Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2020-10-21

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-10-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-10-21

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Oct 21

● Final62 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Oct 14Oct 21Oct 28 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

860 head

▲ 252 vs last sale 608▼ 56 vs year ago 916 · −6.1%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

635 head

▼ 67 vs last sale 702▲ 59 vs year ago 576 · +10.2%

Replacement Cattle receipts

417 head

▲ 145 vs last sale 272▼ 583 vs year ago 1,000 · −58.3%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Unweaned steer calves under 450 lbs sold with steady undertones. 450-599 lbs steers sold mostly 10.00 lower in a narrow comparison. All other weights of steer calves were too lightly tested to trend. Unweaned heifer calves under 450 lbs sold with steady to firm undertones, 450-649 lbs heifers sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower. All other weights of heifers were too lightly tested to develop an any market trend. Quality this week was average to attractive. Demand was mostly light to moderate. Lower calf prices are reflective of lower CME positions as contracts have fallen sharply over the last week. Calves continue to be in light flesh as many are coming out of dry country. Market activity this week was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for moderate offerings. Snow and muddy conditions have made it difficult to get offerings to town as many locations saw up to a foot or more snow this past weekend. Packers showed slightly stronger demand this sale for both feeding cows as well as slaughter cows. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher on boning and lean cows breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher as packers pushed feeding buyers to try to secure offerings. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Feeding buyers showed moderate to good demand for sound bulls that would feed.

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 $130.60/cwt on 368 head.

Average price

$130.60

368 head · 592 lb average

Value per head Derived

$773

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$452

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$14.65/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−9.95

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	583	131.57	767	310
Medium and Large 1-2	450	129.68	584	37
Medium 1	787	121.00	952	5thin
Large 1	1,042	116.92	1,218	16thin

One grade step is worth $14.65/cwt here — about −$452 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 sale368 hd

130.60

—

MT average5 barns · 4,597 hd

140.55

−9.95

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	1,684	78.39	1,320	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,597	67.75	1,082	48
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,388	57.96	805	197
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,222	48.74	596	199

Every lot

62 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 · Steers14 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	320	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	560	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	332	199.03/cwt	192.50–202.50	661	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	417	174.53/cwt	172.50–187.50	728	23
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	445	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	672	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	475	147.49/cwt	146.00–148.50	701	64
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	518	140.70/cwt	138.50–144.00	729	26
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	526	131.20/cwt	127.00–135.00	690	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	566	136.74/cwt	132.00–139.00	774	58
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	615	134.47/cwt	130.00–135.50	827	26
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	617	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	777	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	666	135.47/cwt	133.00–138.00	902	40
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	745	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	961	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	813	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,016	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	878	123.50/cwt	123.50–123.50	1,084	2
Feeder Cattle · Heifers15 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	385	149.22/cwt	148.00–150.50	574	14
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	392	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	564	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	402	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	563	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	439	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	597	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	466	136.15/cwt	131.50–140.00	634	84
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	467	124.11/cwt	121.00–129.00	580	21
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	520	130.15/cwt	125.00–133.00	677	60
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	520	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	603	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	555	133.50/cwt	133.50–133.50	741	57
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	621	125.20/cwt	122.50–126.75	777	41
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	728	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	852	2
Heifers	—	Medium 1	787	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	952	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	905	125.02/cwt	121.00–125.50	1,131	38
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	977	118.64/cwt	118.50–119.00	1,159	11
Heifers	—	Large 1	1,042	116.92/cwt	115.50–117.25	1,218	16
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls6 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,243	73.42/cwt	72.50–74.00	913	3
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,387	80.87/cwt	80.00–82.00	1,122	6
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,675	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,407	2
Bulls	—	—	1,868	69.61/cwt	65.00–74.00	1,300	3
Bulls	—	—	1,874	78.77/cwt	76.00–80.00	1,476	10
Bulls	—	—	2,023	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,699	2
Slaughter Cattle · Cows17 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,033	37.39/cwt	30.00–42.00	386	17
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,153	47.69/cwt	45.00–52.00	550	50
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,247	52.75/cwt	51.75–58.00	658	54
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,260	68.14/cwt	65.00–71.00	859	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,288	50.63/cwt	49.00–55.00	652	38
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,293	46.58/cwt	45.00–48.00	602	38
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,343	58.70/cwt	53.00–63.50	788	69
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,371	51.33/cwt	49.00–52.00	704	26
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,394	66.82/cwt	64.00–72.00	931	49
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,430	53.82/cwt	52.00–56.50	770	26
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,463	48.63/cwt	46.50–51.50	711	22
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,480	45.00/cwt	45.00–45.00	666	1
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,504	61.05/cwt	58.00–69.50	918	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,554	62.98/cwt	54.00–64.00	979	14
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,603	68.95/cwt	65.00–71.00	1,105	22
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,628	72.30/cwt	70.50–74.50	1,177	11
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,735	58.00/cwt	58.00–58.00	1,006	1
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows4 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	995	84.14/cwt	65.00–99.00	837	122
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	1,060	51.96/cwt	51.00–53.00	551	2
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,091	67.40/cwt	57.00–84.00	735	47
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,225	63.00/cwt	63.00–63.00	772	2
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows6 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,147	775.00/cwt	775.00–775.00	8,889	7
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,202	1,012.47/cwt	1,000.00–1,025.00	12,170	47
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,206	750.00/cwt	750.00–750.00	9,045	4
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,215	788.94/cwt	750.00–825.00	9,586	25
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,387	791.59/cwt	750.00–835.00	10,979	13
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,392	53.15/cwt	52.00–56.00	740	25

