Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2021-04-21

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-04-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-04-21

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

● Final95 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Apr 14Apr 21Apr 28 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

877 head

▼ 5,180 vs last sale 6,057▼ 266 vs year ago 1,143 · −23.3%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

448 head

▲ 290 vs last sale 158▲ 203 vs year ago 245 · +82.9%

Replacement Cattle receipts

278 head

▼ 48 vs last sale 326▲ 11 vs year ago 267 · +4.1%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested today to develop an accurate market trend, however unevenly steady to weak undertones were noticed on both steers and heifers. Quality this week was mostly plain and significantly lower than last week. Feeder cattle were mostly offered in small size packages with no load lots on offer. Demand was mostly moderate for light to moderate offerings. Quality today kept many buyers on the sidelines. Some local ranchers helped support the market as they purchased limited quantities of feeders to run on grass this summer. Market activity today was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mixed demand for moderate offerings. Packers and feeding buyers were both aggressive early in the sale as they fought over offerings, however as the sale progressed and feeding buyers filled loads cow prices slipped lower. Both slaughter and feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 lower. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average throughout the day. Weigh up conditions were lower in the afternoon as warm weather caused cows to push heavy amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Bull quality was average to very attractive this week and high quality bulls sold fully steady. Young age cows suitable to feed or re-breed 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

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $149.48/cwt on 392 head.

Average price

$149.48

392 head · 513 lb average

Value per head Derived

$766

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$525

per head · Medium 1 over Large 1

$58.41/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−1.64

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	485	160.41	778	11thin
Medium and Large 1	583	149.96	875	82
Medium and Large 2	425	149.68	636	86
Medium and Large 1-2	515	149.65	771	204
Medium 2	402	138.00	555	6thin
Large 1	1,277	102.00	1,303	3thin

One grade step is worth $58.41/cwt here — about −$525 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 sale392 hd

149.48

—

MT average3 barns · 1,167 hd

151.12

−1.64

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	1,840	86.63	1,594	43
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,638	68.08	1,115	31
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,451	66.23	961	121
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,193	63.55	758	173

Every lot

95 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 · Steers23 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	332	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	598	5
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	342	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	650	10
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	363	186.28/cwt	182.50–187.00	676	12
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	740	8
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	412	183.11/cwt	180.00–187.50	754	22
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	487	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	906	17
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	490	182.85/cwt	176.00–184.00	896	13
Steers	—	Medium 1-2	508	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	724	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	513	175.66/cwt	175.00–177.00	901	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	560	182.78/cwt	182.00–186.00	1,024	14
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	640	168.50/cwt	168.50–168.50	1,078	7
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	641	157.99/cwt	156.00–160.00	1,013	8
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	651	148.16/cwt	145.00–155.00	965	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	669	157.69/cwt	156.00–161.00	1,055	10
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2	674	139.50/cwt	139.50–139.50	940	24
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	720	146.50/cwt	146.00–147.00	1,055	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	728	155.35/cwt	150.00–160.00	1,131	14
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	759	143.32/cwt	139.00–145.50	1,088	30
Steers	—	Medium and Large 2	775	124.00/cwt	124.00–124.00	961	1
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	913	125.50/cwt	125.50–125.50	1,146	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	960	125.63/cwt	125.00–127.00	1,206	13
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	970	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,154	1
Steers	—	Large 1	1,042	122.33/cwt	122.00–122.50	1,275	3
Feeder Cattle · Heifers28 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	298	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	477	23
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	323	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	533	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	341	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	563	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	368	154.47/cwt	153.00–162.50	568	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	376	156.32/cwt	155.00–159.00	588	17
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	390	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	647	22
Heifers	—	Medium 2	402	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	555	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	438	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	679	5
Heifers	—	Medium 1	448	162.00/cwt	162.00–162.00	726	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	450	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	675	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	473	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	790	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	474	157.91/cwt	155.00–161.50	748	65
Heifers	—	Medium 1	529	158.50/cwt	158.50–158.50	838	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	533	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	730	15
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	535	150.36/cwt	142.00–158.00	804	48
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	579	157.91/cwt	155.00–159.00	914	7
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	584	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	835	26
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	611	152.59/cwt	145.00–154.00	932	18
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	669	134.01/cwt	133.00–134.50	897	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	677	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	860	19
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	688	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	949	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	706	137.35/cwt	134.00–139.00	970	17
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 2	720	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	835	5
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	762	124.02/cwt	122.00–126.00	945	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	810	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	988	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	870	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,061	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	960	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	1,018	4
Heifers	—	Large 1Fleshy	1,277	102.00/cwt	102.00–102.00	1,303	3
Feeder Cattle · Bulls11 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	79	264.72/cwt	250.00–275.00	209	6
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	522	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	814	3
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	593	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	860	3
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	669	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	937	5
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	728	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	888	2
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	825	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	1,040	1
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	905	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,059	1
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	980	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,205	1
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,092	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,267	3
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,140	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,254	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,190	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,309	1
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls8 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,230	88.24/cwt	83.00–91.00	1,085	3
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,398	78.92/cwt	75.00–82.00	1,103	4
Bulls	—	—	1,579	76.66/cwt	67.50–80.50	1,210	8
Bulls	—	—	1,859	86.92/cwt	84.00–92.50	1,616	15
Bulls	—	—	2,160	96.94/cwt	93.00–100.50	2,094	10
Bulls	—	—	2,440	81.50/cwt	81.50–81.50	1,989	1
Bulls	—	—Heavy Weight	2,505	94.50/cwt	94.50–94.50	2,367	1
Bulls	—	—Heavy Weight	2,780	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	2,280	1
Slaughter Cattle · Cows17 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	928	58.29/cwt	54.00–61.00	541	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,125	73.00/cwt	73.00–73.00	821	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,178	62.48/cwt	58.00–64.00	736	50
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,193	61.48/cwt	57.00–64.50	733	45
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,209	67.01/cwt	65.00–69.50	810	58
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,225	51.64/cwt	47.50–53.00	633	6
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,249	65.98/cwt	65.00–68.00	824	10
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,423	70.00/cwt	70.00–70.00	996	2
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,429	66.98/cwt	64.00–69.50	957	39
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,439	71.30/cwt	70.00–75.00	1,026	15
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,455	64.13/cwt	59.00–65.50	933	30
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,477	66.73/cwt	65.00–68.50	986	19
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,484	62.54/cwt	60.00–64.00	928	16
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,517	72.59/cwt	68.00–74.00	1,101	6
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,652	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	1,057	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,659	70.49/cwt	69.00–71.50	1,169	10
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,678	64.84/cwt	61.00–67.50	1,088	12
Replacement Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	1,209	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,535	5
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows2 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,315	1,153.48/cwt	1,100.00–1,200.00	15,168	8
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,434	900.00/cwt	900.00–900.00	12,906	4
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows4 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	961	103.32/cwt	81.00–121.00	993	141
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,018	80.80/cwt	72.00–86.00	823	3
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,075	74.20/cwt	62.00–93.00	798	31
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,130	69.00/cwt	69.00–69.00	780	1
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs1 lot · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,464	1,575.00/cwt	1,575.00–1,575.00	23,058	5

