Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report, Billings, MT

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 10, 2022

491 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $167.12/cwt +4.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,461/hd at 874 lb · 26 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $160.14/cwt +7.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,529/hd at 955 lb · 21 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $205.00/cwt ≈ $1,152/hd at 562 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 491 575 2,546
Feeder cattle 195 145 1,079
Slaughter cattle 277 345 1,100
Replacement cattle 19 85 367

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale (7-27-22): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested this sale and last sale to establish an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Quality this week was mostly average. Demand for all feeder cattle was good to very good. A good crowd was on hand for todays very light sale. Buyers were bidding both in person as well as over the internet. Market activity was mostly active. Weigh up cows and bulls comprised most of todays sale. Demand for slaughter cows was good to very good. Western packers continue to be very aggressive as they bid on slaughter cow offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00 higher on all classes. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 10.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were mixed today. Cow and bull quality was average to attractive this sale. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed saw some increased demand from feeding buyers this week. This class was too lightly tested to develop any market trend.

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
562 562 16 205.00 $205.00 $1,152 —
693 693 9 193.00 $193.00 $1,337 —
849 849 8 179.00 $179.00 $1,520 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 615 11 178.00 $178.00 $1,095 —
750 750 5 177.00 $177.00 $1,328 —
825 825 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,394 —
858–898 874 26 165.00–169.50 $167.12 $1,461 +4.12
913–916 915 6 164.00–166.00 $164.67 $1,507 —
951–972 955 21 157.00–163.00 $160.14 $1,529 +7.79
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502 502 10 185.00 $185.00 $929 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055 1055 7 153.50 $153.50 $1,619 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810 810 2 160.00 $160.00 $1,296 +4.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
815–846 834 8 159.00–166.00 $161.56 $1,347 —
870 870 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,348 +2.00
935 935 1 153.00 $153.00 $1,431 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195 1195 2 117.00–121.00 $119.00 $1,422 —
1208 1208 2 120.00 $120.00 $1,450 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1333–1490 1375 80-85% 11 91.00–93.00 $92.29 $1,269 +9.85
1320–1505 1426 80-85% 10 95.00–97.50 $96.58 $1,377 +20.58
1285–1608 1432 80-85% 48 86.00–95.00 $90.73 $1,299 +14.73
1382–1635 1467 80-85% 5 79.00–85.00 $82.88 $1,216 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1570–1650 1610 75-80% 2 85.00–89.00 $86.95 $1,400 —
1430–1960 1671 75-80% 19 88.50–96.50 $91.54 $1,530 —
1575–1742 1697 75-80% 6 96.50–100.00 $99.10 $1,682 —
2085 2085 75-80% 1 82.00 $82.00 $1,710 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865–980 923 85-90% 2 76.00–83.00 $79.72 $736 +6.85
1085 1085 85-90% 1 64.00 $64.00 $694 —
1070–1385 1168 85-90% 12 75.00–86.00 $78.53 $917 -2.72
1215–1298 1264 85-90% 11 86.00–93.00 $87.41 $1,105 —
1310 1310 85-90% 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,231 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1295 1173 3 82.00–90.00 $85.91 $1,008 —
1260–1540 1428 8 103.00–111.00 $106.40 $1,519 —
1290–1680 1439 4 90.00–98.00 $95.32 $1,372 —
1325–2185 1711 10 85.00–98.00 $93.52 $1,600 +6.67
1520–2475 1854 55 100.00–108.50 $104.22 $1,932 +10.65
1770–2390 2030 19 109.00–126.50 $112.86 $2,291 —
2505 2505 1 103.00 $103.00 $2,580 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2175 2175 1 104.00 $104.00 $2,262 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1060–1383 1178 (<2 yrs)Open 12 95.00–129.00 $118.42 $1,395
1070–1645 1360 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 87.00–93.50 $90.46 $1,230

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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.