Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-02-13
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-02-13

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer calves under 650 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Steers over 650 lbs sold mostly 5.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold mostly 10.00-20.00 higher on a much more attractive offering. Demand was mostly good to very good for light to moderate offerings. Quality this week was mostly average to very attractive and significantly more attractive than last weeks offering. Package sizes were much larger than last weeks offering. Most packages were moderate in size this week with a few load lots on offer as well. Demand for load lots was very good. Market activity was active this sale with bidders both ringside and over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on very good demand for very light offerings. Cow offerings were light this week. Packers showed very good demand for all cows on offer. All cows purchased by packers this week were purchased for immediate harvest. Most slaughter cows cost over $300 dressed this sale. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to firm in a very narrow comparison. Feeding cows were too lightly tested this week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to firm undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand for bulls was very good this week as packers competed over limited offerings. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was average to attractive. Several heifers that lost calves were seen this week. These offerings were met with very good demand.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $343.79/cwt on 175 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −143.99 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$343.79

175 head · 565 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,943

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$289

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

$59.61/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.68

vs MT average

+5.12 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	572	349.61	2,000	144
Large 1	522	321.90	1,680	26
Medium and Large 2	590	290.00	1,711	5thin

One grade step is worth $59.61/cwt here — about $289 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

21 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $525.97, low $398.08, median $487.78 across 21 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 sale175 hd

343.79

—

MT average2 barns · 182 hd

343.11

+0.68

National average155 barns · 9,244 hd

338.67

+5.12

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−143.99

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	1,892	167.12	3,162	9thin
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,736	156.23	2,712	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,429	148.27	2,118	23
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,087	132.06	1,436	19
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,305	132.00	1,723	1thin
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,130	107.50	1,215	1thin

Every lot, as filed

85 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
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,009	203.45/cwt	181.00–226.00	2,053	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	760	280.65/cwt	275.00–285.00	2,133	97
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	398	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,751	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	465	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,814	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	334.11/cwt	325.00–335.50	1,921	185
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	801	259.69/cwt	255.00–260.00	2,080	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	700–750	740	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	2,042	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	755	256.54/cwt	255.00–262.00	1,937	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	923	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	2,141	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	850	256.00/cwt	256.00–256.00	2,176	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	689	291.00/cwt	291.00–291.00	2,005	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	722	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	2,050	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	516	316.79/cwt	305.00–325.00	1,635	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	458	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	1,614	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,110	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,832	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	821	224.15/cwt	224.00–225.00	1,840	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	485	323.69/cwt	315.00–326.00	1,570	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	880	234.63/cwt	225.00–237.00	2,065	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	761	271.36/cwt	270.00–272.00	2,065	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	673	275.97/cwt	269.00–286.00	1,857	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	579	310.95/cwt	309.00–320.00	1,800	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,782	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	663	263.28/cwt	260.00–273.00	1,746	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	764	251.40/cwt	248.00–252.00	1,921	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	642	281.65/cwt	280.00–285.00	1,808	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	423	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,364	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	838	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	2,078	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	335	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,039	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	388	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,183	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	769	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,461	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	836	258.45/cwt	253.00–264.00	2,161	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	620	297.49/cwt	289.00–313.00	1,844	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	380	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,216	10
Bulls	—	—	2,027	174.34/cwt	165.00–179.00	3,534	6
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,220	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	1,684	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,098	139.07/cwt	138.00–144.00	1,527	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,225	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,433	1
Steers	Large 1	500–550	503	323.85/cwt	322.50–345.00	1,629	18
Heifers	Large 1-2	400–450	412	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,195	8
Heifers	Large 1	500–550	533	313.79/cwt	310.00–320.00	1,673	24
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,390	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,085	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	790	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	672	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,436	145.93/cwt	143.00–148.00	2,096	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,461	154.13/cwt	149.00–157.00	2,252	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,055	108.00/cwt	108.00–108.00	1,139	2
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,305	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,723	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,191	147.27/cwt	146.00–150.00	1,754	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,195	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	1,643	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,370	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	1,822	1
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,130	107.50/cwt	107.50–107.50	1,215	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,736	156.23/cwt	155.50–157.00	2,712	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	895	126.01/cwt	120.00–132.50	1,128	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,385	145.35/cwt	141.00–146.50	2,013	5
Bulls	—	—	1,823	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	2,917	2
Steers	Large 1	400–450	416	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,487	4
Heifers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,156	204.00/cwt	204.00–204.00	2,358	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	879	272.59/cwt	272.00–273.00	2,396	94
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	727	291.06/cwt	284.50–294.00	2,116	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	631	315.86/cwt	307.00–335.00	1,993	31
Steers	Large 1-2	1450–1500	1,454	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	2,472	9
Heifers	Medium 1-2	550–600	552	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,408	3
Heifers	Medium 2	600–650	648	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,458	5
Steers	Medium 2	650–700	680	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,734	3
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,110	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	2,231	2
Steers	Large 1	550–600	564	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	1,791	8
Heifers	Large 1	1000–1050	1,013	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	2,178	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	900–950	935	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	2,141	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	361	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,372	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,711	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	881	245.98/cwt	242.00–247.00	2,167	15
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	738	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,948	14
Steers	Medium and Large 2	950–1000	952	224.00/cwt	224.00–224.00	2,132	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	750–800	798	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	2,171	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	678	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	1,993	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	721	259.00/cwt	259.00–259.00	1,867	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	950	262.00/cwt	262.00–262.00	2,489	96
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	829	275.18/cwt	273.00–281.00	2,281	73
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,150	166.06/cwt	143.00–195.00	1,910	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	926	262.14/cwt	257.00–268.00	2,427	80
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	519	370.49/cwt	360.00–382.00	1,923	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	337.53/cwt	330.00–342.00	1,755	73
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	589	342.91/cwt	327.00–350.00	2,020	109
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	676	304.80/cwt	299.00–307.50	2,060	42
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	815	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	2,078	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	316.62/cwt	289.00–323.00	1,979	87

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 →