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 Apr 21, 2021

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 877Last week 6,057Year ago 1,143

Slaughter CattleReceipts 448Last week 158Year ago 245

Replacement CattleReceipts 278Last week 326Year ago 267

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	810	122.00	122.00
17	—	706	134.00–139.00	137.35
2	—	473	167.00	167.00
4	—	688	138.00	138.00
2	—	870	122.00	122.00
18	—	611	145.00–154.00	152.59
7	—	579	155.00–159.00	157.91

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	341	165.00	165.00
26	—	584	143.00	143.00
48	—	535	142.00–158.00	150.36
65	—	474	155.00–161.50	157.91
6	—	669	133.00–134.50	134.01
5	—	438	155.00	155.00
4	—	762	122.00–126.00	124.02
26	—	368	153.00–162.50	154.47

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
19	—	677	127.00	127.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	960	106.00	106.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	323	165.00	165.00
22	—	390	166.00	166.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	448	162.00	162.00
5	—	529	158.50	158.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,277	102.00	102.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	402	138.00	138.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	720	116.00	116.00
17	—	376	155.00–159.00	156.32
26	—	450	150.00	150.00
23	—	298	160.00	160.00
15	—	533	137.00	137.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	970	119.00	119.00
12	—	363	182.50–187.00	186.28
22	—	412	180.00–187.50	183.11
8	—	641	156.00–160.00	157.99
4	—	720	146.00–147.00	146.50
6	—	513	175.00–177.00	175.66
13	—	490	176.00–184.00	182.85
6	—	651	145.00–155.00	148.16
5	—	332	180.00	180.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	640	168.50	168.50
4	—	913	125.50	125.50
30	—	759	139.00–145.50	143.32
14	—	560	182.00–186.00	182.78
14	—	728	150.00–160.00	155.35
17	—	487	186.00	186.00
13	—	960	125.00–127.00	125.63
10	—	669	156.00–161.00	157.69

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	342	190.00	190.00
8	—	400	185.00	185.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,042	122.00–122.50	122.33

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	508	142.50	142.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	775	124.00	124.00
24	—	674	139.50	139.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	728	122.00	122.00
3	—	522	156.00	156.00
1	—	905	117.00	117.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	669	140.00	140.00
1	—	825	126.00	126.00
3	—	593	145.00	145.00
1	—	980	123.00	123.00
6	—	79	250.00–275.00	264.72

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,190	110.00	110.00
3	—	1,092	116.00	116.00
2	—	1,140	110.00	110.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

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)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	4	—	1,434	900.00	900.00

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)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	8	—	1,315	1,100.00–1,200.00	1,153.48

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	31	—	1,075	62.00–93.00	74.20
(<2 yrs)	Open	141	—	961	81.00–121.00	103.32

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	3	—	1,018	72.00–86.00	80.80
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,130	69.00	69.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	N/A	5	—	1,209	127.00	127.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	5	—	1,464	1,575.00	1,575.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
16	—	1,484	60.00–64.00	62.54
2	—	1,423	70.00	70.00
19	—	1,477	65.00–68.50	66.73

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	1,659	69.00–71.50	70.49
12	—	1,678	61.00–67.50	64.84

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
30	—	1,455	59.00–65.50	64.13
39	—	1,429	64.00–69.50	66.98
15	—	1,439	70.00–75.00	71.30

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	1,517	68.00–74.00	72.59
3	—	1,652	64.00	64.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
50	—	1,178	58.00–64.00	62.48
58	—	1,209	65.00–69.50	67.01
1	—	1,125	73.00	73.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	928	54.00–61.00	58.29

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
10	—	1,249	65.00–68.00	65.98
45	—	1,193	57.00–64.50	61.48
6	—	1,225	47.50–53.00	51.64

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,440	81.50	81.50
15	—	1,859	84.00–92.50	86.92
8	—	1,579	67.50–80.50	76.66
10	—	2,160	93.00–100.50	96.94

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Heavy Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,780	82.00	82.00
1	—	2,505	94.50	94.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,398	75.00–82.00	78.92
3	—	1,230	83.00–91.00	88.24

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.