Sale reports / Montana / Billings Livestock Commission / 2019-05-16

Billings Livestock Commission

Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-05-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-05-16

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Thu, May 16

● Final63 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1777

← May 9May 16May 23 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

312 head

▼ 167 vs last sale 479▲ 312 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

Slaughter Cattle receipts

450 head

▲ 292 vs last sale 158▲ 450 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

Replacement Cattle receipts

825 head

▼ 299 vs last sale 1,124▲ 825 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

Also sold here(Mon)Mon Nov 2, 2026

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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifer were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on steers and lower undertones were noticed on heifers. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and offered in small packages. Demand was moderate to good for cattle suitable to run on grass, however all other weights of feeder cattle sold with light to moderate demand. CME contracts finished the day higher on all contracts except the current May which finished 1.70 lower. August through November finished 0.925 to 1.05 higher. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand again this week. Packers were very aggressive this sale as they pushed feeding buyers to fill immediate harvest needs. Packers also put cows away on feed as demand from feeding buyers have cows above where packers want to pay for cows given current market prices. A changing weather pattern has cows and bulls very full this week. This made cows destined for harvest higher than last week on a dressed basis. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to firm. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 3.00 higher. Young age cows sold on light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. These offerings sold unevenly steady as feeding quality cows sold lower, while re-breed quality cows sold higher. A limited but high quality offering of cow calf pairs sold today. These offerings were met with mostly good demand.

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $134.28/cwt on 86 head.

Average price

$134.28

86 head · 652 lb average

Value per head Derived

$876

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$115

per head · Medium and Large 1-2 over Medium and Large 1

$5.44/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.33

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	572	138.27	791	23
Medium and Large 1	682	132.83	906	63

One grade step is worth $5.44/cwt here — about −$115 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 0–100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale86 hd

134.28

—

MT average3 barns · 1,327 hd

134.61

−0.33

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	High	1,829	91.02	1,665	64
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,522	69.25	1,054	9thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,383	68.89	953	105
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,171	63.69	746	137

Every lot

63 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Thu)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.

Class	Weight	Grade / description	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Feeder Cattle · Steers9 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	462	180.02/cwt	177.50–185.00	832	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	469	173.82/cwt	170.00–175.00	815	25
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	563	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	991	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	614	170.64/cwt	170.00–171.00	1,048	14
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	625	146.24/cwt	145.00–147.50	914	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	642	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	1,046	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	663	152.45/cwt	150.00–155.00	1,011	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	707	149.35/cwt	148.50–151.00	1,056	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	913	122.73/cwt	120.00–123.00	1,121	11
Feeder Cattle · Heifers11 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	388	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	660	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	419	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	670	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	470	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	672	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	579	142.80/cwt	142.00–144.00	827	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	582	136.47/cwt	135.00–137.00	794	11
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	639	134.73/cwt	134.00–135.00	861	18
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	678	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	888	14
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	733	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	894	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	742	127.20/cwt	126.00–129.00	944	10
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	767	120.79/cwt	120.00–122.00	926	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Fancy	782	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,024	9
Feeder Cattle · Bulls9 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	175	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	306	4
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	578	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	890	3
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	761	126.50/cwt	126.50–126.50	963	6
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	906	114.00/cwt	114.00–114.00	1,033	6
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	990	109.00/cwt	109.00–109.00	1,079	1
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,020	114.00/cwt	114.00–114.00	1,163	1
Bulls	—	Large 1-2	1,063	84.50/cwt	84.50–84.50	898	6
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,085	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,128	1
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,130	102.80/cwt	101.00–105.00	1,162	10
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls3 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—	1,540	82.16/cwt	80.00–83.50	1,265	15
Bulls	—	—	1,696	88.46/cwt	84.00–94.50	1,500	20
Bulls	—	—	2,071	97.37/cwt	93.00–107.00	2,017	29
Slaughter Cattle · Cows12 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	899	56.33/cwt	51.00–62.00	506	6
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	919	47.59/cwt	43.00–52.50	437	4
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	955	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	621	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,067	51.09/cwt	49.00–52.50	545	6
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,179	61.46/cwt	56.00–66.50	725	54
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,211	67.28/cwt	65.00–69.00	815	47
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,230	70.75/cwt	70.00–72.50	870	19
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,356	64.44/cwt	64.00–65.00	874	6
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,365	71.10/cwt	70.50–73.00	971	28
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,392	68.39/cwt	66.00–70.00	952	71
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,438	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	935	2
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,546	70.47/cwt	67.50–72.50	1,089	7
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs4 lots · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,267	1,807.57/cwt	1,800.00–1,825.00	22,902	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,445	1,317.13/cwt	1,300.00–1,325.00	19,033	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,598	1,710.00/cwt	1,710.00–1,710.00	27,326	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,625	1,460.00/cwt	1,460.00–1,460.00	23,725	3
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows5 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,147	1,358.49/cwt	1,200.00–1,460.00	15,582	35
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,322	1,125.00/cwt	1,125.00–1,125.00	14,873	7
Bred Cows	—	Large 1	1,347	1,100.00/cwt	1,100.00–1,100.00	14,817	5
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,433	900.00/cwt	900.00–900.00	12,897	2
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,510	1,035.00/cwt	1,035.00–1,035.00	15,629	6
Replacement Cattle · Heifer Pairs1 lot · lightest first
Heifer Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,078	1,825.00/cwt	1,825.00–1,825.00	19,674	2
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows8 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	850	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	616	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	919	68.62/cwt	61.00–71.50	631	11
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	975	94.42/cwt	67.00–113.00	921	134
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,058	57.70/cwt	56.00–58.00	610	7
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,158	77.78/cwt	65.50–105.00	901	154
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,317	70.22/cwt	66.00–74.00	925	75
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,345	66.82/cwt	60.50–73.00	899	57
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,371	69.29/cwt	63.00–72.25	950	66
Replacement Cattle · Bred Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Bred Heifers	—	Medium 1	906	925.00/cwt	925.00–925.00	8,381	16

