Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-05-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last reported sale(5-1-25): Feeder steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain. Many cattle were cutback cattle out of grow lots. A large portion of the feeder cattle offering was comprised of blemished offerings this week. A few offerings of fall calves were on offer this week and these offerings were met with mostly good demand. Feeder cattle were offered in mostly small packages or as singles. Market activity was moderate to active with good participation noticed both ringside and on the internet. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold on mostly light demand as packers continue to try and buy cattle lower. Very few cows were purchased for immediate harvest again this week as feeding demand remains stronger than slaughter demand. Breaking cows sold mostly 10.00 lower in a narrow comparison, boning and lean cows sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Feeding cows sold generally steady on high quality boning and lean cows, while poorer quality feeding cows sold 4.00-6.00 lower. Many poorer quality feeding cows were slightly blemished. As packers pulled back on slaughter cow prices this allowed poorer quality feeding cows to fall off in price and were mostly purchased by feeding buyers as a result. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average this week. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on mostly good to very good demand. Too few young cow offerings sold last week to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mixed.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $290.62/cwt on 45 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −143.24 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$290.62

45 head · 562 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,634

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$345

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

$80.31/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−10.84

vs MT average

−42.20 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	545	330.31	1,800	19thin
Medium 1	540	321.00	1,733	2thin
Large 1-2	558	290.00	1,618	4thin
Medium 2	582	250.00	1,455	20

One grade step is worth $80.31/cwt here — about $345 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale45 hd

290.62

—

MT average3 barns · 69 hd

301.45

−10.84

National average172 barns · 12,542 hd

332.82

−42.20

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−143.24

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	1,748	175.36	3,065	45
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,385	152.79	2,115	128
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,182	146.43	1,731	123
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,650	141.96	2,343	26
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,135	122.25	1,388	2thin

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)	1,250	$3,415	7
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,495	$2,934	3thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,497	$2,771	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,268	$2,500	3thin

Every lot, as filed

80 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	913	119.77/cwt	107.50–130.00	1,094	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,201	130.26/cwt	130.00–131.00	1,564	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,181	123.01/cwt	117.00–129.00	1,453	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,201	131.70/cwt	116.00–147.50	1,582	22
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	968	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	1,955	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,850	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	500	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,725	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	917	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,155	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	445	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,847	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	470	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,880	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	558	327.28/cwt	325.00–330.00	1,826	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	570	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,938	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	743	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,303	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	527	334.47/cwt	322.50–338.00	1,763	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	559	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,096	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	461	407.00/cwt	407.00–407.00	1,876	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	617	317.24/cwt	297.50–326.00	1,957	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	695	312.00/cwt	309.00–315.00	2,168	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	375	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,144	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	887	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	2,138	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	313	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,346	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	729	316.52/cwt	314.00–318.00	2,307	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	850–900	853	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	2,064	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	371.52/cwt	360.00–377.50	2,155	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	410	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	1,445	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	393	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,710	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	830	267.00/cwt	267.00–267.00	2,216	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	725	296.30/cwt	296.00–297.00	2,148	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	626	341.00/cwt	341.00–341.00	2,135	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	423	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,523	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	783	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	2,130	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	942	257.92/cwt	192.00–280.00	2,430	145
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,495	2,934.15/head	2,850.00–3,100.00	2,934	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,218	162.68/cwt	162.00–165.00	1,981	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	619	328.12/cwt	324.00–340.00	2,031	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,201	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	443	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,816	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	680	327.00/cwt	327.00–327.00	2,224	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,419	123.67/cwt	118.00–131.50	1,755	6
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,230	127.00/cwt	127.00–127.00	1,562	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,688	140.13/cwt	140.00–141.00	2,365	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,526	149.25/cwt	144.00–153.00	2,278	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,739	134.67/cwt	134.00–135.00	2,342	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,371	157.24/cwt	149.00–161.00	2,156	75
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,422	138.63/cwt	124.00–146.00	1,971	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,177	161.74/cwt	159.50–166.00	1,904	29
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,461	166.17/cwt	159.00–167.00	2,428	10
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,531	172.18/cwt	169.00–181.00	2,636	17
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,585	199.50/cwt	199.50–199.50	5,157	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,369	162.78/cwt	161.00–166.00	2,228	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,503	138.33/cwt	135.00–141.00	2,079	2
Bulls	—	—	2,595	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	4,775	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,078	102.74/cwt	100.00–106.00	1,108	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,193	154.48/cwt	150.00–157.50	1,843	51
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,040	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,222	1
Bulls	—	—	2,157	195.09/cwt	192.00–199.00	4,208	5
Bulls	—	—	1,979	177.73/cwt	170.00–186.00	3,517	10
Bulls	—	—	2,272	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	3,772	1
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	768	232.03/cwt	229.00–235.00	1,782	2
Heifers	Large 1-2	550–600	558	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,618	4
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,247	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	2,556	5
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,125	221.58/cwt	219.00–224.00	2,493	15
Bulls	Large 1	1250–1300	1,283	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	2,309	2
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,243	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	2,188	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,045	172.56/cwt	160.00–205.00	1,803	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	974	214.52/cwt	181.00–237.50	2,089	8
Steers	Medium 2-3	450–500	456	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,231	8
Heifers	Medium 2	550–600	582	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,455	20
Steers	Medium 1-2	350–400	388	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,416	4
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	540	321.00/cwt	321.00–321.00	1,733	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	663	302.53/cwt	291.00–306.00	2,006	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	476	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,428	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,497	2,771.44/head	2,700.00–2,850.00	2,771	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,129	196.78/cwt	161.00–245.00	2,222	70
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,268	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,250	3,414.62/head	3,350.00–3,475.00	3,415	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	628	330.33/cwt	327.50–333.00	2,074	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	800–850	821	250.51/cwt	249.00–254.00	2,057	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	318	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,049	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	847	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	2,363	5

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 →