Cattle Market Pulse

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

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 10, 2024

583 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $263.98/cwt +8.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,808/hd at 685 lb · 32 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $299.84/cwt ≈ $1,592/hd at 531 lb · 19 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $278.69/cwt ≈ $1,706/hd at 612 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 583 600 3,467
Feeder cattle 330 150 3,195
Slaughter cattle 168 216 207
Replacement cattle 85 234 65

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were to lightly tested for a trend. Demand good. Slaughter cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00 lower. Quality plain to average on slaughter cattle. Feeding cows sold steady.

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
374 374 4 380.00 $380.00 $1,421 —
475 475 2 360.00 $360.00 $1,710 +15.03
648 648 2 292.50 $292.50 $1,895 —
675–682 680 12 277.50–284.00 $281.85 $1,917 —
851 851 6 237.00 $237.00 $2,017 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
605 605 2 283.00 $283.00 $1,712 +14.17

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 2 322.50 $322.50 $1,267 —
485–490 487 5 303.00–307.00 $305.39 $1,487 —
516–541 531 19 287.50–303.00 $299.84 $1,592 —
586 586 5 282.00 $282.00 $1,653 —
608–614 612 12 270.00–283.00 $278.69 $1,706 —
651–697 685 32 256.00–267.00 $263.98 $1,808 +8.98
784 784 4 239.00 $239.00 $1,874 —
854 854 10 198.00 $198.00 $1,691 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
404 404 4 290.00 $290.00 $1,172 —
503–540 510 10 285.00 $285.00 $1,454 -12.00
588–595 590 6 240.00–257.50 $251.62 $1,485 —
675 675 2 230.00 $230.00 $1,552 -13.24

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1427–1480 1456 75-80% 23 133.00–142.00 $138.73 $2,020 +19.53
1475 1475 75-80% 1 146.00 $146.00 $2,154 +26.80
1325–1710 1500 75-80% 26 127.00–140.00 $134.46 $2,017 —
1430–1628 1533 75-80% 15 116.00–125.00 $120.47 $1,847 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1355 1302 80-85% 16 131.00–138.00 $133.60 $1,739 -12.13
1203–1438 1302 80-85% 11 132.50–144.00 $136.66 $1,779 -9.07
1288–1475 1353 80-85% 8 112.00–129.00 $122.56 $1,658 -0.28
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1070 990 85-90% 3 101.00–107.50 $104.32 $1,033 —
1060–1370 1215 85-90% 2 121.00–123.00 $122.13 $1,484 —
1180–1390 1273 85-90% 9 122.00–126.50 $124.98 $1,591 +1.92

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1465 1465 1 112.00 $112.00 $1,641 —
1485–2250 1891 25 124.00–143.00 $132.98 $2,515 -4.25
1915–2513 2220 4 145.00–154.00 $150.52 $3,342 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
840–1095 946 (<2 yrs)Open 52 184.00–208.00 $189.88 $1,796
885–1210 1074 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 53 151.00–180.00 $168.08 $1,805

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
960 960 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00
988–1335 1038 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 14 2,400.00–2,450.00 $2,440.81
1483–1515 1494 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,700.00–1,850.00 $1,750.71
1583 1583 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,975.00 $1,975.00

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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.