Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-10-30
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-30

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested today to develop any market trend. Steer calves 350-449 lbs sold sharply lower with most sales 20.00-40.00 lower; steer calves over 450 lbs sold mostly 10.00-30.00 lower. Heifer calves under 550 lbs sold 20.00-40.00 lower, heifers over 550 lbs sold 5.00 to 15.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Demand was mostly moderate to good for moderate to heavy offerings. Yearling quality was mostly plain to average today. Yearling offerings were very light. Calf quality was mixed from plain to very attractive. Quality this week was not as attractive as last week with more small packages of calves noticed. Demand for front end attractive offerings was good with several order buyers buying for packers actively bidding on both steers and heifers. Many cutback offerings were seen this week. Some packages of calves were stale and had been off the cow for a few days, especially packages of calves offered later in the sale. Buyers showed very light demand for these and for short weaned offerings. Many blemished offerings were seen this sale as well, with some large packages of frost bit ears and tails. These offerings are not included in the report below but for reference sold 40.00-60.00 behind their unblemished counterparts. Demand for high quality heifers was good with several buyers showing strong premiums for heifers that could be developed into replacements. These offerings were tagged as fancy in the report below. CME positions traded higher much of the day after a week of sharply lower movement. Market activity was moderate to active with a large crowd on hand for todays sale. Internet bidding remains sluggish as many buyers remain sidelined following the last week of sharply lower CME contract movement. No cows will be sold on Thursdays in the fall.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $422.29/cwt on 589 head. That ranks 2 of 21 comparable sales and sits −65.49 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$422.29

589 head · 560 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,363

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$219

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$52.14/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.14

vs MT average

−7.43 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	555	433.14	2,402	403
Medium and Large 1-2	573	400.27	2,292	169
Large 1	594	388.00	2,305	6thin
Medium and Large 2	507	382.50	1,939	8thin
Medium 1	573	381.00	2,183	3thin

One grade step is worth $52.14/cwt here — about $219 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 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 sale589 hd

422.29

—

MT average5 barns · 2,100 hd

420.15

+2.14

National average179 barns · 33,800 hd

429.72

−7.43

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−65.49

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot, as filed

91 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 1Unweaned	550–600	581	420.63/cwt	400.00–442.00	2,444	206
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	390	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,106	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	674	383.21/cwt	372.50–387.00	2,583	62
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	476	497.64/cwt	470.00–525.00	2,369	206
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	537	426.45/cwt	407.50–433.00	2,290	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	709	383.47/cwt	377.00–386.50	2,719	55
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	423	522.68/cwt	510.00–550.00	2,211	67
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	700–750	726	364.56/cwt	358.00–372.00	2,647	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	800–850	800	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,800	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	750–800	788	369.41/cwt	368.00–370.00	2,911	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	580	377.90/cwt	365.00–386.00	2,192	81
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	228	722.91/cwt	710.00–735.00	1,648	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	527	446.22/cwt	433.00–475.00	2,352	197
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	364	606.27/cwt	550.00–617.00	2,207	111
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	441	436.64/cwt	430.00–482.50	1,926	47
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	538	373.23/cwt	370.00–375.00	2,008	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	717	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	2,384	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	527	396.21/cwt	379.00–417.50	2,088	154
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	332	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	1,776	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	284	665.00/cwt	665.00–665.00	1,889	23
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	360	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	2,088	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	369	516.67/cwt	472.50–530.00	1,907	146
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	259	625.15/cwt	625.00–630.00	1,619	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	681	342.56/cwt	338.00–351.00	2,333	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,007	292.00/cwt	292.00–292.00	2,940	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	621	369.09/cwt	363.00–375.00	2,292	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	745	340.50/cwt	340.50–340.50	2,537	17
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	654	346.00/cwt	346.00–346.00	2,263	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	985	301.50/cwt	301.50–301.50	2,970	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	613	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,452	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	892	311.71/cwt	311.00–312.00	2,780	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	475	431.68/cwt	400.00–445.00	2,050	271
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	565	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,260	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	817	322.00/cwt	322.00–322.00	2,631	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	511.00/cwt	511.00–511.00	2,274	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	1000–1050	1,048	281.50/cwt	281.50–281.50	2,950	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	550–600	573	357.05/cwt	355.00–360.00	2,046	30
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	589	361.78/cwt	360.00–362.50	2,131	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	410	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,968	1
Steers	Medium 1	650–700	678	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	2,390	9
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	594	388.00/cwt	388.00–388.00	2,305	6
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	700–750	718	313.00/cwt	313.00–313.00	2,247	8
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,075	283.00/cwt	283.00–283.00	3,042	3
Heifers	Large 1Full	1050–1100	1,062	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	2,878	6
Steers	Large 1Full	1050–1100	1,057	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	3,330	3
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	350–400	352	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,654	3
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	450–500	490	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,181	2
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	550–600	573	381.00/cwt	381.00–381.00	2,183	3
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	543	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,765	5
Heifers	Medium 1	600–650	616	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,848	14
Heifers	Medium 1	700–750	702	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	2,264	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	624	398.83/cwt	382.00–409.00	2,489	288
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	600–650	600	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,070	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	1000–1050	1,018	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	3,207	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	584	390.44/cwt	387.00–395.00	2,280	109
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	453	467.00/cwt	467.00–467.00	2,116	120
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	350–400	368	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,030	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	400–450	430	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,570	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	500–550	527	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,686	31
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	600–650	623	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	2,071	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	500–550	507	382.50/cwt	382.50–382.50	1,939	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	651	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	2,327	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	912	306.00/cwt	306.00–306.00	2,791	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	379	473.11/cwt	430.00–490.00	1,793	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	485	451.86/cwt	382.50–458.00	2,192	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	580	396.50/cwt	364.00–406.00	2,300	140
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	250–300	271	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	1,409	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	700–750	700	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,275	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	649	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,174	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	500–550	533	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,025	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	328	571.08/cwt	550.00–575.00	1,873	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	381	539.36/cwt	532.50–545.00	2,055	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	958	323.09/cwt	317.50–327.50	3,095	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	617	378.05/cwt	364.00–385.00	2,333	84
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	510	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,658	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	728	333.00/cwt	333.00–333.00	2,424	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	442	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,856	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	550–600	590	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,918	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	435	410.82/cwt	345.00–435.00	1,787	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	761	324.00/cwt	324.00–324.00	2,466	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	427	491.11/cwt	472.50–501.00	2,097	59
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	983	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	2,664	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,083	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	936	323.55/cwt	320.00–329.00	3,028	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	577	348.29/cwt	335.00–355.00	2,010	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	450–500	466	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,794	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	450–500	454	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,816	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	488	382.91/cwt	355.00–395.00	1,869	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	696	326.00/cwt	326.00–326.00	2,269	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	526	360.65/cwt	357.00–371.00	1,897	34
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	300–350	316	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	1,659	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 →