Sale reports / Montana / Billings Livestock Commission / 2021-03-18

Billings Livestock Commission

Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2021-03-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-03-18

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Thu, Mar 18

● Final62 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1777

← Mar 11Mar 18Apr 1 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

542 head

▼ 1,963 vs last sale 2,505▲ 464 vs year ago 78 · +594.9%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

225 head

▼ 120 vs last sale 345▼ 160 vs year ago 385 · −41.6%

Replacement Cattle receipts

80 head

▼ 1,424 vs last sale 1,504▼ 839 vs year ago 919 · −91.3%

Also sold here(Mon)Mon Nov 2, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steers under 600 lbs sold with lower undertones, while steers over 600 lbs sold with steady to higher undertones. Heifers weighing less than 700 lbs sold with steady undertones, while heifers over 700 lbs sold with lower undertones. Quality this week was plain to average. CME positions sold off sharply today, as most contracts saw triple digit losses. However, demand for cattle suitable to go to grass remained good as ranchers continue to push to gather offerings. Market activity this week was moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light offerings. Packers were the driving force in the market this week as they showed good demand for slaughter cows. A winter storm across much of the plains has slowed the volume of cows and bulls being delivered to plants. Packers paid significantly higher prices in order to secure offerings this sale. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. Feeding cows were too lightly tested to trend as most cows were purchased for immediate harvest this week. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher. Two year old to young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison.

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 $140.52/cwt on 226 head.

Average price

$140.52

226 head · 645 lb average

Value per head Derived

$907

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$259

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

$25.24/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−9.70

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	450	150.24	676	17thin
Medium 1-2	376	141.05	530	7thin
Medium and Large 1	668	140.29	937	194
Medium 1	748	125.00	935	8thin

One grade step is worth $25.24/cwt here — about −$259 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 sale226 hd

140.52

—

MT average3 barns · 2,311 hd

150.22

−9.70

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	1,850	85.13	1,575	38
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,535	64.25	986	4thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,530	63.88	977	33
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,392	62.17	865	73
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,224	59.54	729	58

Every lot

62 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 · Steers14 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	368	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	681	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	392	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	706	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	429	193.37/cwt	190.00–195.00	830	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	458	181.19/cwt	177.50–185.00	830	16
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	510	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	796	1
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	530	172.39/cwt	170.00–174.00	914	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	564	158.21/cwt	148.00–165.00	892	8
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	573	160.61/cwt	160.00–162.00	920	10
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	603	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	983	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	663	160.88/cwt	160.00–163.50	1,067	65
Steers	—	Medium 1	714	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	992	11
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	737	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	1,058	20
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	770	136.20/cwt	135.00–141.00	1,049	13
Steers	—	Large 1	1,023	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,217	2
Feeder Cattle · Heifers14 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium 1-2	376	141.05/cwt	140.00–142.50	530	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	411	154.87/cwt	154.00–156.00	637	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	455	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	687	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	483	161.53/cwt	158.50–164.50	780	12
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	507	159.30/cwt	159.00–159.50	808	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	510	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	719	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	578	152.45/cwt	146.00–158.00	881	58
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	622	144.07/cwt	136.00–146.50	896	29
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	674	133.10/cwt	133.00–135.00	897	19
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	710	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	923	18
Heifers	—	Medium 1	748	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	935	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	791	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,020	10
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	830	124.50/cwt	124.50–124.50	1,033	37
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	912	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,058	6
Feeder Cattle · Bulls6 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	482	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	805	5
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	500	162.50/cwt	162.50–162.50	813	1
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	633	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	874	2
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	674	129.80/cwt	129.00–131.00	875	5
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	791	125.50/cwt	125.50–125.50	993	7
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	923	101.00/cwt	101.00–101.00	932	2
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls5 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,224	87.82/cwt	87.50–88.00	1,075	3
Bulls	—	—	1,699	77.29/cwt	73.00–83.00	1,313	13
Bulls	—	—	1,994	85.94/cwt	83.00–89.00	1,714	10
Bulls	—	—	2,037	92.56/cwt	91.00–97.00	1,885	11
Bulls	—	—	2,185	89.00/cwt	89.00–89.00	1,945	1
Slaughter Cattle · Cows15 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	948	55.83/cwt	51.00–59.50	529	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,191	57.32/cwt	56.00–59.50	683	17
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,214	57.41/cwt	54.50–62.00	697	5
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,215	62.62/cwt	60.00–65.50	761	8
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,284	60.93/cwt	58.00–64.50	782	25
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,296	67.10/cwt	66.50–67.50	870	5
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,356	66.85/cwt	66.00–68.00	906	6
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,363	56.63/cwt	55.50–58.00	772	13
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,396	59.79/cwt	56.00–60.75	835	13
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,407	64.86/cwt	62.50–66.25	913	6
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,423	63.30/cwt	61.00–65.50	901	30
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,439	64.32/cwt	63.50–65.50	926	17
Cows	—	Premium White 65-75%	1,535	64.25/cwt	64.25–64.25	986	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,588	56.46/cwt	54.00–59.00	897	2
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,632	64.40/cwt	61.00–66.50	1,051	14
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows6 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	883	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	706	2
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	965	70.00/cwt	70.00–70.00	676	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	995	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	597	1
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,010	87.00/cwt	87.00–87.00	879	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,038	95.50/cwt	80.00–106.00	991	35
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,107	68.50/cwt	61.50–81.00	758	31
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,129	943.51/cwt	900.00–1,000.00	10,652	5
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,355	835.00/cwt	835.00–835.00	11,314	2

