Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-03-06
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-03-06

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer calves were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on steers under 750 lbs. Steers over 750 lbs were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. All heifers were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Demand was mostly good for moderate offerings. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Lots of variation was seen in quality this week. Package sizes were mostly small to moderate this week with a large portion of the offering with packages of 10 head or less. Demand for heifers was stronger than demand for steers this week. Several buyers were looking for heifers light enough to run on grass this summer. Buyers were very cognizant of flesh as several sets of feeders had been in grow lots and showed some flesh and tag. Market activity was moderate to active this sale with bidders both ringside and over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light to moderate offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was slightly lighter this week compared to last week as buyers focused on buying cows to feed instead of slaughter. Feeding cows sold generally steady on both high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white and on thin short term feeding cows. Slaughter cows sold steady to weak on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold unevenly steady as yielding conditions were mixed and buyers discounted very full cows heavily. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average today as most cows were very full. Slaughter bulls sold steady in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $352.07/cwt on 280 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −135.71 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$352.07

280 head · 565 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,988

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$292

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

$38.23/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−6.85

vs MT average

+2.79 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	569	356.23	2,028	225
Large 1	538	344.00	1,851	19thin
Medium and Large 1-2	550	331.87	1,825	32
Medium and Large 2	546	318.00	1,736	4thin

One grade step is worth $38.23/cwt here — about $292 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale280 hd

352.07

—

MT average3 barns · 786 hd

358.92

−6.85

National average172 barns · 12,998 hd

349.28

+2.79

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−135.71

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	1,972	167.14	3,296	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,642	141.10	2,317	28
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,399	139.40	1,951	133
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,173	125.29	1,470	122
Dairy Bulls	—	Low	1,470	143.00	2,102	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
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,330	$2,700	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,252	$2,675	3thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,480	$1,950	1thin

