Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2021-05-26

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2021-05-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-05-26

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, May 26

● Final63 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← May 19May 26Jun 9 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

190 head

▲ 19 vs last sale 171▲ 190 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

Slaughter Cattle receipts

702 head

▲ 134 vs last sale 568▲ 702 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

Replacement Cattle receipts

399 head

▲ 235 vs last sale 164▲ 399 vs year ago 0 · no sale a year ago

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 to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on steers and heifers. Feeder cattle quality was mostly average today. A few fall calves were offered today and these offerings sold with little to no discount to long weaned yearlings. These offerings were average to attractive. CME positions were lower today but remain higher than last week giving some support to the market. Corn prices were sharply lower yesterday but traded 0.04'4 to 0.06 higher today on July-Dec contracts. The near-by July contract is down 0.3375 since last Wednesday. Market activity was mostly moderate today with more participants bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows comprised the majority of the the sale this week. Packers opted to send the majority of the offering to feed this week. Cow quality was average to attractive and significantly higher than last week. Despite heavy cow supplies packers continue to fight over market share and pushed cows higher today. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 higher on boning and lean cows, breaking cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Packers opted to send a portion of the cows they would normally send to slaughter to short term feed. Demand for ground beef continues to be very good and the cutter cow cutout continues to inch higher. The cutter cow cutout as of todays close was 210.51, 0.85 higher than yesterdays value. Slaughter volumes remain elevated as packers are slaughtering large volumes of cows and bulls due to high cull volumes in the Northern Plains. Weigh up conditions were mostly average this week, however weigh conditions were significantly higher than last week. Young age cows sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher this week pushed mostly by rebreed buyers searching for high quality offerings. Feeding quality offerings sold mostly steady.

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 $143.36/cwt on 74 head.

Average price

$143.36

74 head · 582 lb average

Value per head Derived

$834

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$102

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

$5.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+5.28

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	483	145.00	701	9thin
Medium and Large 1	612	143.45	878	59
Medium 1-2	428	140.00	599	6thin

One grade step is worth $5.00/cwt here — about $102 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 sale74 hd

143.36

—

MT average3 barns · 246 hd

138.07

+5.28

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	1,770	89.91	1,591	117
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,601	68.72	1,101	43
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,409	64.84	914	185
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,215	59.86	727	297

Every lot

63 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 · Steers7 lots · lightest first
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	446	156.54/cwt	150.00–162.50	698	23
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	566	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,019	16
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	567	181.66/cwt	179.00–183.00	1,030	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	613	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	1,091	6
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	743	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	1,018	3
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	753	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	1,114	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	819	116.68/cwt	116.00–118.00	956	3
Feeder Cattle · Heifers10 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	416	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	655	4
Heifers	—	Medium 1-2	428	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	599	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	450	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	653	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	500	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	725	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	503	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	734	9
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	539	154.08/cwt	150.00–156.00	830	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	564	157.68/cwt	151.00–160.00	889	8
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	600	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	882	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	663	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	935	6
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	709	133.06/cwt	129.00–138.00	943	24
Feeder Cattle · Bulls9 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	80	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	200	2
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1-2	837	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	837	3
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	986	102.86/cwt	102.00–103.00	1,014	7
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,015	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	1,066	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,095	99.00/cwt	99.00–99.00	1,084	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,135	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	1,078	17
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,167	99.33/cwt	99.00–101.00	1,159	6
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,210	94.00/cwt	94.00–94.00	1,137	2
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,295	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	1,204	4
Feeder Cattle · Dairy Steers1 lot · lightest first
Dairy Steers	—	Large 3	1,050	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	630	2
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls7 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,454	77.19/cwt	74.50–82.00	1,122	7
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,488	87.97/cwt	84.00–89.50	1,309	5
Bulls	—	—	1,651	77.32/cwt	74.25–83.50	1,277	23
Bulls	—	—Natural	1,762	92.90/cwt	88.00–95.00	1,637	15
Bulls	—	—	1,790	87.08/cwt	81.00–90.50	1,559	15
Bulls	—	—Natural	1,849	98.05/cwt	97.50–99.00	1,813	40
Bulls	—	—	2,021	94.98/cwt	93.50–98.00	1,920	12
Slaughter Cattle · Cows20 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	870	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	522	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	943	52.67/cwt	52.00–54.00	497	6
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,135	48.48/cwt	42.00–50.50	550	4
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,140	70.01/cwt	66.00–72.00	798	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,180	57.97/cwt	54.00–62.00	684	58
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,200	57.11/cwt	52.00–62.00	685	82
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,224	62.80/cwt	60.50–66.00	769	12
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,257	62.47/cwt	60.00–66.50	785	128
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,270	67.66/cwt	67.00–68.00	859	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,341	59.37/cwt	57.00–62.00	796	18
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,375	56.46/cwt	53.00–62.50	776	5
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,411	65.02/cwt	62.00–67.50	917	105
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,422	70.59/cwt	69.00–73.50	1,004	25
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,424	63.53/cwt	62.00–66.00	905	29
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,512	69.15/cwt	68.50–71.00	1,046	11
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,535	70.38/cwt	69.00–71.00	1,080	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,575	64.28/cwt	63.50–65.00	1,012	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,620	65.05/cwt	65.00–65.50	1,054	9
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,633	70.23/cwt	68.00–72.00	1,147	15
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,714	74.61/cwt	74.00–75.50	1,279	4
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows3 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,118	1,090.87/cwt	1,075.00–1,100.00	12,196	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,482	62.24/cwt	58.00–64.00	922	10
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,520	69.00/cwt	69.00–69.00	1,049	1
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows6 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	760	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	608	3
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	801	75.63/cwt	60.00–84.00	606	48
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	858	64.59/cwt	57.50–73.00	554	2
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	971	91.35/cwt	70.00–110.00	887	178
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,146	72.40/cwt	58.00–86.00	830	90
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	1,148	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	677	2

