State summaries / Montana / Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary / 2024-03-25

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Montana · Weekly summary · Mon, Mar 25

● As filed79 lines reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1778

State summary

Counts as USDA filed them

Montana reported 79 priced lines covering 769 head across feeder cattle, slaughter cattle, replacement cattle. USDA puts feeder cattle receipts at 236 head. slaughter cattle receipts at 461 head. replacement cattle receipts at 209 head. Counted as USDA files them — 3 of those are cow-calf pairs, each counted once.

Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary

Mon Mar 25, 2024

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

Feeder CattleReceipts 236Last week 4,464Year ago 4,619

Slaughter CattleReceipts 461Last week 701Year ago 693

Replacement CattleReceipts 209Last week 167Year ago 534

Compared to last week: An early week snowstorm and poor road conditions cancelled early week sales and late week sales were slow too as a result. Too few feeder cattle sold this week to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Several ranchers were in town this week buying cattle for grass, which kept prices near steady for like quality offerings compared to the previous week. Quality was mostly plain to average. CME positions struggled much of the week. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers pounced on light offerings this week as snowy conditions have slowed to volume of cows available to the packer. Packers were also forced to compete with feeding buyers as well as a few ranchers looking for young to middle-aged cows to turn out and rebreed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to below average this week as weather had many cows early in the week pushing heavy amounts of fill. Packers showed very good demand for slaughter cows this week as they were forced to push offerings sharply higher in order to procure them. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-6.00 higher on breaking and boning cows; lean cows sold 4.00-7.00 higher. Feeding cows suitable to feed to premium white sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand remains good for high quality offerings.

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
29	—	1,090	128.50	128.50
16	—	1,046	90.00–95.00	91.23
14	—	1,172	114.00–124.50	118.43
14	—	1,152	101.00–112.00	107.44

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,634	140.00–143.00	141.15
8	—	1,593	131.00–140.00	135.45
3	—	1,590	116.00–128.00	124.09

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
24	—	1,405	107.00–119.50	116.36
29	—	1,378	121.00–133.00	126.89
1	—	1,390	143.00	143.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
9	—	918	117.00	117.00
3	—	990	103.00–112.50	106.80
7	—	854	84.00–100.00	87.65

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,075	110.00	110.00
3	—	1,180	130.00–132.50	131.45
38	—	1,185	116.00–131.00	126.35

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Premium White 65-75%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,685	141.00	141.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,602	138.00–140.00	138.57
8	—	1,686	114.00–126.00	122.07
24	—	1,655	129.00–136.00	132.84

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
46	—	1,425	135.00–145.00	138.16
10	—	1,388	114.00–120.00	117.62
51	—	1,402	123.00–136.00	129.62

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
32	—	1,764	132.00–152.50	142.11
7	—	2,021	153.00–159.50	156.94
12	—	1,713	113.00–125.00	120.72

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
11	—	1,508	135.00–149.00	143.27
5	—	1,282	122.50–132.00	126.33

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,230	123.00	123.00
(<2 yrs)	Open	3	—	1,022	160.00–178.00	171.54

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	2	—	940	155.00–180.00	166.37
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	5	—	1,007	117.00–162.50	140.80

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,123	132.00	132.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	56	—	1,098	125.00–177.00	151.17
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,410	141.00	141.00
(<2 yrs)	Open	71	—	986	145.00–217.50	188.31

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	1	—	660	180.00	180.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	—	1,642	2,500.00	2,500.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	2	—	1,260	2,600.00–2,700.00	2,648.21
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	5	—	1,083	1,900.00	1,900.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	3	—	1,243	2,300.00–2,400.00	2,336.46

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	5	—	1,340	1,800.00	1,800.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	3	—	1,483	2,300.00	2,300.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	421	337.50–342.00	339.69
4	450–500	470	335.00–345.00	342.37
2	500–550	528	333.00	333.00
5	550–600	584	310.00–317.50	311.49
4	600–650	621	290.00–308.00	298.98
1	650–700	660	272.00	272.00
9	700–750	716	255.00–275.00	265.83
2	800–850	838	225.00	225.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	350–400	360	375.00	375.00
2	400–450	403	360.00	360.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	350–400	383	300.00	300.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
4	450–500	470	350.00	350.00
32	550–600	564	334.00	334.00
16	750–800	778	255.00	255.00
2	800–850	823	241.00	241.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fleshy$ per cwt · actual wt
2	800–850	843	236.00	236.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	400–450	422	320.00	320.00
3	500–550	527	290.00–293.00	292.03
6	550–600	592	272.00–282.50	275.46
2	650–700	685	242.50	242.50
4	750–800	789	230.00	230.00
3	900–950	917	200.50	200.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
26	450–500	477	315.00–321.00	320.45
3	550–600	572	286.00	286.00
13	600–650	637	273.00–274.00	273.53
5	650–700	691	262.00	262.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	335	335.00	335.00
7	400–450	412	321.00–324.00	322.29

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	500–550	510	313.00	313.00
3	550–600	569	292.50–315.00	307.35
3	600–650	640	284.00	284.00
1	750–800	785	230.00	230.00
2	800–850	845	220.00	220.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	700–750	713	267.50	267.50
1	900–950	935	220.00	220.00
1	950–1000	965	215.00	215.00

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.

Source: USDA AMS, as filed — nothing recomputed and nothing rounded. This summary aggregates the same sales the Montana barn reports cover, so it must never be added to a state total built from those barns.