Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2020-12-16

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2020-12-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-12-16

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Dec 16

● Final77 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Dec 2Dec 16Jan 6 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

859 head

▲ 459 vs last sale 400▲ 434 vs year ago 425 · +102.1%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

853 head

▼ 102 vs last sale 955▲ 599 vs year ago 254 · +235.8%

Replacement Cattle receipts

224 head

▼ 175 vs last sale 399▼ 777 vs year ago 1,001 · −77.6%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to two weeks ago: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Steer calves were too lightly tested either this week or 2 weeks ago to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Heifer calves sold mostly 2.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and mostly offered in small to moderate size packages. Many odd and end cattle sold today as ranchers cleaned up supplies as this was the last sale of the year. Demand was moderate for mostly light to moderate offerings. Heifer demand was stronger than steer demand as buyers have started to purchase heifers to spay and run on grass. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Packer buyers were much more active in purchasing cows for immediate harvest this week. Packers showed the best demand for boning and breaking cows this week. Packers also pressured feeding buyers as they purchased high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Feeding cows sold generally steady. Cow quality this week was mostly average. Cows and bulls offered buyers mostly average to below average weigh up conditions this sale. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Two year old to young age cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand this sale. Quality was average. This class of cows sold sold generally steady to 3.00 higher.

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 $155.70/cwt on 366 head.

Average price

$155.70

366 head · 552 lb average

Value per head Derived

$860

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$145

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

$19.84/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−10.37

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	492	157.34	774	72
Medium and Large 1	578	156.65	905	273
Medium and Large 2	425	137.78	586	18thin
Medium 1	457	137.50	628	3thin

One grade step is worth $19.84/cwt here — about $145 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 sale366 hd

155.70

—

MT average4 barns · 4,195 hd

166.07

−10.37

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	1,811	74.07	1,341	39
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,609	57.66	928	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,404	52.27	734	247
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,195	46.03	550	195

Every lot

77 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 · Steers27 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	315	192.00/cwt	190.00–197.50	605	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	338	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	566	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	347	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	659	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	372	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	614	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	388	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	543	13
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	712	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	410	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	734	20
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	418	169.87/cwt	162.50–177.50	710	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	420	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	746	1
Steers	—	Medium 1	457	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	628	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	471	175.05/cwt	171.00–175.50	824	21
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	486	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	821	8
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	489	159.69/cwt	159.00–166.00	781	38
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	502	172.12/cwt	167.00–173.00	864	14
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	519	151.46/cwt	145.00–156.00	786	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2	522	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	689	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	546	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	874	55
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	559	145.66/cwt	141.00–148.00	814	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	566	156.41/cwt	149.00–160.50	885	61
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	607	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	844	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	610	149.87/cwt	148.00–152.00	914	15
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	639	142.46/cwt	142.00–143.00	910	13
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	681	140.86/cwt	140.00–141.00	959	21
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	693	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	936	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	718	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	941	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	740	134.17/cwt	134.00–136.00	993	23
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	953	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,172	11
Feeder Cattle · Heifers16 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	323	170.49/cwt	165.00–176.50	551	12
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	346	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	580	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	382	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	623	27
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	388	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	566	4
Heifers	—	Medium 1	417	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	580	13
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	435	159.78/cwt	159.50–160.00	695	30
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	463	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	736	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	477	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	649	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	486	152.42/cwt	152.00–153.00	741	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	518	147.32/cwt	144.50–148.00	763	31
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	521	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	776	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	553	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	774	13
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	579	136.91/cwt	135.00–137.00	793	21
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	630	133.38/cwt	132.00–135.50	840	36
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	711	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	882	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	894	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,135	4
Feeder Cattle · Bulls5 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	490	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	706	5
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	532	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	713	6
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	593	130.50/cwt	130.50–130.50	774	10
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	978	97.00/cwt	97.00–97.00	949	5
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,070	99.02/cwt	94.00–104.00	1,060	4
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls5 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,255	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	991	1
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,501	68.64/cwt	65.00–74.00	1,030	5
Bulls	—	—	1,766	71.10/cwt	61.00–77.00	1,256	23
Bulls	—	—	2,115	81.31/cwt	79.50–83.00	1,720	5
Bulls	—	—	2,136	84.91/cwt	82.00–86.00	1,814	5
Slaughter Cattle · Cows18 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	977	40.61/cwt	39.00–44.00	397	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,146	59.50/cwt	59.50–59.50	682	7
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,154	35.06/cwt	30.00–38.50	405	23
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,174	45.73/cwt	39.00–48.50	537	72
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,217	43.90/cwt	38.00–47.00	534	37
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,232	51.48/cwt	48.50–55.00	634	37
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,250	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	738	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,280	50.09/cwt	49.50–54.00	641	15
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,316	48.44/cwt	43.00–49.00	637	36
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,383	53.67/cwt	50.50–61.00	742	110
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,417	47.50/cwt	42.00–48.50	673	45
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,453	62.25/cwt	62.00–62.50	904	4
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,493	53.54/cwt	50.00–59.00	799	39
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,497	60.70/cwt	60.00–60.75	909	13
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,595	62.49/cwt	61.00–63.00	997	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,602	54.18/cwt	52.00–58.00	868	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,608	56.05/cwt	48.00–58.50	901	15
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,642	62.78/cwt	61.00–64.00	1,031	3
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,502	850.00/cwt	850.00–850.00	12,767	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,531	900.00/cwt	900.00–900.00	13,779	4
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows4 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	801	72.50/cwt	63.00–77.50	581	4
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	988	79.88/cwt	64.00–90.00	789	103
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,042	69.28/cwt	55.00–78.00	722	20
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,125	65.57/cwt	52.00–69.50	738	6

