Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2021-03-31

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-03-31
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-03-31

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Mar 31

● Final61 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Mar 24Mar 31Apr 7 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

217 head

▼ 229 vs last sale 446▼ 101 vs year ago 318 · −31.8%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

402 head

▲ 148 vs last sale 254▲ 284 vs year ago 118 · +240.7%

Replacement Cattle receipts

216 head

▲ 93 vs last sale 123▼ 137 vs year ago 353 · −38.8%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

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Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested both this week and last to develop an accurate market trend, however steers and heifers sold with steady to higher undertones. Quality this week was mostly average and slightly better than last week. Demand was mostly moderate for light offerings. More buyers were on hand this sale compared to last week. CME feeder cattle positions sold off today on news of higher feed cost. All contracts traded with triple digit losses. The USDA prospective plantings report showed corn planting intentions just slightly higher than last year. Corn traded up the limit today to close at 564'2 on the May contract. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand again this week. Packers were very aggressive in bidding on slaughter cows for immediate harvest. Feeding buyers were also active in buying cows this week, which pushed all cow prices higher. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-4.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Cow weigh conditions were average to below average this sale, and overall weigh up conditions were poorer than last week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold sharply higher, with most sales 10.00-12.00 higher than last week. Demand increased for both cows to feed and rebreed quality cows. Quality was mostly average to attractive.

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 $141.98/cwt on 108 head.

Average price

$141.98

108 head · 618 lb average

Value per head Derived

$877

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$268

per head · Medium and Large 2 over Large 1

$16.95/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−15.01

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	439	150.45	660	22
Medium and Large 1	688	139.96	963	58
Medium and Large 1-2	606	139.94	849	26
Large 1	695	133.50	928	2thin

One grade step is worth $16.95/cwt here — about −$268 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 sale108 hd

141.98

—

MT average2 barns · 554 hd

156.98

−15.01

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	1,763	86.14	1,518	61
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,402	65.58	919	118
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,610	63.46	1,022	35
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,187	63.01	748	123

Every lot

61 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 · Steers15 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	415	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	778	2
Steers	—	Medium 1	428	188.00/cwt	188.00–188.00	805	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	435	192.00/cwt	192.00–192.00	835	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2	453	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	725	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	482	178.06/cwt	176.50–184.00	858	14
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	503	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	915	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	533	178.67/cwt	178.00–179.00	952	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	558	175.58/cwt	174.00–178.00	980	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	571	165.55/cwt	165.50–166.00	945	20
Steers	—	Medium 1	580	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	963	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	615	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	984	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	627	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	934	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2	660	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	904	1
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	788	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,072	5
Steers	—	Large 1	1,050	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	1,302	2
Feeder Cattle · Heifers12 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	387	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	592	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	428	154.80/cwt	145.00–161.00	663	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	468	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	697	14
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	521	162.56/cwt	161.00–165.00	847	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	574	140.50/cwt	140.50–140.50	806	9
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	576	154.49/cwt	150.00–155.00	890	10
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	666	143.57/cwt	137.00–148.00	956	10
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	676	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	919	8
Heifers	—	Large 1	695	133.50/cwt	133.50–133.50	928	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	750	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	990	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	763	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	977	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	769	127.50/cwt	127.50–127.50	980	7
Feeder Cattle · Bulls8 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	465	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	828	2
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	570	162.00/cwt	162.00–162.00	923	1
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	835	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	1,069	3
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	938	125.49/cwt	121.00–130.00	1,177	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,019	120.47/cwt	118.00–123.00	1,228	4
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,080	120.50/cwt	120.00–121.00	1,301	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,120	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,310	1
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,169	109.30/cwt	99.00–116.00	1,278	7
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls7 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,210	86.43/cwt	85.00–87.00	1,046	4
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,455	83.00/cwt	83.00–83.00	1,208	2
Bulls	—	—	1,637	81.16/cwt	76.50–85.00	1,329	26
Bulls	—	—	1,794	95.12/cwt	93.00–99.50	1,706	9
Bulls	—	—	1,988	88.86/cwt	86.00–92.50	1,767	18
Bulls	—	—Heavy Weight	2,635	83.00/cwt	83.00–83.00	2,187	1
Bulls	—	—Heavy Weight	2,645	94.00/cwt	94.00–94.00	2,486	1
Slaughter Cattle · Cows17 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	980	54.49/cwt	54.00–55.00	534	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	995	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	637	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,100	51.22/cwt	45.00–54.00	563	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,140	61.54/cwt	55.00–64.00	702	38
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,172	65.32/cwt	64.00–69.50	766	23
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,175	70.38/cwt	70.00–71.00	827	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,230	61.31/cwt	55.50–64.00	754	27
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,258	65.99/cwt	64.00–68.00	830	26
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,352	67.72/cwt	64.00–69.75	916	43
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,392	65.97/cwt	64.00–70.00	918	29
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,418	71.25/cwt	71.00–71.50	1,010	4
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,437	62.83/cwt	57.00–64.00	903	30
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,512	61.98/cwt	61.00–63.00	937	12
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,593	61.88/cwt	56.00–66.00	986	14
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,610	67.04/cwt	66.75–68.00	1,079	6
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,622	63.18/cwt	58.00–66.50	1,025	14
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,670	68.00/cwt	68.00–68.00	1,136	1
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows2 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,029	97.76/cwt	78.00–120.00	1,006	119
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,097	82.26/cwt	64.00–106.00	902	51

