Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2020-10-28

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-10-28
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-10-28

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Oct 28

● Final48 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Oct 21Oct 28Nov 4 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

203 head

▼ 657 vs last sale 860▼ 85 vs year ago 288 · −29.5%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

834 head

▲ 199 vs last sale 635▲ 644 vs year ago 190 · +338.9%

Replacement Cattle receipts

235 head

▼ 182 vs last sale 417▼ 904 vs year ago 1,139 · −79.4%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed. Unweaned steer and heifer calves were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Near a foot of snow fell over last weekend. This lightened sales receipts as wet slushy melting snow impacted the volume of cattle coming to town. Quality this week was plain to average. Calves were mostly offered in small packages or as singles. There were not enough calves for buyers to purchase loads and demand suffered as a result. Market activity was slow. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. Cow quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Slaughter cows sold steady to firm on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were too lightly tested last week as all offerings returned to feed. Feeding cows sold generally steady. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm as packer and feeding buyers both showed good demand for bulls. 2-3 year old suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00 lower. Quality was mixed this week.

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 $138.76/cwt on 57 head.

Average price

$138.76

57 head · 522 lb average

Value per head Derived

$725

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$136

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

$58.68/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−14.96

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	476	151.18	720	17thin
Medium and Large 1-2	508	148.41	754	26
Medium 1-2	579	119.00	689	7thin
Small and Medium 2	631	92.50	584	7thin

One grade step is worth $58.68/cwt here — about $136 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 sale57 hd

138.76

—

MT average5 barns · 3,918 hd

153.71

−14.96

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	—	Average	1,790	76.66	1,372	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,570	66.86	1,050	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,402	57.27	803	256
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,214	49.54	602	366

Every lot

48 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 1-2Unweaned	408	165.84/cwt	161.00–170.00	677	9
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	422	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	713	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Full	461	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	678	9
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	468	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	688	10
Steers	—	Medium 1-2Unweaned	579	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	689	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	612	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	820	3
Steers	—	Small and Medium 2Unweaned	631	92.50/cwt	92.50–92.50	584	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	694	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	888	7
Feeder Cattle · Heifers7 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	459	134.69/cwt	134.00–138.00	618	12
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	462	142.60/cwt	140.00–144.00	659	9
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	530	136.05/cwt	134.00–137.00	721	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	829	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,053	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	887	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,091	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	928	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,114	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	972	119.67/cwt	119.25–120.25	1,163	13
Feeder Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	487	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	638	3
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls5 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—	1,607	66.67/cwt	61.00–69.00	1,071	4
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,710	74.00/cwt	74.00–74.00	1,265	1
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,811	78.75/cwt	76.00–81.00	1,426	14
Bulls	—	—	1,960	78.37/cwt	76.00–81.00	1,536	2
Bulls	—	—	1,970	86.50/cwt	86.50–86.50	1,704	1
Slaughter Cattle · Cows21 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	965	38.00/cwt	38.00–38.00	367	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	968	39.25/cwt	39.00–40.00	380	4
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,195	47.92/cwt	44.00–51.50	573	108
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,220	53.33/cwt	50.00–59.00	651	145
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,223	42.15/cwt	35.00–44.00	515	35
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,245	51.03/cwt	49.00–54.00	635	15
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,245	48.40/cwt	46.00–49.50	603	54
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,249	43.11/cwt	43.00–43.50	538	4
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,378	61.50/cwt	61.50–61.50	847	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,378	57.36/cwt	51.00–65.00	790	133
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,413	48.46/cwt	45.00–50.00	685	17
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,415	42.00/cwt	42.00–42.00	594	1
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,421	50.12/cwt	48.00–53.00	712	29
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,430	63.85/cwt	62.00–71.50	913	59
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,440	61.04/cwt	57.00–63.50	879	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,462	54.36/cwt	52.00–57.50	795	14
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,525	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	1,098	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,554	68.48/cwt	66.00–71.00	1,064	8
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,600	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	1,152	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,639	66.78/cwt	64.00–69.00	1,095	5
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,755	61.50/cwt	61.50–61.50	1,079	1
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows4 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	870	76.00/cwt	76.00–76.00	661	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	980	53.61/cwt	51.00–59.00	525	3
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,019	76.67/cwt	64.00–87.00	781	103
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,108	65.36/cwt	54.00–77.00	724	67
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,008	1,100.00/cwt	1,100.00–1,100.00	11,088	9
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,221	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	7,937	9

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 28, 2020

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 203Last week 860Year ago 288

Slaughter CattleReceipts 834Last week 635Year ago 190

Replacement CattleReceipts 235Last week 417Year ago 1,139

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	928	120.00	120.00
3	—	887	123.00	123.00
13	—	972	119.25–120.25	119.67
7	—	829	127.00	127.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	459	134.00–138.00	134.69

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	530	134.00–137.00	136.05
9	—	462	140.00–144.00	142.60

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Small and Medium 2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	631	92.50	92.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	694	128.00	128.00
9	—	408	161.00–170.00	165.84
10	—	468	147.00	147.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Full$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	461	147.00	147.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	612	134.00	134.00
5	—	422	169.00	169.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	579	119.00	119.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	487	131.00	131.00

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	—	870	76.00	76.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	3	—	980	51.00–59.00	53.61

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	67	—	1,108	54.00–77.00	65.36
(<2 yrs)	Open	103	—	1,019	64.00–87.00	76.67

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)	9	—	1,221	650.00	650.00

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)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	9	—	1,008	1,100.00	1,100.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,554	66.00–71.00	68.48
1	—	1,600	72.00	72.00
3	—	1,440	57.00–63.50	61.04

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
145	—	1,220	50.00–59.00	53.33
108	—	1,195	44.00–51.50	47.92
4	—	1,249	43.00–43.50	43.11

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	1,462	52.00–57.50	54.36
3	—	1,378	61.50	61.50
17	—	1,413	45.00–50.00	48.46

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,639	64.00–69.00	66.78
1	—	1,525	72.00	72.00
1	—	1,755	61.50	61.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
133	—	1,378	51.00–65.00	57.36
59	—	1,430	62.00–71.50	63.85
29	—	1,421	48.00–53.00	50.12
1	—	1,415	42.00	42.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	1,245	49.00–54.00	51.03
54	—	1,245	46.00–49.50	48.40
35	—	1,223	35.00–44.00	42.15

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	968	39.00–40.00	39.25
1	—	965	38.00	38.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,960	76.00–81.00	78.37
1	—	1,970	86.50	86.50
4	—	1,607	61.00–69.00	66.67

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	1,811	76.00–81.00	78.75
1	—	1,710	74.00	74.00

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.