Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2023-03-08

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-03-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-03-08

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Mar 8

● Final44 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Mar 1Mar 8Mar 15 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

220 head

▲ 220 vs last sale 0▲ 169 vs year ago 51 · +331.4%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

404 head

▼ 291 vs last sale 695▲ 235 vs year ago 169 · +139.1%

Replacement Cattle receipts

109 head

▼ 925 vs last sale 1,034▲ 17 vs year ago 92 · +18.5%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were not tested last week due to the bred cattle special and cattle were too lightly tested today to develop any market trend. Demand for feeders was mostly good for light offerings. CME positions continue to inch higher and today marked new contract highs for most feeder cattle contracts. Lower grain prices continue to help support feeder cattle prices as well. Market activity was mostly active. Weigh up cows comprised most of todays sale receipts. Demand was mostly good for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 1.00 higher on all offerings. Packer buyers opted to send a few set of cows to feed this week. Feeding cows sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Cow quality was mostly plain to average this week and not as attractive as last week. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, higher undertones were noticed on a plain quality offering. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on mostly good demand. Packer buyers continue to buy the bottom or heavy weight end of these offerings for slaughter. Steady to firm undertones were noticed on young offerings.

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 $177.39/cwt on 97 head.

Average price

$177.39

97 head · 736 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,306

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$248

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

$26.16/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−19.30

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	528	202.20	1,068	5thin
Medium and Large 1	747	176.04	1,315	92

One grade step is worth $26.16/cwt here — about −$248 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 sale97 hd

177.39

—

MT average3 barns · 1,359 hd

196.68

−19.30

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	1,871	102.50	1,917	26
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,672	93.46	1,562	16
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,397	91.73	1,282	172
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,211	84.65	1,025	123

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,095	$1,265	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,218	$1,075	2thin

Every lot

44 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 1-2Unweaned	370	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	888	2
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	405	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,073	3
Steers	—	Medium 1	471	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,154	17
Steers	—	Medium 1	572	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	1,350	28
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	612	232.60/cwt	223.00–236.00	1,424	4
Steers	—	Medium and Large 1	684	214.50/cwt	214.50–214.50	1,467	7
Steers	—	Large 1	759	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,404	5
Feeder Cattle · Heifers6 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	508	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,041	3
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	558	198.00/cwt	198.00–198.00	1,105	2
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	590	201.92/cwt	199.00–204.00	1,191	12
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	731	183.48/cwt	179.00–185.00	1,341	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	741	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	1,304	31
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	795	168.50/cwt	168.50–168.50	1,340	45
Feeder Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	648	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	1,335	3
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls6 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Light Weight	1,360	73.00/cwt	73.00–73.00	993	1
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,398	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,538	2
Bulls	—	—	1,737	97.29/cwt	87.50–107.00	1,690	14
Bulls	—	—	2,173	111.15/cwt	108.00–119.00	2,415	7
Bulls	—	—	2,265	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	2,922	1
Bulls	—	—Heavy Weight	2,685	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	2,766	1
Slaughter Cattle · Cows15 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	978	82.50/cwt	82.00–83.00	807	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,125	71.63/cwt	71.00–73.00	806	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,156	81.55/cwt	79.50–84.00	943	4
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,164	80.94/cwt	75.00–86.00	942	58
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,257	87.39/cwt	86.50–92.00	1,098	33
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,302	92.50/cwt	92.50–92.50	1,204	23
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,382	84.02/cwt	80.00–86.00	1,161	7
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,390	91.71/cwt	87.50–95.50	1,275	113
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,399	96.23/cwt	96.00–97.00	1,346	4
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,410	85.92/cwt	85.00–86.50	1,211	7
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,417	93.66/cwt	93.00–94.00	1,327	41
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,630	97.50/cwt	97.50–97.50	1,589	2
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,641	93.86/cwt	92.50–95.00	1,540	8
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,670	94.00/cwt	94.00–94.00	1,570	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,738	91.09/cwt	90.00–91.50	1,583	5
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows3 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,037	1,325.00/head	1,325.00–1,325.00	1,325	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,183	1,175.00/head	1,175.00–1,175.00	1,175	2
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,218	1,075.00/head	1,075.00–1,075.00	1,075	2
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows6 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium 1	960	82.00/cwt	82.00–82.00	787	1
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	970	89.70/cwt	85.00–95.00	870	3
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	994	110.19/cwt	104.00–115.00	1,095	7
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,042	126.71/cwt	113.00–140.00	1,320	39
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,089	124.56/cwt	105.00–137.50	1,356	8
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,095	93.51/cwt	85.00–112.50	1,024	30

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 8, 2023

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 220Last week 0Year ago 51

Slaughter CattleReceipts 404Last week 695Year ago 169

Replacement CattleReceipts 109Last week 1,034Year ago 92

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	648	206.00	206.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
31	—	741	176.00	176.00
45	—	795	168.50	168.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	558	198.00	198.00
3	—	508	205.00	205.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	731	179.00–185.00	183.48
12	—	590	199.00–204.00	201.92

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	612	223.00–236.00	232.60
7	—	684	214.50	214.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
17	—	471	245.00	245.00
28	—	572	236.00	236.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	759	185.00	185.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	405	265.00	265.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	370	240.00	240.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	—	1,218	1,075.00	1,075.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	2	—	1,183	1,175.00	1,175.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	—	1,037	1,325.00	1,325.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	—	960	82.00	82.00

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	30	—	1,095	85.00–112.50	93.51
(<2 yrs)	Open	39	—	1,042	113.00–140.00	126.71

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	3	—	970	85.00–95.00	89.70
(<2 yrs)	Open	7	—	994	104.00–115.00	110.19

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	8	—	1,089	105.00–137.50	124.56

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,398	110.00	110.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Heavy Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	2,685	103.00	103.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,360	73.00	73.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
14	—	1,737	87.50–107.00	97.29
7	—	2,173	108.00–119.00	111.15
1	—	2,265	129.00	129.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,410	85.00–86.50	85.92
41	—	1,417	93.00–94.00	93.66

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,641	92.50–95.00	93.86
5	—	1,738	90.00–91.50	91.09
2	—	1,630	97.50	97.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,125	71.00–73.00	71.63
58	—	1,164	75.00–86.00	80.94
33	—	1,257	86.50–92.00	87.39

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	978	82.00–83.00	82.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,670	94.00	94.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,382	80.00–86.00	84.02
113	—	1,390	87.50–95.50	91.71
4	—	1,399	96.00–97.00	96.23

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
23	—	1,302	92.50	92.50
4	—	1,156	79.50–84.00	81.55

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.