Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-07-31
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-07-31

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on a limited test. Demand was very good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Lots of variation was noticed in type and kind this week. 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. Cutting bulls all sold with higher undertones in on a limited offering. 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 for light to moderate offerings. Slaughter cows sold on mostly good demand. A larger portion of the cow offering was purchased for immediate harvest this week. Slaughter cows sold generally steady on all classes. Yield was not as good this sale as most cows were pushing at least moderate levels of fill. While cows appeared slightly lower in price yield was not as good and cows remain fully steady on a dressed basis. Most cows cost $315-330 dressed this sale. Demand for feeding cows remains very good. Feeding cows sold generally steady. Feeding cow quality was not as attractive this week and weigh conditions were average to below average. Demand for thin fleshed cows that will gain quickly on feed remains very good. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly good demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to firm. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Quality this week was mostly average. Too few offerings were seen to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Many sets of young cows were purchased to feed this week and these offerings were purchased higher than last sale.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $342.00/cwt on 6 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −145.78 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$342.00

6 head · 569 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,946

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$98

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

$34.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

−39.68 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	555	359.00	1,992	3thin
Medium and Large 2	583	325.00	1,895	3thin

One grade step is worth $34.00/cwt here — about $98 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 sale6 hd

342.00

—

MT average1 barns · 6 hd

342.00

+0.00

National average143 barns · 4,821 hd

381.68

−39.68

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−145.78

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	1,723	190.06	3,274	107
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,648	162.32	2,676	43
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,426	161.79	2,306	175
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,180	151.29	1,785	37
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,565	147.50	2,308	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
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,273	$3,821	18
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,522	$3,750	10
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,364	$3,213	8

Every lot, as filed

72 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	689	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	2,467	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	432	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	1,922	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	338	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	1,606	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	445	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,713	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	583	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,895	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	950–1000	975	288.00/cwt	288.00–288.00	2,808	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	555	359.00/cwt	359.00–359.00	1,992	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	465	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,093	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	335	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,240	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	873	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,532	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	615	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	1,950	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,898	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	503	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,962	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	945	289.00/cwt	289.00–289.00	2,731	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	602	338.00/cwt	338.00–338.00	2,035	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	937	310.50/cwt	310.50–310.50	2,909	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,016	296.50/cwt	296.50–296.50	3,012	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	485	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,770	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	519	354.13/cwt	350.00–355.00	1,838	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	889	290.50/cwt	290.50–290.50	2,583	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,035	280.50/cwt	280.00–281.00	2,903	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	935	288.00/cwt	288.00–288.00	2,693	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	758	321.00/cwt	321.00–321.00	2,433	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	735	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	2,334	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	927	303.06/cwt	295.00–305.00	2,809	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	468	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,720	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	303.67/cwt	302.50–306.00	2,445	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,288	2,950.00/head	2,950.00–2,950.00	2,950	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,389	3,300.00/head	3,300.00–3,300.00	3,300	6
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,522	3,750.00/head	3,750.00–3,750.00	3,750	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,607	167.62/cwt	166.50–170.00	2,694	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,355	159.35/cwt	157.50–162.00	2,159	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,097	125.04/cwt	116.00–137.50	1,372	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,868	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	2,933	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,745	161.12/cwt	159.00–164.50	2,812	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,437	147.47/cwt	140.00–152.00	2,119	11
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,050	150.16/cwt	147.50–153.00	1,577	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,416	159.24/cwt	152.00–163.00	2,255	54
Bulls	—	—	1,650	176.97/cwt	165.00–180.00	2,920	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,764	154.96/cwt	153.00–157.00	2,733	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,707	165.32/cwt	164.00–169.50	2,822	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,454	157.30/cwt	153.00–161.00	2,287	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,248	140.95/cwt	140.00–145.00	1,759	5
Bulls	—	—	1,765	199.00/cwt	199.00–199.00	3,512	1
Bulls	—	—	1,953	191.50/cwt	183.00–197.00	3,740	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,221	164.80/cwt	164.00–168.00	2,012	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,185	159.22/cwt	157.00–161.50	1,887	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	915	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,075	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,414	167.11/cwt	160.50–178.00	2,363	79
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,490	166.13/cwt	163.00–168.50	2,475	9
Bulls	—	—	1,320	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	2,402	1
Bulls	—	—	1,936	203.50/cwt	198.00–225.00	3,940	31
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,565	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	2,308	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,478	140.99/cwt	130.00–147.00	2,084	4
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,065	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,929	1
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,203	209.74/cwt	207.00–212.50	2,523	2
Steers	Large 1	900–950	945	302.00/cwt	302.00–302.00	2,854	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,471	178.31/cwt	169.00–183.00	2,623	18
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,459	185.82/cwt	182.00–193.00	2,711	24
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,535	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	4,969	1
Heifers	Medium 1	700–750	713	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	2,228	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	775	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,093	1
Steers	Large 1-2	750–800	770	298.00/cwt	298.00–298.00	2,295	3
Bulls	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,155	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,714	1
Steers	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,118	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	2,963	4
Heifers	Large 1	750–800	779	307.00/cwt	307.00–307.00	2,392	7
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,273	3,820.85/head	3,775.00–3,850.00	3,821	18
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,143	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	2,057	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,560	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,621	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,147	192.11/cwt	178.00–221.00	2,204	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,160	191.00/cwt	191.00–191.00	2,216	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,202	219.25/cwt	207.00–237.50	2,635	14

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 →