This sale against other markets

Montana weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Montana auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Montana feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Thu)

Thu May 16, 2019

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Billings, MT (LS-BL)

Feeder CattleReceipts 312Last week 479Year ago 0

Slaughter CattleReceipts 450Last week 158Year ago 0

Replacement CattleReceipts 825Last week 1,124Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	767	120.00–122.00	120.79
5	—	579	142.00–144.00	142.80
2	—	388	170.00	170.00
10	—	742	126.00–129.00	127.20
14	—	678	131.00	131.00
18	—	639	134.00–135.00	134.73

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	419	160.00	160.00
11	—	582	135.00–137.00	136.47
3	—	470	143.00	143.00
5	—	733	122.00	122.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	782	131.00	131.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	906	114.00	114.00
1	—	990	109.00	109.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,063	84.50	84.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	578	154.00	154.00
6	—	761	126.50	126.50
4	—	175	175.00	175.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	1,130	101.00–105.00	102.80
1	—	1,085	104.00	104.00
1	—	1,020	114.00	114.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	642	163.00	163.00
2	—	563	176.00	176.00
2	—	663	150.00–155.00	152.45
7	—	462	177.50–185.00	180.02
11	—	913	120.00–123.00	122.73
3	—	707	148.50–151.00	149.35

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
25	—	469	170.00–175.00	173.82
2	—	625	145.00–147.50	146.24

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	614	170.00–171.00	170.64

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	919	43.00–52.50	47.59
6	—	899	51.00–62.00	56.33
1	—	955	65.00	65.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,438	65.00	65.00
7	—	1,546	67.50–72.50	70.47

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,356	64.00–65.00	64.44
28	—	1,365	70.50–73.00	71.10
71	—	1,392	66.00–70.00	68.39

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
54	—	1,179	56.00–66.50	61.46
19	—	1,230	70.00–72.50	70.75
47	—	1,211	65.00–69.00	67.28
6	—	1,067	49.00–52.50	51.09

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
29	—	2,071	93.00–107.00	97.37
15	—	1,540	80.00–83.50	82.16
20	—	1,696	84.00–94.50	88.46

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	9	—	1,598	1,710.00	1,710.00
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	Open	3	—	1,625	1,460.00	1,460.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	3	—	1,267	1,800.00–1,825.00	1,807.57

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	3	—	1,445	1,300.00–1,325.00	1,317.13

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	5	—	1,347	1,100.00	1,100.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	35	—	1,147	1,200.00–1,460.00	1,358.49
Aged (>8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	6	—	1,510	1,035.00	1,035.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	2	—	1,433	900.00	900.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	7	—	1,322	1,125.00	1,125.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifer Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,078	1,825.00	1,825.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	11	—	919	61.00–71.50	68.62
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	850	72.50	72.50
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	7	—	1,058	56.00–58.00	57.70

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	154	—	1,158	65.50–105.00	77.78
(<2 yrs)	Open	134	—	975	67.00–113.00	94.42
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	75	—	1,317	66.00–74.00	70.22
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	66	—	1,371	63.00–72.25	69.29
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	57	—	1,345	60.50–73.00	66.82

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	16	—	906	925.00	925.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.