Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2020-05-06

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-05-06
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-05-06

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, May 6

● Final47 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Apr 29May 6May 13 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

224 head

▲ 64 vs last sale 160▼ 48 vs year ago 272 · −17.6%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

197 head

▼ 129 vs last sale 326▲ 42 vs year ago 155 · +27.1%

Replacement Cattle receipts

184 head

▼ 38 vs last sale 222▼ 499 vs year ago 683 · −73.1%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and offered in mostly small packages or as singles. Buyers showed mostly light demand for all feeder cattle today. Too few feeders of any particular class were seen to put together loads, which limited demand. Market activity this week was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for moderate offerings. Packer buyers showed mostly good demand for cows for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher on all classes of cows. Packers purchased a few high quality cows to put away on feed as well. These cows were of mostly very attractive quality and were all ages. Feeding buyers picked around the edges this sale as they tried to buy cows away from very aggressive packer buyers. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Cow and bull quality this week was average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average and significantly higher than last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or re-breed sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Young age cows sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher, with re-breed buyers showing the biggest increase in 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 $114.86/cwt on 66 head.

Average price

$114.86

66 head · 742 lb average

Value per head Derived

$853

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$44

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

$10.46/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−18.98

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	660	123.42	815	12thin
Medium and Large 1	761	112.96	859	54

One grade step is worth $10.46/cwt here — about −$44 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 sale66 hd

114.86

—

MT average3 barns · 1,612 hd

133.85

−18.98

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	1,753	81.66	1,432	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,446	58.73	849	52
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,770	58.54	1,036	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,222	56.61	692	77

Every lot

47 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

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 · Steers8 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	315	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	559	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	519	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	779	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	580	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	870	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	619	146.59/cwt	144.00–151.00	907	12
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	660	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	917	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	703	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	900	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	714	122.00/cwt	121.00–126.00	871	5
Steers	—	Large 1Fleshy	1,135	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	1,078	12
Feeder Cattle · Heifers7 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	527	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	727	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	621	129.23/cwt	129.00–129.50	803	9
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	639	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	843	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	767	110.77/cwt	108.50–115.00	850	14
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	778	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	825	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	813	105.67/cwt	105.50–106.00	859	18
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	893	101.50/cwt	101.50–101.50	906	10
Feeder Cattle · Bulls2 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	95	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	238	2
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	643	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	817	2
Feeder Cattle · Dairy Heifers3 lots · lightest first
Dairy Heifers	—	Large 2	698	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	740	4
Dairy Heifers	—	Large 2	860	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	800	8
Dairy Heifers	—	Large 2	963	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	896	2
Feeder Cattle · Dairy Steers3 lots · lightest first
Dairy Steers	—	Large 2	798	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	822	8
Dairy Steers	—	Large 2	974	99.50/cwt	99.50–99.50	969	8
Dairy Steers	—	Large 2	1,147	82.50/cwt	82.50–82.50	946	3
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls3 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—	1,675	75.23/cwt	72.00–78.00	1,260	8
Bulls	—	—	1,731	84.74/cwt	81.00–88.00	1,467	7
Bulls	—	—	2,012	91.64/cwt	91.00–93.00	1,844	3
Slaughter Cattle · Cows13 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	890	49.00/cwt	49.00–49.00	436	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	975	49.00/cwt	49.00–49.00	478	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	983	58.01/cwt	57.00–59.00	570	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,140	43.00/cwt	43.00–43.00	490	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,225	59.02/cwt	57.00–61.50	723	33
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,241	54.43/cwt	50.00–57.00	675	36
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,332	65.02/cwt	64.00–65.50	866	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,440	56.48/cwt	53.00–58.00	813	21
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,446	60.10/cwt	58.50–62.00	869	29
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,518	62.50/cwt	62.50–62.50	949	2
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,745	53.79/cwt	52.00–54.50	939	5
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,755	65.50/cwt	65.50–65.50	1,150	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,790	60.94/cwt	60.50–61.00	1,091	7
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows5 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	981	88.14/cwt	74.00–101.00	865	45
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	1,131	55.08/cwt	52.50–56.50	623	7
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,137	72.14/cwt	59.00–88.00	820	44
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,353	60.84/cwt	56.00–65.00	823	38
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,364	58.19/cwt	56.00–61.00	794	8
Replacement Cattle · Bred Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Bred Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	1,300	1,500.00/cwt	1,500.00–1,500.00	19,500	1
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,360	1,500.00/cwt	1,500.00–1,500.00	20,400	4
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,385	1,125.00/cwt	1,125.00–1,125.00	15,581	1

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 →

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

Wed May 6, 2020

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 224Last week 160Year ago 272

Slaughter CattleReceipts 197Last week 326Year ago 155

Replacement CattleReceipts 184Last week 222Year ago 683

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	8	—	1,364	56.00–61.00	58.19
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	44	—	1,137	59.00–88.00	72.14
(<2 yrs)	Open	45	—	981	74.00–101.00	88.14
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	38	—	1,353	56.00–65.00	60.84

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	7	—	1,131	52.50–56.50	55.08

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	1,300	1,500.00	1,500.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	1,385	1,125.00	1,125.00
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	4	—	1,360	1,500.00	1,500.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	315	177.50	177.50
4	—	660	139.00	139.00
12	—	619	144.00–151.00	146.59
7	—	703	128.00	128.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	519	150.00	150.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	1,135	95.00	95.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	580	150.00	150.00
5	—	714	121.00–126.00	122.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Dairy Heifers — Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	860	93.00	93.00
4	—	698	106.00	106.00
2	—	963	93.00	93.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Dairy Steers — Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	974	99.50	99.50
8	—	798	103.00	103.00
3	—	1,147	82.50	82.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	95	250.00	250.00
2	—	643	127.00	127.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	639	132.00	132.00
8	—	527	138.00	138.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
18	—	813	105.50–106.00	105.67
14	—	767	108.50–115.00	110.77
10	—	893	101.50	101.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	621	129.00–129.50	129.23
3	—	778	106.00	106.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,518	62.50	62.50
29	—	1,446	58.50–62.00	60.10
21	—	1,440	53.00–58.00	56.48

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	975	49.00	49.00
1	—	890	49.00	49.00
2	—	983	57.00–59.00	58.01

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,790	60.50–61.00	60.94
5	—	1,745	52.00–54.50	53.79
1	—	1,755	65.50	65.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
36	—	1,241	50.00–57.00	54.43
33	—	1,225	57.00–61.50	59.02
3	—	1,332	64.00–65.50	65.02
1	—	1,140	43.00	43.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	2,012	91.00–93.00	91.64
8	—	1,675	72.00–78.00	75.23
7	—	1,731	81.00–88.00	84.74

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.