Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, September 13, 2023

902 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $298.47/cwt +18.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,633/hd at 547 lb · 85 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $227.77/cwt +12.58 vs last sale · ≈ $2,086/hd at 916 lb · 48 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $314.17/cwt +16.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,483/hd at 472 lb · 43 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 902 1,103 974
Feeder cattle 639 724 623
Slaughter cattle 143 362 305
Replacement cattle 120 17 46

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last sale(8-02-23): Feeder steers were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Yearling heifers offered the best comparison this week. Most offerings sold 8.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand for feeders was mostly good. Quality this week was mostly plain to average, with a limited offering of attractive cattle seen. A large portion of the offering this week was comprised of cutbacks off summer video sales. Many small packages of cattle were seen this week. Most yearlings were coming off grass and all calves were straight off the cow. Market activity remains active with buyers bidding rapidly over offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows and feeding cows both sold fully steady this week in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls and feeding bulls both sold steady as well. Weigh up conditions were mixed this week. Cow quality today was mostly average to attractive. Several packages of young age cows sold this week. Demand for these offerings was mostly good as feeding and rebreeding buyers competed over attractive offerings. Not enough young age cows were seen last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed.

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
390 unweaned 390 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,268 -7.50
420–439 unweaned 429 11 320.00–330.00 $324.66 $1,393 +7.16
471–480 unweaned 472 43 300.00–315.00 $314.17 $1,483 +16.67
543–547 unweaned 547 85 287.50–299.00 $298.47 $1,633 —
869–875 870 14 240.50–242.00 $240.82 $2,095 +5.09
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 unweaned 540 10 256.00 $256.00 $1,382 —
605 unweaned 605 19 234.50 $234.50 $1,419 —
685 unweaned 685 2 212.00 $212.00 $1,452 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
804 804 4 214.00 $214.00 $1,721 —
988 988 4 214.50 $214.50 $2,119 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680 680 5 246.00 $246.00 $1,673 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–315 unweaned 312 4 310.00 $310.00 $967 +5.00
397 unweaned 397 6 272.00 $272.00 $1,080 —
417 unweaned 417 17 285.00 $285.00 $1,188 +8.00
450–472 unweaned 465 38 276.00–295.00 $280.84 $1,306 —
504–520 unweaned 508 10 267.00–279.00 $275.94 $1,402 —
751–785 768 28 239.00–250.00 $248.91 $1,912 +17.91
810–849 835 12 232.00–236.00 $234.76 $1,960 +9.74
872 872 13 237.50 $237.50 $2,071 +23.50
903–946 916 48 224.00–229.00 $227.77 $2,086 +12.58
963 963 3 226.00 $226.00 $2,176 +15.60
1035 1035 3 205.50 $205.50 $2,127 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 unweaned 490 3 247.00 $247.00 $1,210 —
541 unweaned 541 7 261.00 $261.00 $1,412 —
568 unweaned 568 2 232.00 $232.00 $1,318 —
795 795 4 236.00 $236.00 $1,876 +13.50
830–833 832 3 212.50–216.00 $214.84 $1,787 —
898 898 4 221.00 $221.00 $1,985 —
962 962 3 205.00 $205.00 $1,972 +7.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468 unweaned 468 8 230.00 $230.00 $1,076 —
1088–1097 1094 13 196.00–198.00 $197.39 $2,159 +4.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
719 719 4 230.00 $230.00 $1,654 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
681 681 4 241.00 $241.00 $1,641 +9.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 unweaned 388 3 245.00 $245.00 $951 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
413 unweaned 413 3 290.00 $290.00 $1,198 —
518 unweaned 518 13 255.00 $255.00 $1,321 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 unweaned 421 8 302.50 $302.50 $1,274 -15.00
564 unweaned 564 4 250.00 $250.00 $1,410 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200 1200 2 150.00 $150.00 $1,800 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355 1355 80-85% 1 97.00 $97.00 $1,314 —
1295–1480 1405 80-85% 16 101.00–109.50 $103.62 $1,456 -10.38
1355–1470 1405 80-85% 6 95.00–101.00 $98.39 $1,382 -15.61
1320–1475 1430 80-85% 14 98.00–109.00 $106.58 $1,524 +8.58
1250–1570 1443 80-85% 9 114.00–119.00 $115.85 $1,672 +17.85
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850 850 85-90% 1 55.00 $55.00 $468 —
1005–1145 1075 85-90% 2 69.00–80.00 $74.14 $797 -7.86
1000–1258 1172 85-90% 3 99.00–102.00 $101.15 $1,185 +43.15
1130–1255 1174 85-90% 4 99.00–105.00 $101.74 $1,194 +43.74
1090–1264 1232 85-90% 9 91.00–100.00 $98.66 $1,215 -3.31
1200–1360 1269 85-90% 9 85.00–95.00 $90.33 $1,146 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1580 1580 75-80% 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,706 —
1545–1705 1627 75-80% 3 116.50–119.00 $117.63 $1,914 +8.63
1695–1735 1714 75-80% 7 108.00–113.50 $111.15 $1,905 —
1760 1760 75-80% 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,848 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1665 1409 9 95.00–114.00 $108.94 $1,535 —
1610–1920 1765 2 115.00–120.00 $117.28 $2,070 —
1395–2015 1770 3 105.00–111.00 $107.67 $1,906 —
1745–2083 1926 16 113.00–123.00 $117.18 $2,257 —
1830–2275 2009 8 125.00–128.00 $125.64 $2,524 -2.12

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
946–1287 1098 (<2 yrs)Open 52 124.00–182.50 $150.03 $1,647
985–1280 1193 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 40 109.00–119.00 $115.25 $1,375
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
905 905 (<2 yrs)Open 1 132.50 $132.50 $1,199

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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.