Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-06-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-06-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (6-11-26): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Quality this week was mixed from plain to average. Demand was moderate to good for very light offerings. Group sizes were small with many singles noticed. Market activity was mostly moderate to active with a moderate size buyer pool noticed. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand and light offerings. Demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate to good. Canadian buyers continue to buy cows to ship north and feed. American packers purchased most of the cow offering to hold for the upcoming 4th of July holiday week. Many of these cows were slightly blemished or slightly lame. Boning and lean flesh feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Breaking flesh feeding cows sold mostly 4.00-8.00 lower as buyers showed lighter demand for heavily fleshed feeding cows. Most fleshy cows were purchased for slaughter this week. Cow quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly good to very good as packers showed very good demand for lean grinding materials. Boning and lean cows sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher, with a significantly larger portion being purchased for slaughter this week. Breaking cows sold mostly 3.00-4.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher on a higher quality and higher yielding bull offering. Feeding bulls sold mostly 5.00 higher. Feeding bull quality was significantly higher this week and more bulls were purchased to feed as a result. Weigh up conditions were mostly average for cows and bulls both this week. Young age offerings suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 10.00-15.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand for young rebreed cows continues to improved as rains helped improve pasture and range conditions across the Northern plains.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $461.80/cwt on 11 head, up $7.43 from the prior sale (only 12 head in that comparison). That ranks 5 of 21 comparable sales and sits −25.98 against this barn's trailing median of $487.78.

Average price

$461.80

▲ 7.43 vs prior sale

11 head · 581 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,683

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$425

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

$77.11/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+9.15

vs MT average

+2.75 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	588	477.11	2,805	7thin
Medium and Large 1-2	560	446.67	2,501	3thin
Medium and Large 2	595	400.00	2,380	1thin

One grade step is worth $77.11/cwt here — about $425 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 sale11 hd

461.80

—

MT average3 barns · 15 hd

452.65

+9.15

National average161 barns · 9,107 hd

459.05

+2.75

This barn, trailing median21 sales

487.78

−25.98

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	1,865	217.58	4,059	88
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,418	180.96	2,566	204
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,681	168.02	2,824	44
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,142	148.44	1,696	45
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,135	130.00	1,476	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
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,173	$3,900	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,435	$3,100	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,424	$2,668	37
Bred Heifers	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,068	$3,500	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,513	$3,900	6

Every lot, as filed

71 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
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,135	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,476	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,358	147.24/cwt	142.50–152.00	2,000	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,643	169.25/cwt	169.00–170.00	2,781	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,776	160.67/cwt	154.00–164.50	2,853	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,176	154.71/cwt	142.50–165.00	1,819	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,195	182.44/cwt	176.00–185.50	2,180	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,418	188.22/cwt	178.00–193.50	2,669	108
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,490	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	2,518	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,379	160.85/cwt	153.00–166.00	2,218	21
Bulls	—	—	1,687	209.91/cwt	208.00–212.00	3,541	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	770	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	847	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	975	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,268	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,552	216.17/cwt	212.00–220.00	3,355	22
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,510	251.00/cwt	251.00–251.00	6,300	1
Bulls	—	—	2,008	215.15/cwt	209.00–221.00	4,320	30
Bulls	—	—	1,716	204.82/cwt	190.00–208.50	3,515	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,403	167.39/cwt	157.00–175.00	2,348	24
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,443	181.85/cwt	176.00–185.50	2,624	48
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,111	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	3,000	4
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,050	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	3,150	1
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,165	197.18/cwt	195.00–199.00	2,297	2
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,015	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,817	1
Bulls	—	—	2,139	229.81/cwt	224.00–242.00	4,916	20
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,485	204.28/cwt	195.00–209.50	3,034	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,173	3,900.00/head	3,900.00–3,900.00	3,900	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	850	309.79/cwt	305.00–315.00	2,633	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	880	311.20/cwt	302.50–320.00	2,739	2
Bulls	Large 1	1200–1250	1,225	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	3,185	1
Bulls	Large 1	1300–1350	1,305	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	3,080	2
Bulls	Large 1	1150–1200	1,171	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	3,220	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	770	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,772	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,089	248.64/cwt	227.50–272.50	2,708	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,051	233.25/cwt	192.00–287.50	2,451	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,435	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,068	3,500.00/head	3,500.00–3,500.00	3,500	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,850	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	4,089	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	685	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,500	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	750	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,588	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	595	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,380	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	722	395.01/cwt	390.00–397.50	2,852	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	745	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,570	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	560	446.67/cwt	440.00–450.00	2,501	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,768	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	305	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,464	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	665	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,361	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	755	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,605	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	630	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,520	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	925	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,914	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,730	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	3,564	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	737	411.00/cwt	411.00–411.00	3,029	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	368.00/cwt	368.00–368.00	2,789	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	588	477.11/cwt	460.00–480.00	2,805	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	770	386.03/cwt	375.00–397.50	2,972	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	475	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,185	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,068	280.52/cwt	222.00–337.50	2,996	24
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,020	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	3,035	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	553	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,323	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	2,491	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	935	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	3,086	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	865	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,855	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,424	2,668.15/head	2,600.00–2,675.00	2,668	37
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,135	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	2,213	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,152	244.82/cwt	190.00–305.00	2,820	36
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	839	319.00/cwt	319.00–319.00	2,676	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,513	3,900.00/head	3,900.00–3,900.00	3,900	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,152	141.90/cwt	130.00–150.00	1,635	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,179	152.78/cwt	147.50–160.00	1,801	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,094	112.53/cwt	95.00–127.00	1,231	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,599	162.65/cwt	162.00–164.00	2,601	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,525	183.13/cwt	179.00–186.00	2,793	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,719	166.06/cwt	165.00–171.00	2,855	15

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 →