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 Mar 31, 2021

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 217Last week 446Year ago 318

Slaughter CattleReceipts 402Last week 254Year ago 118

Replacement CattleReceipts 216Last week 123Year ago 353

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
18	—	1,988	86.00–92.50	88.86
9	—	1,794	93.00–99.50	95.12
26	—	1,637	76.50–85.00	81.16

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Heavy Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,645	94.00	94.00
1	—	2,635	83.00	83.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,210	85.00–87.00	86.43
2	—	1,455	83.00	83.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,175	70.00–71.00	70.38
23	—	1,172	64.00–69.50	65.32
38	—	1,140	55.00–64.00	61.54

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
12	—	1,512	61.00–63.00	61.98
43	—	1,352	64.00–69.75	67.72
4	—	1,418	71.00–71.50	71.25

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
30	—	1,437	57.00–64.00	62.83
29	—	1,392	64.00–70.00	65.97

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,100	45.00–54.00	51.22
27	—	1,230	55.50–64.00	61.31
26	—	1,258	64.00–68.00	65.99

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	980	54.00–55.00	54.49
1	—	995	64.00	64.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,610	66.75–68.00	67.04
14	—	1,622	58.00–66.50	63.18

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	1,593	56.00–66.00	61.88
1	—	1,670	68.00	68.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	695	133.50	133.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	387	153.00	153.00
14	—	468	149.00	149.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	666	137.00–148.00	143.57
26	—	750	132.00	132.00
5	—	521	161.00–165.00	162.56
10	—	576	150.00–155.00	154.49

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	574	140.50	140.50
8	—	676	136.00	136.00
4	—	763	128.00	128.00
5	—	428	145.00–161.00	154.80

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	769	127.50	127.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,169	99.00–116.00	109.30
4	—	1,019	118.00–123.00	120.47
2	—	1,080	120.00–121.00	120.50
1	—	1,120	117.00	117.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	570	162.00	162.00
2	—	465	178.00	178.00
2	—	938	121.00–130.00	125.49

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	835	128.00	128.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	788	136.00	136.00
5	—	558	174.00–178.00	175.58
3	—	615	160.00	160.00
2	—	503	182.00	182.00
2	—	435	192.00	192.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	428	188.00	188.00
2	—	580	166.00	166.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,050	124.00	124.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	453	160.00	160.00
1	—	660	137.00	137.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	415	187.50	187.50
20	—	571	165.50–166.00	165.55
3	—	533	178.00–179.00	178.67
14	—	482	176.50–184.00	178.06
5	—	627	149.00	149.00

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
(<2 yrs)	Open	119	—	1,029	78.00–120.00	97.76
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	51	—	1,097	64.00–106.00	82.26

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.