Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-07-24
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-07-24

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Demand was very good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly average with a few attractive offerings noticed. One featured consignment of beef on dairy steers and heifers sold on very good demand. Many blemished offerings continue to be seen as consigners take advantage of another week of higher prices. Demand for cutting bulls remains very good as several buyers were searching for bulls to cut and make steers. Market activity was active with rapid, aggressive bidding noticed both ringside and over the internet. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on breaking cows boning and lean slaughter cows sold steady to firm. Demand for feeding cows remains very good. Feeding cows sold steady to 1.00 higher. Demand for thin fleshed cows that will gain quickly on feed was very good as several private feeders showed very good demand for this class of cows. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were mixed this week. Some cows were full and tanked up on water while others offered attractive weigh conditions. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly good demand for moderate offerings. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on mostly light to moderate demand. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Too few young cows were seen this week to develop any market trend.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $375.00/cwt on 13 head. That ranks 3 of 21 comparable sales and sits −58.86 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$375.00

13 head · 519 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,947

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$67

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

$32.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

+34.82 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	504	382.50	1,928	10thin
Medium and Large 1-2	570	350.00	1,995	3thin

One grade step is worth $32.50/cwt here — about −$67 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 sale13 hd

375.00

—

MT average1 barns · 13 hd

375.00

+0.00

National average146 barns · 6,788 hd

340.18

+34.82

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−58.86

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	1,830	188.52	3,449	78
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,644	165.57	2,722	33
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,398	162.42	2,271	195
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,169	159.09	1,860	35
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,579	149.36	2,359	7thin

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)	1,593	$3,300	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,609	$3,275	10
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,640	$3,750	1thin

Every lot, as filed

68 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	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,151	227.00/cwt	227.00–227.00	2,613	4
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	850–900	884	307.00/cwt	307.00–307.00	2,714	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	331	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,274	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	524	388.62/cwt	387.00–394.00	2,036	13
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,120	200.34/cwt	186.00–231.00	2,244	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,640	3,750.00/head	3,750.00–3,750.00	3,750	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,076	169.38/cwt	162.50–192.50	1,823	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	717	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,151	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	504	382.50/cwt	382.50–382.50	1,928	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	463	390.35/cwt	385.00–392.50	1,807	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	988	265.72/cwt	264.00–266.00	2,625	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	900	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	2,529	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	780	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	2,192	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	900	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	2,655	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,060	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	2,131	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	423	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,607	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,609	3,275.00/head	3,275.00–3,275.00	3,275	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,134	171.88/cwt	167.00–240.00	1,949	24
Steers	Medium and Large 2	950–1000	982	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,750	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	652	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	2,168	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	838	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,514	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,014	284.87/cwt	272.50–287.00	2,889	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	900	287.00/cwt	287.00–287.00	2,583	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,593	3,300.00/head	3,300.00–3,300.00	3,300	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	673	340.75/cwt	340.00–342.50	2,293	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	570	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,995	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	313.00/cwt	313.00–313.00	2,301	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	993	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,681	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,735	167.99/cwt	167.50–169.00	2,915	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,671	163.70/cwt	160.00–166.50	2,735	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,365	165.91/cwt	164.00–172.00	2,265	52
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,184	161.53/cwt	153.00–165.00	1,913	16
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,423	152.78/cwt	147.00–156.00	2,174	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Non-Traditional	—	1,300	167.25/cwt	166.00–168.00	2,174	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,293	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	2,082	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,732	164.62/cwt	163.50–166.00	2,851	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,352	144.02/cwt	142.00–146.00	1,947	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,575	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	2,315	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,586	167.24/cwt	164.00–171.00	2,652	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Non-Traditional	—	1,543	172.01/cwt	169.00–174.00	2,654	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,417	162.10/cwt	157.00–164.00	2,297	114
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,122	168.03/cwt	165.00–169.00	1,885	10
Bulls	—	—	2,278	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	4,146	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,166	140.21/cwt	132.50–144.50	1,635	7
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,377	162.50/cwt	162.50–162.50	2,238	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,525	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	2,410	1
Bulls	—	—	1,890	190.92/cwt	184.00–196.00	3,608	18
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,502	172.65/cwt	158.00–179.00	2,593	12
Bulls	—	—	2,026	201.69/cwt	197.00–221.00	4,086	22
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,404	157.27/cwt	151.00–160.00	2,208	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,374	162.44/cwt	161.00–163.50	2,232	9
Dairy Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,731	139.50/cwt	139.50–139.50	2,415	4
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,208	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	2,803	2
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,133	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,833	2
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,075	183.00/cwt	183.00–183.00	1,967	1
Bulls	—	—	2,345	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	4,456	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,745	185.17/cwt	180.00–193.00	3,231	19
Bulls	—	—	1,511	171.61/cwt	162.00–177.50	2,593	4
Dairy Steers	Large 3	750–800	761	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	1,766	7
Dairy Steers	Large 3	650–700	696	237.50/cwt	237.50–237.50	1,653	10
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 3	550–600	575	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,466	5
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 1-2	950–1000	955	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	2,664	4
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,022	291.10/cwt	286.00–292.00	2,975	27
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 1-2	850–900	865	291.00/cwt	291.00–291.00	2,517	27
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 3	600–650	636	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,638	9
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 2	800–850	848	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	2,340	3
Heifers	Large 1-2	900–950	913	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	2,566	7
Steers	Large 1-2	850–900	870	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,706	2

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 →