Every lot, as filed

113 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	756	258.00/cwt	258.00–258.00	1,950	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,064	191.80/cwt	150.00–218.00	2,041	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	411	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,603	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	770	265.84/cwt	265.00–267.00	2,047	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,005	169.63/cwt	142.50–191.00	1,705	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	680	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	1,999	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	563	326.58/cwt	318.00–330.00	1,839	105
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,060	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,696	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,252	2,675.00/head	2,675.00–2,675.00	2,675	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	582	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,717	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	679	281.71/cwt	278.00–289.00	1,913	51
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	971	235.01/cwt	223.00–236.00	2,282	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,330	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	685	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,952	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	429	372.94/cwt	367.50–384.00	1,600	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	301.28/cwt	286.00–305.00	2,169	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	340.04/cwt	330.00–349.00	1,772	92
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	631	302.30/cwt	289.00–314.00	1,908	96
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,268	146.33/cwt	142.00–150.00	1,855	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	671	321.26/cwt	309.00–325.75	2,156	190
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	821	272.41/cwt	267.00–273.00	2,236	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	716	278.76/cwt	277.00–283.00	1,996	70
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	755	274.77/cwt	274.00–279.00	2,075	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	412	434.37/cwt	415.00–440.00	1,790	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	472	354.87/cwt	342.50–365.00	1,675	52
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	584	349.84/cwt	341.00–357.50	2,043	170
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	791	273.25/cwt	270.00–275.00	2,161	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	605	335.30/cwt	333.00–343.00	2,029	37
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	905	203.37/cwt	165.00–222.00	1,840	29
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,480	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,056	207.06/cwt	180.00–255.00	2,187	43
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	669	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	1,900	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	833	235.29/cwt	232.50–238.00	1,960	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	373	380.94/cwt	367.50–390.00	1,421	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	631	314.73/cwt	300.00–323.00	1,986	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	475	337.00/cwt	337.00–337.00	1,601	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	743	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	1,910	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	344	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,582	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	843	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	2,167	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	636	283.38/cwt	277.00–285.00	1,802	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	482	366.59/cwt	350.00–380.00	1,767	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	577	325.39/cwt	318.00–339.00	1,878	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	354	414.22/cwt	400.00–420.00	1,466	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	434	399.10/cwt	388.00–410.00	1,732	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	309.89/cwt	306.00–311.00	1,791	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	505	342.66/cwt	341.00–347.50	1,730	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	682	293.32/cwt	286.00–301.00	2,000	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	785	268.00/cwt	268.00–268.00	2,104	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	526	321.24/cwt	312.00–326.00	1,690	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	673	269.49/cwt	268.00–273.00	1,814	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,374	141.46/cwt	136.00–146.00	1,944	54
Bulls	—	—	2,315	175.27/cwt	171.00–179.00	4,058	3
Dairy Bulls	—	—	1,470	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	2,102	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,215	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	1,671	1
Bulls	—	—	2,182	187.31/cwt	186.00–190.00	4,087	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,585	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,298	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,207	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	1,714	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,759	138.08/cwt	135.00–139.00	2,429	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,183	141.01/cwt	136.00–145.00	1,668	23
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	968	82.50/cwt	82.50–82.50	799	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	885	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	974	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,225	123.49/cwt	116.00–135.00	1,513	58
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,378	153.52/cwt	151.00–158.00	2,116	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,673	131.22/cwt	126.00–139.50	2,195	5
Bulls	—	—	2,285	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	4,204	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,609	144.33/cwt	142.00–145.50	2,322	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,374	149.59/cwt	147.00–153.00	2,055	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,095	116.91/cwt	116.00–130.00	1,280	32
Bulls	—	—	1,872	152.62/cwt	150.50–154.00	2,857	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,137	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,660	3
Bulls	—	—	1,919	166.49/cwt	160.00–171.00	3,195	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,436	144.02/cwt	139.50–147.50	2,068	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,440	124.09/cwt	118.50–136.00	1,787	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,409	129.08/cwt	115.00–135.00	1,819	29
Heifers	Large 1	550–600	582	313.86/cwt	312.00–320.00	1,827	17
Heifers	Large 1	700–750	716	268.00/cwt	268.00–268.00	1,919	9
Bulls	Large 1	1150–1200	1,186	207.00/cwt	207.00–207.00	2,455	4
Steers	Large 1Thin Fleshed	600–650	600	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	1,986	48
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	938	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	1,618	2
Heifers	Large 1-2	600–650	628	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,570	3
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	583	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,778	7
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	776	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,746	5
Heifers	Medium 1	350–400	375	391.00/cwt	391.00–391.00	1,466	13
Stock Cows	Medium 1Thin Fleshed	—	603	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,206	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	933	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	2,360	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	393.34/cwt	388.00–416.00	1,876	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	524	375.97/cwt	365.00–385.00	1,970	55
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	934	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,195	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	750–800	753	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,920	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	856	253.03/cwt	245.00–259.00	2,166	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	736	270.15/cwt	270.00–271.00	1,988	48
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	863	272.26/cwt	270.00–273.00	2,350	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	800–850	800	267.00/cwt	267.00–267.00	2,136	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	800–850	808	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	2,077	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	750–800	764	260.99/cwt	260.00–263.00	1,994	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	558	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	1,741	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	923	237.44/cwt	237.00–239.00	2,192	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	662	277.74/cwt	277.00–278.00	1,839	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	583	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,749	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	525	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,418	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	546	318.00/cwt	318.00–318.00	1,736	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	731	273.50/cwt	273.50–273.50	1,999	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	417	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,543	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	435	345.57/cwt	325.00–360.00	1,503	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	720	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,088	6
Steers	Medium 1	750–800	784	266.00/cwt	266.00–266.00	2,085	6
Heifers	Medium 1	450–500	474	307.84/cwt	302.50–310.00	1,459	7
Steers	Medium 1	400–450	428	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,584	2
Steers	Medium 1Fleshy	600–650	608	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	1,626	2
Steers	Medium 1Fleshy	650–700	677	265.81/cwt	265.00–267.50	1,800	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	444	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,288	4
Steers	Large 1	500–550	538	344.00/cwt	344.00–344.00	1,851	19
Heifers	Medium 1-2	350–400	375	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,369	3

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 →