Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 27, 2022

1,213 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $147.34/cwt -15.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,051/hd at 713 lb · 28 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $178.47/cwt -33.01 vs last sale · ≈ $948/hd at 531 lb · 18 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $160.75/cwt -25.96 vs last sale · ≈ $838/hd at 521 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,213 2,774 1,033
Feeder cattle 291 1,749 244
Slaughter cattle 738 735 498
Replacement cattle 184 290 291

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeders steers and heifers sold on a very light test though a weak undertone was noted. Buyer demand was light for a very light offering of feeder cattle. Slaughter cows overall sold 1.00 to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 7.00 lower. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for a moderate to heavy offering. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady this week. Quality was average.

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
462 462 3 185.00 $185.00 $855 -34.00
510–547 531 18 175.00–183.00 $178.47 $948 -33.01
600–643 624 4 161.00–168.00 $163.20 $1,018 -20.77
701–716 713 28 144.00–149.00 $147.34 $1,051 -15.66
860–888 876 5 140.00–142.50 $141.61 $1,241 -5.39

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–425 410 8 170.00–172.00 $171.74 $704 —
482 482 7 175.00 $175.00 $844 -13.46
519–530 521 12 159.50–161.00 $160.75 $838 -28.63
627–630 628 4 154.00–155.50 $154.38 $970 -18.73
669 669 6 155.50 $155.50 $1,040 -5.70
749 749 5 148.50 $148.50 $1,112 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
588–589 589 11 136.00–149.50 $139.68 $823 -27.32
625–637 634 4 144.00–148.00 $147.01 $932 -12.21
686 686 9 139.00 $139.00 $954 ±0.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
725 725 3 124.00 $124.00 $899 —
950–995 965 7 120.00–122.00 $121.42 $1,172 —
1005–1030 1015 11 116.00–118.00 $117.46 $1,192 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1615 1342 75-80% 51 82.00–86.00 $84.11 $1,129 —
1004–1717 1432 75-80% 107 77.00–81.50 $79.50 $1,138 —
1280–1825 1561 75-80% 34 73.00–76.50 $74.98 $1,170 -10.60
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1630 1278 80-85% 166 72.00–80.00 $75.16 $961 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1013–1473 1174 85-90% 31 58.00–66.00 $62.52 $734 -1.91
953–1440 1177 85-90% 108 67.00–75.00 $71.89 $846 +7.46

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–2325 1585 38 100.00–109.50 $104.16 $1,651 —
1060–2025 1590 20 85.00–91.50 $88.02 $1,400 —
1113–2320 1771 40 92.00–98.50 $94.76 $1,678 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
830–1075 986 (<2 yrs)Open 20 110.00–120.00 $111.75 $1,102
780–1990 1040 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 138 89.50–106.00 $99.40 $1,034

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1175 1175 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 1,425.00 $1,425.00
1215–1315 1282 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,300.00–1,375.00 $1,340.80
1258–1475 1330 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,200.00–1,275.00 $1,227.72
1210–1470 1355 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 4 1,000.00–1,175.00 $1,069.37

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1275–1375 1308 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 1,000.00–1,200.00 $1,094.43 —
1245–1825 1467 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 7 1,300.00–1,575.00 $1,420.22 —

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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.