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 Mar 18, 2021

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 542Last week 2,505Year ago 78

Slaughter CattleReceipts 225Last week 345Year ago 385

Replacement CattleReceipts 80Last week 1,504Year ago 919

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	564	148.00–165.00	158.21
3	—	392	180.00	180.00
1	—	510	156.00	156.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
16	—	458	177.50–185.00	181.19
10	—	573	160.00–162.00	160.61
4	—	603	163.00	163.00
20	—	737	143.50	143.50
5	—	530	170.00–174.00	172.39
65	—	663	160.00–163.50	160.88
2	—	368	185.00	185.00
13	—	770	135.00–141.00	136.20
3	—	429	190.00–195.00	193.37

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	714	139.00	139.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,023	119.00	119.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	483	158.50–164.50	161.53
10	—	791	129.00	129.00
37	—	830	124.50	124.50
29	—	622	136.00–146.50	144.07
6	—	912	116.00	116.00
18	—	710	130.00	130.00
5	—	507	159.00–159.50	159.30
58	—	578	146.00–158.00	152.45
19	—	674	133.00–135.00	133.10

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	510	141.00	141.00
7	—	411	154.00–156.00	154.87
6	—	455	151.00	151.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	748	125.00	125.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	376	140.00–142.50	141.05

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	923	101.00	101.00
2	—	633	138.00	138.00
5	—	674	129.00–131.00	129.80
5	—	482	167.00	167.00
7	—	791	125.50	125.50
1	—	500	162.50	162.50

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	965	70.00	70.00

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	31	—	1,107	61.50–81.00	68.50
(<2 yrs)	Open	35	—	1,038	80.00–106.00	95.50

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	2	—	883	80.00	80.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	—	995	60.00	60.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,010	87.00	87.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	2	—	1,355	835.00	835.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	5	—	1,129	900.00–1,000.00	943.51

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,356	66.00–68.00	66.85
13	—	1,363	55.50–58.00	56.63
30	—	1,423	61.00–65.50	63.30

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
17	—	1,439	63.50–65.50	64.32

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
25	—	1,284	58.00–64.50	60.93
17	—	1,191	56.00–59.50	57.32

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,588	54.00–59.00	56.46
14	—	1,632	61.00–66.50	64.40

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
13	—	1,396	56.00–60.75	59.79
5	—	1,296	66.50–67.50	67.10
6	—	1,407	62.50–66.25	64.86

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,215	60.00–65.50	62.62
5	—	1,214	54.50–62.00	57.41

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	948	51.00–59.50	55.83

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Premium White 65-75%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,535	64.25	64.25

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,185	89.00	89.00
13	—	1,699	73.00–83.00	77.29
11	—	2,037	91.00–97.00	92.56
10	—	1,994	83.00–89.00	85.94

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,224	87.50–88.00	87.82

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.