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 May 26, 2021

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 190Last week 171Year ago 0

Slaughter CattleReceipts 702Last week 568Year ago 0

Replacement CattleReceipts 399Last week 164Year ago 0

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	986	102.00–103.00	102.86
2	—	80	250.00	250.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
17	—	1,135	95.00	95.00
6	—	1,167	99.00–101.00	99.33
4	—	1,295	93.00	93.00
2	—	1,210	94.00	94.00
2	—	1,095	99.00	99.00
2	—	1,015	105.00	105.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	837	100.00	100.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	503	146.00	146.00
4	—	416	157.50	157.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	539	150.00–156.00	154.08
2	—	600	147.00	147.00
24	—	709	129.00–138.00	133.06
8	—	564	151.00–160.00	157.68
6	—	663	141.00	141.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	450	145.00	145.00
6	—	500	145.00	145.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	428	140.00	140.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	567	179.00–183.00	181.66
6	—	613	178.00	178.00
4	—	753	148.00	148.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	819	116.00–118.00	116.68
3	—	743	137.00	137.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
23	—	446	150.00–162.50	156.54
16	—	566	180.00	180.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Dairy Steers — Large 3$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,050	60.00	60.00

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
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	—	1,118	1,075.00–1,100.00	1,090.87
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	1,520	69.00	69.00
Aged (>8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	10	—	1,482	58.00–64.00	62.24

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	—	858	57.50–73.00	64.59
(<2 yrs)	Open	48	—	801	60.00–84.00	75.63

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	178	—	971	70.00–110.00	91.35
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	90	—	1,146	58.00–86.00	72.40

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	3	—	760	80.00	80.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,148	59.00	59.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	1,790	81.00–90.50	87.08
23	—	1,651	74.25–83.50	77.32
12	—	2,021	93.50–98.00	94.98

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,454	74.50–82.00	77.19
5	—	1,488	84.00–89.50	87.97

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Natural$ per cwt · actual wt
40	—	1,849	97.50–99.00	98.05
15	—	1,762	88.00–95.00	92.90

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,135	42.00–50.50	48.48
82	—	1,200	52.00–62.00	57.11
3	—	1,140	66.00–72.00	70.01
12	—	1,224	60.50–66.00	62.80

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,535	69.00–71.00	70.38
29	—	1,424	62.00–66.00	63.53
5	—	1,375	53.00–62.50	56.46

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
128	—	1,257	60.00–66.50	62.47
58	—	1,180	54.00–62.00	57.97
3	—	1,270	67.00–68.00	67.66

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
15	—	1,633	68.00–72.00	70.23
9	—	1,620	65.00–65.50	65.05
4	—	1,714	74.00–75.50	74.61

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
18	—	1,341	57.00–62.00	59.37
25	—	1,422	69.00–73.50	70.59
105	—	1,411	62.00–67.50	65.02

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	943	52.00–54.00	52.67
1	—	870	60.00	60.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	1,512	68.50–71.00	69.15
4	—	1,575	63.50–65.00	64.28

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.