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 Dec 16, 2020

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 859Last week 400Year ago 425

Slaughter CattleReceipts 853Last week 955Year ago 254

Replacement CattleReceipts 224Last week 399Year ago 1,001

Replacement Cattle

As reported

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)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	—	1,502	850.00	850.00
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	4	—	1,531	900.00	900.00

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	20	—	1,042	55.00–78.00	69.28
(<2 yrs)	Open	103	—	988	64.00–90.00	79.88

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	4	—	801	63.00–77.50	72.50

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	6	—	1,125	52.00–69.50	65.57

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,255	79.00	79.00
5	—	1,501	65.00–74.00	68.64

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	2,115	79.50–83.00	81.31
5	—	2,136	82.00–86.00	84.91
23	—	1,766	61.00–77.00	71.10

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
23	—	1,154	30.00–38.50	35.06
15	—	1,280	49.50–54.00	50.09
37	—	1,217	38.00–47.00	43.90
1	—	1,250	59.00	59.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
110	—	1,383	50.50–61.00	53.67
36	—	1,316	43.00–49.00	48.44
4	—	1,453	62.00–62.50	62.25

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,602	52.00–58.00	54.18
3	—	1,642	61.00–64.00	62.78

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	1,608	48.00–58.50	56.05
4	—	1,595	61.00–63.00	62.49

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
72	—	1,174	39.00–48.50	45.73
37	—	1,232	48.50–55.00	51.48
7	—	1,146	59.50	59.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
39	—	1,493	50.00–59.00	53.54
13	—	1,497	60.00–60.75	60.70
45	—	1,417	42.00–48.50	47.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	977	39.00–44.00	40.61

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
30	—	435	159.50–160.00	159.78
4	—	894	127.00	127.00
31	—	518	144.50–148.00	147.32
12	—	323	165.00–176.50	170.49
7	—	463	159.00	159.00
13	—	553	140.00	140.00
36	—	630	132.00–135.50	133.38
27	—	382	163.00	163.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	346	167.50	167.50
7	—	486	152.00–153.00	152.42
21	—	579	135.00–137.00	136.91
6	—	711	124.00	124.00
7	—	521	149.00	149.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
13	—	417	139.00	139.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	477	136.00	136.00
4	—	388	146.00	146.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	315	190.00–197.50	192.00
55	—	546	160.00	160.00
21	—	471	171.00–175.50	175.05
1	—	420	177.50	177.50
13	—	639	142.00–143.00	142.46
3	—	718	131.00	131.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	502	167.00–173.00	172.12
21	—	681	140.00–141.00	140.86
11	—	953	123.00	123.00
15	—	610	148.00–152.00	149.87
8	—	486	169.00	169.00
20	—	410	179.00	179.00
61	—	566	149.00–160.50	156.41
3	—	347	190.00	190.00
23	—	740	134.00–136.00	134.17

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	457	137.50	137.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	693	135.00	135.00
2	—	418	162.50–177.50	169.87
4	—	338	167.50	167.50
3	—	607	139.00	139.00
5	—	372	165.00	165.00
7	—	519	145.00–156.00	151.46
6	—	559	141.00–148.00	145.66

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
13	—	388	140.00	140.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	522	132.00	132.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
38	—	489	159.00–166.00	159.69
3	—	400	178.00	178.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,070	94.00–104.00	99.02

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	593	130.50	130.50
6	—	532	134.00	134.00
5	—	978	97.00	97.00
5	—	490	144.00	144.00

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.