Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 3, 2024

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heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $344.97/cwt ≈ $1,649/hd at 478 lb · 12 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	600	279	691
Feeder cattle	150	71	374
Slaughter cattle	216	133	216
Replacement cattle	234	75	101

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle offerings were were too lightly tested today to develop any market trend. Demand for feeders was mostly moderate to good for very light offerings. Quality today was plain to average. Most calves were offered in small packages or as singles. Market activity today was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand. Cow quality was average to attractive today. Packers showed good demand for all cows on offer this week. Most of the high quality offerings were purchased to feed this week. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher on all offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly steady. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Private feeding cow buyers showed good demand for high quality cows again this week as they competed with packer buyers over limited offerings. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-4.00 higher. Demand from feeding and rebreed cow buyers continues to be good. Limited bred and replacement cows continue to sell on very good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
615–649	633	8	260.00–280.00	$268.83	$1,702	-39.17
658–680	666	8	250.00–279.00	$267.90	$1,784	—
745	745	4	254.50	$254.50	$1,896	-7.01
780–798	789	2	237.00–249.00	$242.93	$1,917	—

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
475–479	478	12	341.00–365.00	$344.97	$1,649	—
506–511	509	8	325.00–340.00	$332.54	$1,693	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
456–470	458	8	315.00–317.50	$317.18	$1,453	—
512	512	9	297.00	$297.00	$1,521	+4.97
602–605	603	7	260.00–270.00	$262.87	$1,585	—
650–675	667	3	237.50–246.00	$243.24	$1,622	—

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
660	660	4	255.00	$255.00	$1,683	—

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1145–1575	1313	80-85%	5	141.00–150.00	$145.73	$1,913	—
1014–1755	1348	80-85%	27	127.00–139.00	$134.73	$1,816	—
1310–1485	1385	80-85%	7	115.00–129.00	$122.84	$1,701	-2.34
1075–1540	1395	80-85%	7	134.00–145.00	$138.95	$1,938	+13.77

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1425–1625	1475	75-80%	4	117.00–125.00	$119.20	$1,758	—
1355–1755	1488	75-80%	11	125.00–139.00	$133.49	$1,986	—
1495–1620	1572	75-80%	14	136.00–142.00	$140.80	$2,213	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1000–1085	1043	85-90%	2	114.00–116.00	$114.96	$1,199	—
910–1205	1046	85-90%	4	106.00–114.00	$110.13	$1,152	—
1190–1445	1290	85-90%	10	115.00–129.00	$123.06	$1,587	—
1300–1425	1363	85-90%	2	123.00–125.00	$123.95	$1,689	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1570–1875	1662	5	116.00–130.00	$122.58	$2,037	—
1455–2340	1876	12	131.00–142.00	$137.23	$2,574	—
2065–2178	2146	5	150.00–157.00	$155.23	$3,331	—

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
730–1030	859	(<2 yrs)	Open	21	177.50–210.00	$191.82	$1,648
860–1449	1057	Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	20	145.00–181.00	$167.44	$1,770

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
960	960	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	1	1,400.00	$1,400.00
1125	1125	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,950.00	$1,950.00
1225	1225	Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	1,775.00	$1,775.00
1055–1470	1260	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	1,910.00–1,975.00	$1,956.86
1260	1260	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	1	1,600.00	$1,600.00
1385	1385	Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	1,850.00	$1,850.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
980–1300	1107	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	3	2,050.00–2,450.00	$2,293.37	—

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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.