Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-04-03
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-04-03

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (3/20/25): Feeder steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed on all feeder cattle offerings. Demand was mostly very good for heavy offerings. Quality this week was mixed from average to very attractive. Many long strings of feeders were seen today for todays Spring N.I.L.E. feeder cattle special. Many set of backgrounded cattle were seen this week. Some cattle were developed specifically for grass and were in very light to light flesh. Buyers showed very good demand for thin fleshed cattle which they planned on running on grass. Package sizes were mixed this week however, a large portion of the offering was comprised of load lots and partial load lots. Buyers took cattle up to 700 lbs for steers and 625 lbs for heifers to go to grass. Cattle too big to go to grass sold on good to very good demand as well. Order buyers, buying for packers, were active in buying many of these offerings, especially heifers. Demand for heifers too big to go to grass was very good as quality was very attractive. Many sets of heifers were advertised as replacement quality and demand from feeding buyers and replacement buyers pushed all heifers higher. Market activity was active this sale with bidders both ringside and over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light offerings. Regional packers and major packers continue to push to own high quality offerings. Major packers purchased cows mostly to feed while regional packers purchased cows to slaughter. Demand for both slaughter and feeding cows was good this week. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on breaking and boning cows. Lean cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, as most offerings were purchased by feeding buyers; higher undertones were noticed. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on boning flesh cows. Lean fleshed feeding cows sold 4.00-6.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Weigh up conditions were mostly average today. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mostly average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $348.64/cwt on 362 head. That ranks 3 of 21 comparable sales and sits −85.22 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$348.64

362 head · 556 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,938

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$259

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

$46.21/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+3.86

vs MT average

+27.26 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	555	356.44	1,979	273
Medium and Large 1-2	556	327.51	1,820	73
Medium 1	586	316.00	1,852	5thin
Medium and Large 2	555	310.23	1,720	11thin

One grade step is worth $46.21/cwt here — about $259 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

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $469.35, low $332.50, median $433.86 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 sale362 hd

348.64

—

MT average3 barns · 492 hd

344.78

+3.86

National average178 barns · 12,751 hd

321.38

+27.26

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−85.22

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	1,703	168.13	2,863	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,634	153.87	2,514	4thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,208	143.78	1,737	26
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,433	143.46	2,055	31

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	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,158	$2,050	8

