Montana Weekly Livestock Auction Summary
Archived Report
3/27/2021
Total Run: 1,469
Market Notes
Compared to last week: Only two sales were held this week and receipts were light. Steers all sold with steady to lower undertones. Heifers all sold with lower undertones. Quality this week was plain to average. Calves sold in small packages with no load lots on offer this trading period. Buyers showed mostly light demand for feeders as many were not willing to start loads with so few cattle to work with. CME positions gained ground every day this week. The March contract expired Thursday at 136.15 while the April closed Friday at 139.425 that's 1.475 and 5.70 higher on the March and April contracts respectfully. The May contract closed Friday at 149.875. Market activity was mostly slow to moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand as packers and feeding buyers both showed good interest in purchasing cows. Packers purchased cows both to feed and send to immediate slaughter this week. Light offerings were seen this week and good demand from both packer and feeding buyers pushed cow prices higher. Feeding cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher on breaking and boning cows, lean cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 1.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Much of the center of the country is still recovering from last weeks major snowstorm and many locations are reporting muddy country conditions along with some minor flooding. This continues to disrupt the availability of cattle in the central and western Plains states. Weigh up conditions were mostly average this week, and similar to last week. Two year old to young age cows sold on mostly moderate demand this week. This class sold steady to firm, with stronger interest seen in cattle suitable to re-breed.Supply included: 53% Feeder Cattle (39% Steers, 53% Heifers, 8% Bulls); 27% Slaughter Cattle (86% Cows, 14% Bulls); 21% Replacement Cattle (61% Stock Cows, 39% Bred Cows). Feeder cattle supply over 600 lbs was 40%.
LIVESTOCK SUMMARY Current Week Last Reported 3/15/2021 Last Year Total Receipts: 1,469 6,849 1,833 Feeder Cattle: 772(52.6%) 3,517(51.4%) 902(49.2%) Slaughter Cattle: 393(26.8%) 642(9.4%) 388(21.2%) Replacement Cattle: 304(20.7%) 315(4.6%) 543(29.6%)
Feeder Steers
| Weight | Min | Avg | Max | Approx* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200-300 | $-- | |||
| 300-400 | $-- | |||
| 400-500 | 178 | 186 | 195 | $836 |
| 500-600 | 160 | 170 | 181 | $934 |
| 600-700 | 148 | 156 | 162.5 | $1,012 |
| 700-800 | 138 | 143 | 146 | $1,076 |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight | Min | Avg | Max | Approx* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200-300 | $-- | |||
| 300-400 | 167.5 | 168 | 0.0000 | $586 |
| 400-500 | 163 | 166 | 168 | $747 |
| 500-600 | 138 | 149 | 167 | $819 |
| 600-700 | 126 | 139 | 147 | $907 |
| 700-800 | 124.5 | 130 | 132.5 | $974 |
*Approx is the middle weight of the weight group multiplied by the mid point of the high and low for the group. It's meant as a quick method to see what cattle of that weight class are bringing per head.
Cows & Bulls
| Type | Min | Avg | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slaughter Bulls | $82 | $85 | $89 |