486 439
Replacement cattle 305 299 305

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder calves were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend. Quality this week was plain to average. Most offerings were sold in small packages or as singles. A good crow was on hand for todays sale and despite light offerings demand was mostly moderate to good. Market activity was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows comprised most of the sale this week. Demand for weigh up cows remains good to very good. Packers showed a greater need for slaughter cows this week as they only purchased very high quality offerings to feed. Slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00 higher on all offerings. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Packers pushed to own as much of the cow offering as possible again this week. Weigh up conditions were mixed today. Many cows that had been on feed showed below average weigh conditions. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. A heavy offering of this class of cows continues to be seen. Demand this week was good. Quality was mostly attractive.

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
398 398 3 206.00 $206.00 $820 —
464–491 466 48 209.00–220.00 $219.03 $1,021 +11.03
502 502 7 199.00 $199.00 $999 -3.84
593 593 8 192.50 $192.50 $1,142 +4.85
629 629 7 185.50 $185.50 $1,167 +5.72
912 912 3 145.00 $145.00 $1,322 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–475 470 2 195.00–197.50 $196.26 $922 —
682 682 3 155.00 $155.00 $1,057 -8.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
598 598 2 164.00 $164.00 $981 —
619–620 619 6 153.50–162.00 $154.92 $959 -7.36
660–671 668 14 154.50–165.00 $157.46 $1,052 +4.32
731 731 4 144.00 $144.00 $1,053 -4.87
773 773 3 148.00 $148.00 $1,144 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 8 174.00 $174.00 $826 -5.00
707 707 3 139.00 $139.00 $983 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 515 1 185.00 $185.00 $953 —
662 thin fleshed 662 10 162.00 $162.00 $1,072 —
860–893 877 6 124.00–133.00 $129.28 $1,134 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1087 1087 9 120.00 $120.00 $1,304 —
1160–1163 1162 5 112.00–113.00 $112.60 $1,308 +2.60
1203 1203 2 106.00 $106.00 $1,275 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
788 788 4 142.00 $142.00 $1,119 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145 1145 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,260 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–888 876 85-90% 8 53.00–63.50 $59.86 $524 +2.36
820–970 890 85-90% 4 63.00–69.00 $66.56 $592 +9.06
985 985 85-90% 1 74.00 $74.00 $729 —
1085–1140 1113 85-90% 3 57.50–64.00 $61.22 $681 -26.78
935–1335 1115 85-90% 16 71.00–77.00 $75.67 $844 -12.33
1095–1250 1206 85-90% 10 78.00–81.50 $79.64 $960 +2.96
1050–1320 1209 85-90% 44 76.00–84.00 $79.16 $957 +2.48
1010–1308 1215 85-90% 39 67.00–77.50 $74.44 $904 -2.24
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1390 1390 80-85% 1 79.00 $79.00 $1,098 -6.47
1235–1698 1401 80-85% 21 74.50–78.50 $76.24 $1,068 -2.76
1315–1745 1446 80-85% 30 78.00–84.50 $81.32 $1,176 -0.58
1350–1555 1480 80-85% 20 78.00–85.25 $83.96 $1,243 -3.04
1360–1763 1563 80-85% 5 86.00–91.50 $88.86 $1,389 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510–1550 1515 75-80% 16 87.50–89.00 $88.81 $1,345 +2.76
1563 1563 75-80% 2 86.00 $86.00 $1,344 +6.50
1503–1685 1592 75-80% 5 84.50–88.00 $85.24 $1,357 +5.74
1582–1840 1647 75-80% 4 77.50–80.00 $78.20 $1,288 —
1645–1695 1670 75-80% 2 81.00 $81.00 $1,353 +1.47

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1097–1370 1165 11 79.00–82.00 $79.53 $927 —
1095–1375 1261 4 81.00–96.50 $91.19 $1,150 —
1425–1750 1513 8 89.50–95.00 $93.03 $1,408 —
1358–1819 1672 8 82.00–92.00 $89.72 $1,500 —
1587–2215 1824 32 102.00–107.50 $104.14 $1,900 —
1470–2455 1870 31 96.00–108.50 $103.66 $1,938 —
1890–2395 2131 13 109.00–114.50 $111.25 $2,371 +1.44
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2373 2373 2 108.00 $108.00 $2,563 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905–985 945 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 74.00–78.00 $75.92 $717
728–1505 988 (<2 yrs)Open 156 97.00–147.00 $117.38 $1,160
825–1505 1097 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 45 78.00–111.00 $91.29 $1,001
1110 thin fleshed 1110 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 76.50 $76.50 $849
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
720–905 809 (<2 yrs)Open 5 93.00–112.00 $98.42 $796
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
925 925 (<2 yrs)Open 1 95.00 $95.00 $879

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1312 1312 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,360.00 $1,360.00
1368 1368 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,360.00 $1,360.00
1423 1423 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 1,260.00 $1,260.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1388 1388 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 5 1,125.00 $1,125.00

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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.