Every lot, as filed

103 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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	640	307.85/cwt	292.00–313.00	1,970	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	720	277.46/cwt	273.00–281.00	1,998	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	768	268.00/cwt	268.00–268.00	2,058	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	814	256.04/cwt	253.00–259.00	2,084	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	920	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	1,403	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	463	386.73/cwt	378.00–395.00	1,791	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	650–700	698	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,171	71
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	664	312.64/cwt	304.00–315.25	2,076	454
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	760	283.45/cwt	280.00–287.00	2,154	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	750–800	793	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	2,022	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	624	323.01/cwt	316.00–336.00	2,016	586
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	697	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	1,979	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	272.23/cwt	270.00–274.00	2,491	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	650–700	650	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	2,353	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	538	366.29/cwt	347.50–372.00	1,971	80
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	767	284.66/cwt	277.50–287.50	2,183	86
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	717	297.04/cwt	284.00–300.50	2,130	158
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	850–900	877	264.16/cwt	261.00–267.00	2,317	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	882	279.78/cwt	276.00–281.00	2,468	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	423	399.10/cwt	393.00–415.00	1,688	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	563	352.75/cwt	335.00–355.00	1,986	187
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	467	409.09/cwt	407.50–412.50	1,910	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	670	329.84/cwt	325.00–337.00	2,210	32
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	860	253.00/cwt	253.00–253.00	2,176	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	800	2,310.00/head	2,310.00–2,310.00	2,310	69
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	389	416.27/cwt	415.00–420.00	1,619	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	955	1,900.00/head	1,900.00–1,900.00	1,900	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	950	189.50/cwt	160.00–215.00	1,800	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	373	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,604	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	705	303.11/cwt	287.50–305.00	2,137	52
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	619	330.64/cwt	327.00–340.00	2,047	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	715	297.25/cwt	293.50–299.00	2,125	62
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	588	326.42/cwt	324.00–352.50	1,919	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	671	313.00/cwt	313.00–313.00	2,100	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	835	274.49/cwt	271.00–278.00	2,292	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	785	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,198	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	539	377.56/cwt	360.00–380.00	2,035	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	678	293.46/cwt	291.00–295.00	1,990	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	323	407.00/cwt	407.00–407.00	1,315	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	574	321.96/cwt	315.00–332.50	1,848	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	438	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,643	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	494	350.40/cwt	342.50–359.00	1,731	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	531	335.04/cwt	330.00–345.00	1,779	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	475	404.65/cwt	400.00–405.00	1,922	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	389	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,556	4
Bulls	—	—	1,867	178.92/cwt	172.00–184.00	3,340	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,417	151.89/cwt	138.00–157.00	2,152	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,408	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	2,182	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,384	145.65/cwt	143.00–152.00	2,016	12
Bulls	—	—	1,700	157.99/cwt	157.00–159.00	2,686	2
Bulls	—	—	2,220	186.45/cwt	185.00–188.00	4,139	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,583	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	2,485	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,350	165.49/cwt	165.00–166.00	2,234	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,218	120.62/cwt	117.50–124.00	1,469	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,275	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,817	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,060	101.00/cwt	101.00–101.00	1,071	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	945	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,200	1
Steers	Large 2	1050–1100	1,078	231.00/cwt	231.00–231.00	2,490	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,232	149.77/cwt	142.00–151.50	1,845	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,190	152.38/cwt	152.00–152.50	1,813	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,472	142.69/cwt	140.00–148.00	2,100	15
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,455	124.55/cwt	123.00–126.00	1,812	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,685	150.73/cwt	150.50–151.00	2,540	2
Steers	Large 1	800–850	831	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	2,202	7
Steers	Large 1	700–750	703	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,961	4
Heifers	Large 1	600–650	612	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	1,909	3
Heifers	Large 1	750–800	780	258.50/cwt	258.50–258.50	2,016	21
Heifers	Large 1	800–850	815	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	2,054	3
Bulls	Large 1-2	1200–1250	1,248	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	2,340	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	542	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	1,748	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	763	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	2,091	8
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	900	183.99/cwt	162.50–208.00	1,656	2
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	586	316.00/cwt	316.00–316.00	1,852	5
Steers	Large 1	600–650	641	324.38/cwt	313.00–331.00	2,079	17
Heifers	Large 1	650–700	697	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,945	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,238	155.44/cwt	153.00–158.00	1,924	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	600–650	627	346.00/cwt	346.00–346.00	2,169	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	770	296.11/cwt	289.50–303.50	2,280	111
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	822	272.53/cwt	267.00–277.00	2,240	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	731	309.53/cwt	300.75–318.00	2,263	161
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	950–1000	974	254.38/cwt	252.00–256.00	2,478	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,226	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	627	351.19/cwt	342.50–364.00	2,202	266
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	374.76/cwt	357.00–387.00	2,174	102
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	412	446.63/cwt	442.50–455.00	1,840	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	903	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	2,348	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	809	292.01/cwt	280.00–293.50	2,362	96
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	728	278.49/cwt	275.50–281.00	2,027	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	713	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	759	2,275.00/head	2,275.00–2,275.00	2,275	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	526	397.05/cwt	391.00–411.00	2,088	132
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,075	199.52/cwt	160.00–233.00	2,145	28
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,463	155.50/cwt	155.50–155.50	2,275	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	544	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,850	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	960	217.48/cwt	186.00–241.00	2,088	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	750–800	776	285.38/cwt	283.00–288.00	2,215	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	750–800	774	266.00/cwt	266.00–266.00	2,059	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	675	296.88/cwt	292.50–299.00	2,004	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	600–650	636	312.29/cwt	311.50–312.50	1,986	72
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	588	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,632	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	395	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	1,430	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	628	322.00/cwt	322.00–322.00	2,022	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	656	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	1,863	7

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 →