Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-07-23
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-07-23

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (7-16-26): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Several sets of yearlings coming off grass were seen this sale. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. CME positions have fallen drastically over the last week and buyers showed slightly lighter demand for feeders as a result. Group sizes were small to moderate with many singles noticed. Market activity was mostly moderate to active with a small to moderate size buyer pool noticed. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand and light offerings. Demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate. Canadian buyers continue to buy cows to ship north and feed. American packers showed a desire to purchase cows lower and showed slightly lighter demand for all cows on offer. Boning and lean fleshed feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-5.00 lower, while breaking flesh cows sold 1.00-2.00 lower. Cow quality was mostly plain to average and overall not as attractive as the previous week. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly moderate with moderate to good demand seen at times. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to weak in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower. Feeding bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Weigh up conditions were mixed with both full and empty cows noticed. Young age offerings suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for young rebreed cows was mostly moderate to good on an average quality offering.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $360.00/cwt on 4 head, up $22.52 from the prior sale. That ranks 4 of 22 comparable sales and sits −67.27 against this barn's trailing median of $427.27.

Average price

$360.00

▲ 22.52 vs prior sale

4 head · 519 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,868

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

−15.81 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1-2	519	360.00	1,868	4thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

22 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $469.35, low $332.50, median $427.27 across 22 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 sale4 hd

360.00

—

MT average1 barns · 4 hd

360.00

+0.00

National average148 barns · 5,785 hd

375.81

−15.81

This barn, trailing median22 sales

427.27

−67.27

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	1,851	208.76	3,864	107
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Very Low	1,393	174.16	2,426	121
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,609	170.74	2,748	27
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,138	156.35	1,778	32

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 Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,173	$3,150	2thin
Bred Heifers	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,276	$2,920	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,189	$3,775	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,515	$3,706	3thin

Every lot, as filed

75 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
Bulls	—Natural	—	1,579	201.25/cwt	192.50–205.00	3,178	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,200	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,680	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,270	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,537	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,294	185.73/cwt	184.00–189.00	2,403	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,380	160.90/cwt	149.00–165.00	2,220	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,421	178.63/cwt	167.00–182.50	2,538	71
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,635	170.25/cwt	168.00–173.50	2,784	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,601	172.75/cwt	170.00–174.00	2,766	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,000	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,600	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	850–900	892	301.65/cwt	295.00–315.00	2,691	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	1050–1100	1,085	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	2,973	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	494	452.50/cwt	452.50–452.50	2,235	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	775	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,635	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	831	334.38/cwt	331.00–338.50	2,779	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,003	323.00/cwt	323.00–323.00	3,240	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,149	250.43/cwt	235.00–265.00	2,877	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,232	217.07/cwt	188.50–265.00	2,674	16
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,189	3,775.00/head	3,775.00–3,775.00	3,775	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	635	382.48/cwt	380.00–385.00	2,429	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	880	345.97/cwt	339.00–351.50	3,045	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	988	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	3,260	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	330	630.00/cwt	630.00–630.00	2,079	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	850	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,593	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	880	329.92/cwt	325.00–332.00	2,903	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	658	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,435	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	775	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	2,538	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	935	334.00/cwt	334.00–334.00	3,123	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	730	350.16/cwt	350.00–352.00	2,556	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	929	321.00/cwt	321.00–321.00	2,982	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	818	354.00/cwt	350.00–355.00	2,896	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,112	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	3,102	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	746	336.00/cwt	336.00–336.00	2,507	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	343	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,406	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,058	316.00/cwt	316.00–316.00	3,343	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	883	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	3,002	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	711	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,737	4
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	—	1,264	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,170	203.00/cwt	181.00–262.50	2,375	4
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,515	3,705.63/head	3,500.00–3,800.00	3,706	3
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,325	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,313	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	2,350	3
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,173	3,150.00/head	3,150.00–3,150.00	3,150	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	755	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,812	1
Heifers	Medium 1	600–650	625	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,094	2
Bulls	Medium 1	500–550	527	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	2,134	3
Heifers	Medium 1-2	500–550	519	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,868	4
Steers	Medium 1-2	550–600	573	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,177	2
Bulls	Medium 1-2	500–550	542	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,005	3
Heifers	Large 1Full	1100–1150	1,127	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,818	3
Steers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,110	306.00/cwt	306.00–306.00	3,397	6
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,027	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	3,204	12
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 1-2	800–850	829	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,578	5
Beef/Dairy Heifers	Large 1-2	900–950	926	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	2,847	25
Beef/Dairy Steers	Large 1-2	900–950	947	328.00/cwt	328.00–328.00	3,106	32
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,160	182.62/cwt	167.50–191.00	2,118	4
Bulls	—Natural	—	2,140	230.01/cwt	225.00–235.00	4,922	5
Bulls	—Natural	—	1,986	212.72/cwt	208.00–219.00	4,225	18
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,359	194.23/cwt	190.00–197.50	2,640	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	940	127.50/cwt	127.50–127.50	1,199	1
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,085	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	2,875	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,413	154.07/cwt	149.00–158.00	2,177	8
Bulls	—	—	1,977	211.38/cwt	207.00–218.00	4,179	33
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,320	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,848	1
Bulls	—	—	1,966	221.80/cwt	219.00–226.00	4,361	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,222	154.32/cwt	150.00–167.50	1,886	15
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,790	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	6,166	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,533	182.00/cwt	182.00–182.00	2,790	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,672	210.71/cwt	205.00–212.50	3,523	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,186	150.99/cwt	146.00–155.00	1,791	4
Bulls	—	—	2,335	211.00/cwt	211.00–211.00	4,927	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	895	159.18/cwt	140.00–165.00	1,425	6
Bulls	—	—	1,769	201.85/cwt	184.00–206.00	3,571	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,204	175.44/cwt	172.00–182.00	2,112	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,410	165.59/cwt	164.00–168.00	2,335	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,605	163.20/cwt	151.00–166.00	2,619	5

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 →