Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-09-03
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-09-03

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (8-27-26): Feeder steers were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Feeder heifers under 1050 lbs sold generally steady in a narrow comparison, heifers over 1050 lbs sold mostly 5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was plain to average on calves and average to attractive on yearlings. Most all yearlings were coming off grass were seen this sale. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Yearlings were offered in small packages this week, however demand for light offerings was good. Many tested open heifers out of their replacements were seen again this sale. Calves were offered in mostly small packages with many singles noticed. Many very light offerings were seen this sale as cattle were sold early due to dry conditions. Demand for very light offerings suitable to develop into yearlings was very good. CME positions moved sharply higher today which helped provide some additional market support. Market activity was moderate to active despite light offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light demand and offerings. Cow quality was mostly plain to average today with a limited selection of cows to buy to feed. Many cows coming off pasture and range are lame or blemished in some way. Feeding cows sold mostly 5.00 lower on boning and lean cows, breaking flesh feeding cows sold 8.00-10.00 lower on very light demand. Slaughter cows sold 8.00-10.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 12.00-15.00 lower on lower demand from both packers and feeding buyers. Young age replacement cow offerings were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Many fleshy offerings were seen this week. Many of these offerings were purchased to feed and sold to feeding cow buyers.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $371.50/cwt on 10 head, up $39.00 from the prior sale. That ranks 4 of 22 comparable sales and sits −58.80 against this barn's trailing median of $430.30.

Average price

$371.50

▲ 39.00 vs prior sale

10 head · 508 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,887

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$67

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

$5.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.73

vs MT average

+39.98 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	503	372.50	1,874	8thin
Medium and Large 1-2	528	367.50	1,940	2thin

One grade step is worth $5.00/cwt here — about −$67 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 1000–1100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

22 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $469.35, low $332.50, median $430.30 across 22 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale10 hd

371.50

—

MT average2 barns · 86 hd

372.23

−0.73

National average157 barns · 5,611 hd

331.52

+39.98

This barn, trailing median22 sales

430.30

−58.80

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	—	Low	1,819	177.16	3,222	68
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,359	157.74	2,144	92
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,612	147.29	2,375	49
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,177	144.83	1,705	60
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,200	117.50	1,410	1thin

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
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,354	$3,400	5
Heifer Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,092	$3,200	3thin

Every lot, as filed

74 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Thu)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	150–200	186	706.65/cwt	700.00–730.00	1,314	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,150	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	1,978	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,354	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,150	212.78/cwt	204.00–220.00	2,447	20
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,363	169.28/cwt	167.00–175.00	2,307	27
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,136	228.80/cwt	220.00–260.00	2,599	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	400–450	443	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,794	6
Heifers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,168	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	3,095	11
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	455	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,002	3
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,072	283.13/cwt	277.00–286.00	3,035	34
Steers	Medium 1Full	650–700	656	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,296	4
Steers	Medium 1-2	650–700	671	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,315	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,061	213.98/cwt	185.00–250.00	2,270	8
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,205	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	2,916	2
Bulls	Large 1	1250–1300	1,270	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	2,832	2
Heifers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,121	271.04/cwt	268.00–275.00	3,038	7
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,105	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	2,928	1
Steers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,146	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	3,323	5
Heifers	Large 1Fancy	1050–1100	1,066	292.50/cwt	292.50–292.50	3,118	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,497	168.44/cwt	157.00–173.00	2,522	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,333	168.72/cwt	166.00–172.00	2,249	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,566	154.15/cwt	151.50–159.00	2,414	9
Bulls	—	—	1,955	190.07/cwt	186.00–194.00	3,716	13
Bulls	—	—	1,753	167.33/cwt	151.00–174.00	2,933	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,119	128.38/cwt	126.00–135.00	1,437	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,162	142.00/cwt	139.00–145.00	1,650	22
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,365	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	2,484	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,578	144.33/cwt	135.00–151.50	2,278	7
Bulls	—	—	1,969	181.26/cwt	176.00–187.00	3,569	22
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,573	178.29/cwt	177.00–183.00	2,805	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,215	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,701	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,230	127.26/cwt	120.00–139.00	1,565	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,347	148.04/cwt	143.00–152.00	1,994	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,195	165.61/cwt	163.50–171.00	1,979	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,464	164.00/cwt	164.00–164.00	2,401	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	143.53/cwt	140.00–149.00	2,058	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	978	102.50/cwt	102.50–102.50	1,002	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	438	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,146	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	460	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,047	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	528	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,940	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	380	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,862	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	350–400	392	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,490	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	837	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,762	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	773	323.82/cwt	317.50–330.00	2,503	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	226	675.00/cwt	675.00–675.00	1,526	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	503	372.50/cwt	372.50–372.50	1,874	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	933	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,986	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	773	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,667	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	294	565.00/cwt	565.00–565.00	1,661	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	439	420.67/cwt	415.00–422.50	1,847	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	483	403.63/cwt	400.00–405.00	1,950	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	484	441.94/cwt	435.00–470.00	2,139	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	707	321.98/cwt	320.00–322.50	2,276	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	920	303.49/cwt	302.00–305.00	2,792	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	217	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	1,302	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	225	670.00/cwt	670.00–670.00	1,508	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	973	295.32/cwt	294.00–296.00	2,873	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	991	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	3,082	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	100–150	125	920.00/cwt	920.00–920.00	1,150	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	576	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	2,232	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	870	338.70/cwt	332.00–341.00	2,947	20
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,092	3,200.00/head	3,200.00–3,200.00	3,200	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	—	1,285	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	2,249	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,255	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	2,221	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	313.50/cwt	313.50–313.50	2,869	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	778	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,723	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,010	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	3,081	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,017	290.09/cwt	285.00–296.00	2,950	13
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,200	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,410	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,173	153.74/cwt	151.00–161.00	1,803	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,662	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	2,510	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,655	135.35/cwt	133.50–138.00	2,240	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,677	144.22/cwt	141.00–146.00	2,419	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,375	160.97/cwt	158.00–165.00	2,213	70

How this sale compares

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 →