Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2020-08-26

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-08-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-08-26

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Aug 26

● Final64 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Aug 12Aug 26Sep 9 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

1,470 head

▼ 117 vs last sale 1,587▲ 257 vs year ago 1,213 · +21.2%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

235 head

▲ 118 vs last sale 117▼ 10 vs year ago 245 · −4.1%

Replacement Cattle receipts

112 head

▼ 104 vs last sale 216▲ 32 vs year ago 80 · +40.0%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale(8-12-20): Yearling steers weighing less than 900 lbs sold steady to weak, steers over 900 lbs sold steady to firm. Yearling heifers under 850 lbs sold mostly 3.00-6.00 lower. Heifers over 850 lbs sold mostly 2.00-5.00 higher. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Most yearlings on offer this week were full as temperatures pushed well into the 90's. Today's sale didn't start until noon as the Northern Livestock video sale was warping up during the morning. The stands were packed with buyers as many stayed in town after the conclusion of the video sale. Market activity was moderate to active as a result. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers showed mostly light to moderate demand for slaughter cows. Slaughter cows sold steady on a significantly lower yielding offering. Feeding cows sold steady. Neither packers nor feeders were willing to push cow prices higher this week. Cows and bulls were pushing significant amounts of fill by late afternoon. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Quality this sale was average to attractive.

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $137.23/cwt on 665 head.

Average price

$137.23

665 head · 878 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,204

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$115

per head · Medium 1 over Medium 2

$31.84/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.42

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	641	147.84	948	33
Medium and Large 1	868	139.14	1,208	461
Medium and Large 1-2	774	137.34	1,063	73
Large 1	1,096	125.72	1,378	72
Large 1-2	1,063	122.98	1,307	20
Medium 2	916	116.00	1,063	6thin

One grade step is worth $31.84/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 sale665 hd

137.23

—

MT average3 barns · 907 hd

137.65

−0.42

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	—	Low	1,847	86.12	1,591	86
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,519	60.64	921	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,453	59.93	871	55
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,256	54.98	690	30

Every lot

64 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 · Steers26 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	305	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	541	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	398	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	557	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	451	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	672	9
Steers	—	Medium 1	629	148.16/cwt	148.00–150.00	932	24
Steers	—	Medium 1	673	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	989	9
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	722	143.51/cwt	142.00–145.00	1,036	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	728	147.97/cwt	145.50–150.00	1,077	61
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Full	747	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	1,076	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	763	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,114	16
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	769	139.71/cwt	134.00–142.00	1,074	25
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Full	772	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	1,096	15
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	817	143.79/cwt	139.50–146.50	1,175	78
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	828	136.50/cwt	136.00–137.00	1,130	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	870	137.53/cwt	134.50–140.50	1,197	115
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	886	133.50/cwt	133.50–133.50	1,183	4
Steers	—	Medium 2	916	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,063	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	919	129.59/cwt	129.00–130.50	1,191	12
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	920	133.56/cwt	132.50–134.50	1,229	32
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	978	133.53/cwt	132.50–135.00	1,306	139
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	982	127.60/cwt	126.00–131.00	1,253	10
Steers	—	Large 1	1,026	128.27/cwt	128.00–129.00	1,316	15
Steers	—	Large 1-2	1,038	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,298	5
Steers	—	Large 1-2	1,071	122.31/cwt	119.50–123.00	1,310	15
Steers	—	Large 1	1,073	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,416	10
Steers	—	Large 1	1,120	124.23/cwt	120.00–126.75	1,391	43
Steers	—	Large 1Full	1,165	116.50/cwt	116.50–116.50	1,357	4
Feeder Cattle · Heifers13 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	692	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	983	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	723	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	994	20
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	732	137.78/cwt	137.00–139.50	1,009	36
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Full	748	133.50/cwt	133.50–133.50	999	15
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	758	135.18/cwt	134.00–135.50	1,025	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	822	133.41/cwt	132.00–135.25	1,097	144
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	822	129.00/cwt	128.50–131.00	1,060	29
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	860	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,049	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	888	130.55/cwt	126.00–132.25	1,159	38
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	917	130.53/cwt	126.50–132.00	1,197	82
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	969	125.38/cwt	120.00–126.50	1,215	49
Heifers	—	Large 1	1,037	119.89/cwt	119.00–123.00	1,243	11
Heifers	—	Large 1	1,062	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,301	6
Feeder Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,070	93.50/cwt	93.50–93.50	1,000	1
Feeder Cattle · Dairy Heifers2 lots · lightest first
Dairy Heifers	—	Large 2	703	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	879	2
Dairy Heifers	—	Large 2	830	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	979	11
Feeder Cattle · Dairy Steers2 lots · lightest first
Dairy Steers	—	Large 2	720	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	936	8
Dairy Steers	—	Large 2	927	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,140	15
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls3 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—	1,744	79.16/cwt	76.00–81.50	1,381	11
Bulls	—	—	1,794	85.12/cwt	81.00–89.50	1,527	59
Bulls	—	—	2,115	94.57/cwt	90.75–100.00	2,000	16
Slaughter Cattle · Cows11 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	995	54.50/cwt	54.50–54.50	542	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,215	55.10/cwt	52.00–60.00	669	22
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,257	61.56/cwt	61.00–62.50	774	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,392	68.12/cwt	67.00–70.00	948	6
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,424	60.50/cwt	60.50–60.50	862	9
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,443	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	693	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,460	63.84/cwt	62.50–65.00	932	9
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,462	58.62/cwt	56.00–62.50	857	37
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,545	49.50/cwt	49.50–49.50	765	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,730	65.50/cwt	65.50–65.50	1,133	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	2,165	57.00/cwt	57.00–57.00	1,234	1
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows5 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,123	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	730	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,150	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	736	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,304	64.91/cwt	61.00–68.50	846	19
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,510	64.32/cwt	62.00–67.00	971	29
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,579	62.76/cwt	56.00–63.75	991	23
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs1 lot · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,710	1,400.00/cwt	1,400.00–1,400.00	23,940	14