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 Oct 21, 2020

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 860Last week 608Year ago 916

Slaughter CattleReceipts 635Last week 702Year ago 576

Replacement CattleReceipts 417Last week 272Year ago 1,000

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
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,060	51.00–53.00	51.96

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,225	63.00	63.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	122	—	995	65.00–99.00	84.14
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	47	—	1,091	57.00–84.00	67.40

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	25	—	1,215	750.00–825.00	788.94
Young (2-4 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	7	—	1,147	775.00	775.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	47	—	1,202	1,000.00–1,025.00	1,012.47
Aged (>8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	13	—	1,387	750.00–835.00	791.59
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	4	—	1,206	750.00	750.00

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)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	25	—	1,392	52.00–56.00	53.15

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
16	—	1,042	115.50–117.25	116.92

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	787	121.00	121.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	728	117.00	117.00
57	—	555	133.50	133.50
14	—	385	148.00–150.50	149.22
41	—	621	122.50–126.75	125.20
3	—	402	140.00	140.00
60	—	520	125.00–133.00	130.15
84	—	466	131.50–140.00	136.15

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
38	—	905	121.00–125.50	125.02
11	—	977	118.50–119.00	118.64

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	520	116.00	116.00
7	—	392	144.00	144.00
7	—	439	136.00	136.00
21	—	467	121.00–129.00	124.11

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	332	192.50–202.50	199.03
26	—	615	130.00–135.50	134.47
26	—	518	138.50–144.00	140.70
40	—	666	133.00–138.00	135.47
64	—	475	146.00–148.50	147.49
58	—	566	132.00–139.00	136.74
23	—	417	172.50–187.50	174.53

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	526	127.00–135.00	131.20
3	—	617	126.00	126.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	878	123.50	123.50
3	—	745	129.00	129.00
4	—	813	125.00	125.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	445	151.00	151.00
4	—	320	175.00	175.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
69	—	1,343	53.00–63.50	58.70
49	—	1,394	64.00–72.00	66.82
26	—	1,371	49.00–52.00	51.33

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
22	—	1,603	65.00–71.00	68.95
11	—	1,628	70.50–74.50	72.30
14	—	1,554	54.00–64.00	62.98

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,504	58.00–69.50	61.05
26	—	1,430	52.00–56.50	53.82
22	—	1,463	46.50–51.50	48.63
1	—	1,480	45.00	45.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
54	—	1,247	51.75–58.00	52.75
2	—	1,260	65.00–71.00	68.14
50	—	1,153	45.00–52.00	47.69

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
38	—	1,288	49.00–55.00	50.63
38	—	1,293	45.00–48.00	46.58
17	—	1,033	30.00–42.00	37.39

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,735	58.00	58.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,675	84.00	84.00
6	—	1,387	80.00–82.00	80.87
3	—	1,243	72.50–74.00	73.42

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,868	65.00–74.00	69.61
10	—	1,874	76.00–80.00	78.77
2	—	2,023	84.00	84.00

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.