Montana Cattle Markets Week Ending June 13

Montana Cattle Markets Week Ending June 13

Montana Weekly Auction Summary for Week Ending June 13, 2015

Market: Billings Livestock Commission, Miles City, Public Auction Yards

Receipts: 2,924; Last Week 3,312; Last Year NA

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested for an accurate market trend. Feeder cattle were of mostly average quality, with mostly plain made offerings. Demand for feeder cattle was good on all offerings. CME futures contract prices higher for the week with the August contract up 3.40 closing at 226.25 and September up 3.00 closing at 224.35 as of Thursday night’s settlement. The 7 day running average CME feeder cattle index closed at 225.74 as of Wednesday’s sales (the latest available settlement).

Weigh-up cows sold with light to moderate demand this week on moderate to heavy offerings. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested again this week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones abounded throughout the week. Feeding cow buyers helped sustain the market this week as demand for feeding and breeding cows helped hold prices fully steady. Feeding and breeding buyers sustained prices above where packers showed interest to purchase cows. This pushed packers to purchase older, lower yielding cows to complete their orders. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive with a few long strings of very attractive cows.

Buyers searching for breeding stock purchased 2 year olds to young age cows on very good demand this week. Heiferettes and young age cows sold sharply higher with many buyers looking for replacement cows to both ship to the southern plains as well as to rebreed and fill local pastures. Many of these fancy offerings sold for over 2,100.00 per head. Cow/calf pairs saw strong demand again this week. Notably, most offerings were of better quality this week than last.

Read more from USDA’s June 12 Montana Weekly Auction Summary.

National Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary – Week Ending June 13, 2015

Receipts This Week: 162,400 Total – 104,000 (Auctions); 36,700 (Direct); 21,700 (Video/Internet)

Compared to last week: a good test of yearling feeder cattle sold steady to 3.00 higher with instances 5.00-7.00 higher from mid-week on.  Feeder cattle buyers continue to battle in the ultra-competitive yearling market; especially in the Southern Plains. Northern buyers continue to help drive the yearling market as last Friday, Fort Pierre Livestock Auction in Fort Pierre, SD sold near 11,000 head with almost 600 head of steers weighing 600-650 lbs sold with a weighted average weight of 615 lbs averaged 288.10 and over 1000 head of 900-950 lb steers averaging 929 lbs sold with a weighted average price of 215.01.

CME cattle futures rallied higher on Monday despite last week’s very limited to lower cash trade and again closed with strong gains on Tuesday as Boxed-beef values surged.  This week’s auction volume included 56 percent over 600 lbs and 39 percent heifers.

• Auction Receipts: 168,500; Last Week: 153,900; Last Year: 154,8000
  • Montana 2,900. 45 pct over 600 lbs. 78 pct heifers.

Read more from the USDA’s June 12 National Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary.

Weekly Montana Hay Report – June 12, 2015

Compared to last week: Very little has changed this week as many farmers are in the fields cutting first cutting. Scattered rain showers on Wednesday rained on many fields of cut hay in the Yellowstone river valley, however much of the rest of the state was spared.

Contracts for dairy quality hay have yet to be made as many of the western diaries are waiting on first cutting to get a better feel of supplies. Demand for Alfalfa hay continues to be light. Scattered rain showers helped much of the state improve moisture conditions. This week the US drought monitor shrank the land area in Montana that was in “abnormally dry” status from 34 percent to 26 percent. Light demand was seen for grass hay marketed within the state as steady prices move hay on an as need basis. Good demand was seen for hay to ship to other areas of the country, particularly drier regions, both east and west.

• Alfalfa:
  • Supreme: Small squares, 200.00
  • Premium: Large squares, 150.00-155.00
  • Good: Large squares, 120.00-130.00; Small squares, 138.00-150.00
  • Fair: Large squares, 90.00-130.00
• Grass:
  • Good: Large Rounds, 90.00-100.00; New crop contract, 110.00-120.00; Large Squares, 100.00
• Timothy Grass:
  • Premium: Small Squares, 240.00.
  • Good: Small Squares, 160.00-180.00.
• Straw:
  • Large Squares and Rounds, 35.00-40.00

Read more from the USDA’s June 12 Weekly Montana Hay Report.