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 Aug 26, 2020

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 1,470Last week 1,587Year ago 1,213

Slaughter CattleReceipts 235Last week 117Year ago 245

Replacement CattleReceipts 112Last week 216Year ago 80

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	860	122.00	122.00
29	—	822	128.50–131.00	129.00
20	—	723	137.50	137.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
38	—	888	126.00–132.25	130.55
49	—	969	120.00–126.50	125.38
82	—	917	126.50–132.00	130.53
3	—	692	142.00	142.00
36	—	732	137.00–139.50	137.78
26	—	758	134.00–135.50	135.18
144	—	822	132.00–135.25	133.41

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,062	122.50	122.50
11	—	1,037	119.00–123.00	119.89

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	748	133.50	133.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
78	—	817	139.50–146.50	143.79
61	—	728	145.50–150.00	147.97
32	—	920	132.50–134.50	133.56
115	—	870	134.50–140.50	137.53
139	—	978	132.50–135.00	133.53
16	—	763	146.00	146.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	398	140.00	140.00
9	—	451	149.00	149.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	673	147.00	147.00
24	—	629	148.00–150.00	148.16

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	982	126.00–131.00	127.60
12	—	919	129.00–130.50	129.59
4	—	828	136.00–137.00	136.50
6	—	722	142.00–145.00	143.51
25	—	769	134.00–142.00	139.71
4	—	886	133.50	133.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,038	125.00	125.00
15	—	1,071	119.50–123.00	122.31

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	1,073	132.00	132.00
43	—	1,120	120.00–126.75	124.23
15	—	1,026	128.00–129.00	128.27

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	916	116.00	116.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,165	116.50	116.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	305	177.50	177.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	772	142.00	142.00
3	—	747	144.00	144.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,070	93.50	93.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Dairy Heifers — Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	830	118.00	118.00
2	—	703	125.00	125.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Dairy Steers — Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	720	130.00	130.00
15	—	927	123.00	123.00

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
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	29	—	1,510	62.00–67.00	64.32
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	19	—	1,304	61.00–68.50	64.91
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	23	—	1,579	56.00–63.75	62.76
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,150	64.00	64.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,123	65.00	65.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	14	—	1,710	1,400.00	1,400.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
37	—	1,462	56.00–62.50	58.62
3	—	1,443	48.00	48.00
6	—	1,392	67.00–70.00	68.12
9	—	1,460	62.50–65.00	63.84

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,545	49.50	49.50
22	—	1,215	52.00–60.00	55.10
3	—	1,257	61.00–62.50	61.56

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	1,424	60.50	60.50
1	—	1,730	65.50	65.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	995	54.50	54.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Heavy Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,165	57.00	57.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	1,744	76.00–81.50	79.16
59	—	1,794	81.00–89.50	85.12
16	—	2,115	90.75–100.00	94.57

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.