Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-07-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-07-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last reported sale (6-18-26): The last reported sale was one month ago. Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mixed with lots of variation noticed. Demand was moderate for light offerings. Group sizes were small with many singles noticed. Demand suffered as buyers were forced to piece together loads. Market activity was mostly moderate to active with a small size buyer pool noticed. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand for light offerings. Demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate to good. Canadian buyers continue to buy cows to ship north and feed. American packers and Canadian buyers both pushed to own cows this week and showed good to very good demand for high quality cows to feed. With the last sale one month ago price comparisons are not available. Breaking fleshed cows sold on slightly stronger demand this sale as feeding buyers saw these cows had value compared to boning and lean fleshed cow prices. Cow quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Demand for slaughter cows was slightly stronger this week compared to one month ago. Very few cows were purchased for slaughter this week as feeding demand continues to keep cow prices above slaughter cow orders. Weigh up conditions were mixed this week. Better weigh up conditions were seen early in the sale, however weigh conditions deteriorated as temperatures warmed well into the 90s. Slaughter bulls sold on good demand for light to moderate offerings. Young age offerings suitable to feed or rebreed were very lightly tested this week. Quality was mostly plain to average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $337.48/cwt on 26 head, down $87.21 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 21 comparable sales and sits −96.38 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$337.48

▼ 87.21 vs prior sale

26 head · 550 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,855

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$179

per head · Medium 1 over Medium 2

$3.27/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

−58.57 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	505	340.00	1,717	6thin
Medium 2	563	336.73	1,896	20

One grade step is worth $3.27/cwt here — about −$179 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

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 sale26 hd

337.48

—

MT average1 barns · 26 hd

337.48

+0.00

National average163 barns · 8,583 hd

396.05

−58.57

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−96.38

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	—	High	1,764	214.05	3,776	110
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,443	184.47	2,662	190
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,607	174.50	2,805	35
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,189	161.16	1,917	42
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,570	157.00	2,465	1thin
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,500	146.00	2,190	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	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,557	$3,633	3thin

Every lot, as filed

65 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,147	145.79/cwt	145.00–147.50	1,672	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,145	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	1,947	1
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	505	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,717	6
Heifers	Medium 2	550–600	563	336.73/cwt	332.50–337.50	1,896	20
Steers	Medium 2	550–600	553	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,244	4
Dairy Steers	Medium 4	650–700	656	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	964	8
Bulls	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,130	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,486	1
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,500	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	2,190	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	990	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	1,525	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,653	168.27/cwt	168.00–168.50	2,782	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,754	171.83/cwt	170.50–173.00	3,014	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,321	202.58/cwt	196.00–207.00	2,676	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,105	233.93/cwt	204.00–267.00	2,585	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,575	4,000.00/head	4,000.00–4,000.00	4,000	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,548	3,450.00/head	3,450.00–3,450.00	3,450	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1150–1200	1,160	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	2,784	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	423	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,904	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	713	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,567	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	413	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	2,127	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	895	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,819	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	656	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	2,411	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,472	178.98/cwt	171.00–186.00	2,635	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	331	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	1,531	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	774	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,670	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	746	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	2,850	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	633	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,690	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	715	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,503	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	770	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	2,757	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	922	314.50/cwt	314.50–314.50	2,900	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	313	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	2,035	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	608	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,824	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	488	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,172	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	410	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	2,122	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	630	408.94/cwt	392.50–410.00	2,576	32
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,438	193.00/cwt	193.00–193.00	2,775	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,437	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	2,515	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,215	186.04/cwt	181.00–192.50	2,260	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,075	197.00/cwt	197.00–197.00	2,118	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,209	209.12/cwt	192.50–245.00	2,528	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,319	194.65/cwt	191.00–195.00	2,567	12
Bulls	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,188	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	2,732	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	820	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	2,009	2
Bulls	—	—	1,944	225.62/cwt	224.00–238.00	4,386	27
Bulls	—	—	1,629	199.62/cwt	187.00–209.00	3,252	16
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,397	217.64/cwt	213.00–219.00	3,040	12
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,462	202.54/cwt	190.00–209.00	2,961	15
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,317	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	2,660	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	168.56/cwt	167.00–172.00	2,417	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,278	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,866	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,344	157.46/cwt	153.00–166.00	2,116	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,428	183.56/cwt	180.00–186.00	2,621	33
Bulls	—	—	1,926	216.52/cwt	210.00–223.50	4,170	34
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,505	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	5,661	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,249	173.49/cwt	170.00–181.00	2,167	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,566	175.33/cwt	171.50–180.00	2,746	20
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,125	128.88/cwt	117.50–135.00	1,450	3
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,570	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	2,465	1
Bulls	—Non-Traditional	—	1,173	189.56/cwt	185.00–195.00	2,224	2
Bulls	—	—	2,162	214.32/cwt	214.00–215.00	4,634	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	965	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,351	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,205	165.43/cwt	152.50–172.00	1,993	20
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,621	183.00/cwt	183.00–183.00	2,966	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,626	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	2,748	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,451	188.57/cwt	186.00–191.00	2,736	133
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,499	167.42/cwt	157.00–173.00	2,510	10

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 →