Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-01-22
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-22

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (1-15-26): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on a lighter poorer quality offering. Demand for all feeder cattle was good to very good for light offerings. Demand for plain offerings was very good this week with more takers for this class of cattle. Quality this week was mostly plain to average with limited offering of attractive feeders noticed. Most feeder cattle were offered in small groups or as singles this sale. Market activity was mostly active despite a small buyer pool. Internet bidding was active this week. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light to moderate offerings. Feeding cow demand was good to very good with serval buyers actively buying cows to feed. Feeding cows sold steady to firm. Slaughter cows sold on good demand this week. Packers showed stronger demand for slaughter cows as they competed with feeding cow buyers over offerings. Breaking cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 higher, boning and lean cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00 higher. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average to start the sale but improved as the sale progressed. Young age offerings suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however firm undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mostly plain to average.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $475.93/cwt on 41 head, down $25.94 from the prior sale. That ranks 8 of 21 comparable sales and sits −11.85 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$475.93

▼ 25.94 vs prior sale

41 head · 537 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,558

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$582

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

$127.75/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−13.95

vs MT average

+10.60 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	531	502.75	2,667	32
Medium and Large 1-2	583	400.00	2,332	2thin
Medium and Large 2	556	375.00	2,085	7thin

One grade step is worth $127.75/cwt here — about $582 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

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 sale41 hd

475.93

—

MT average3 barns · 661 hd

489.88

−13.95

National average169 barns · 18,411 hd

465.33

+10.60

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−11.85

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	1,625	175.43	2,851	49
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,623	168.19	2,729	43
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,346	159.92	2,152	237
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,111	142.15	1,579	140

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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,205	$3,400	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,345	$3,207	11
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,466	$3,000	15
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,550	$2,794	17
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,362	$2,648	49
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,307	$2,450	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
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,403	2,568.65/head	2,550.00–2,600.00	2,569	8
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	848	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	2,162	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,390	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	2,530	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,307	2,450.00/head	2,450.00–2,450.00	2,450	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,205	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,371	2,724.36/head	2,700.00–2,800.00	2,724	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	330	534.46/cwt	510.00–545.00	1,764	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	653	364.00/cwt	364.00–364.00	2,377	17
Heifers	Large 1	700–750	725	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,320	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	540	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,295	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	765	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,486	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	451	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	2,278	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	571	421.01/cwt	417.00–430.00	2,404	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	659	361.05/cwt	357.50–365.00	2,379	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	478	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	2,175	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	720	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,520	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	556	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,085	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	824	313.00/cwt	313.00–313.00	2,579	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	523	497.50/cwt	497.50–497.50	2,602	2
Steers	Large 1	650–700	680	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,584	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	471	347.78/cwt	300.00–405.00	1,638	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	373	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	2,275	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	583	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,332	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	620	371.58/cwt	359.00–385.00	2,304	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	553	475.52/cwt	465.00–480.00	2,630	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	618	404.00/cwt	404.00–404.00	2,497	16
Steers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	826	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,685	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	516.89/cwt	510.00–520.00	2,688	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	348	635.00/cwt	635.00–635.00	2,210	2
Steers	Medium 1	400–450	446	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,408	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	731	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,632	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	485	506.57/cwt	470.00–525.00	2,457	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	663	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,652	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,231	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	528	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,244	2
Heifers	Large 1	600–650	625	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,250	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	517	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,275	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	538	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,260	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	573	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,349	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	525	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,310	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,574	170.72/cwt	170.00–171.00	2,687	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,167	158.64/cwt	154.00–165.00	1,851	37
Bulls	—	—	1,881	182.35/cwt	177.00–186.00	3,430	17
Bulls	—	—	1,773	163.28/cwt	152.50–172.00	2,895	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,667	164.34/cwt	163.00–165.00	2,740	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,810	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,715	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,048	138.23/cwt	137.50–139.00	1,449	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,512	149.90/cwt	149.00–153.00	2,266	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,643	167.37/cwt	166.50–168.00	2,750	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,382	150.70/cwt	126.00–156.00	2,083	31
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,369	170.68/cwt	169.50–173.00	2,337	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,098	169.32/cwt	168.00–172.00	1,859	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,333	122.50/cwt	122.50–122.50	1,633	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	824	109.14/cwt	102.50–115.00	899	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	791	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	941	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,398	133.20/cwt	127.50–145.00	1,862	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,042	102.50/cwt	97.50–105.00	1,068	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,099	118.19/cwt	116.00–124.00	1,299	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,905	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	3,200	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,321	163.51/cwt	157.00–169.50	2,160	155
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,142	141.81/cwt	124.00–155.00	1,619	64
Bulls	—Non-Traditional	—	1,313	178.34/cwt	177.00–182.00	2,342	4
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,130	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,752	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,513	171.51/cwt	159.00–175.00	2,595	24
Bulls	—Non-Traditional	—	1,415	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	2,618	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,352	3,207.42/head	3,175.00–3,400.00	3,207	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	901	292.73/cwt	230.00–314.00	2,637	77
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	852	282.86/cwt	215.00–320.00	2,410	21
Bred Cows	Large 1	—	1,526	2,650.00/head	2,650.00–2,650.00	2,650	7
Bred Cows	Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,538	2,607.41/head	2,550.00–2,650.00	2,607	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,154	2,450.00/head	2,450.00–2,450.00	2,450	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	991	212.66/cwt	170.00–255.00	2,107	23
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	700	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,715	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,345	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	2,273	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,280	3,200.00/head	3,200.00–3,200.00	3,200	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,466	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,567	2,894.43/head	2,800.00–2,925.00	2,894	10
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	730	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,825	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	985	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,724	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,007	249.47/cwt	180.00–315.00	2,512	33

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 →