Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2026-08-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (7-29-26): Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mostly average with a few attractive consignments of yearling heifers noticed. Most offerings were in small packages or as singles, making it difficult for buyers to piece together loads. Demand was mostly moderate to good for yearlings and light to moderate for calves. Demand for calves suffered as hot days forecasted for the days ahead. CME positions saw another day of rebounding prices as live cattle futures led the rally. All contracts through January 2027 saw contracts improve over 2.00 and contacts from March and later saw 1.00 gains. Market activity was moderate to active with a small crowd of feeder buyers on hand. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand. Demand for feeding cows was moderate this week. Canadian buyers were back in the market this week as they purchased cows to ship north to feed. American packers and Canadian feeders both showed moderate to good demand for cows suitable to feed. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 lower on a lower quality offering. Weigh up conditions were also below average as many full cows were noticed this week. Cow quality this week was mostly plain to average and lower than last week. Slaughter cow demand was slightly stronger this week as packers all showed need for cows for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to firm on a lower yielding offering. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Feeding bull demand was good to very good as buyers purchased thin fleshed bulls which had been out breeding to feed. Feeding bulls sold 2.00-5.00 higher. Young age cows were all too lightly tested to develop any market comparison. Quality was mostly plain to average. Many young cows were fleshy coming off grass, especially if they have not calved. Young cow quality this week was mostly plain to average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $362.20/cwt on 5 head, down $13.12 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 19 comparable sales and sits −59.34 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$362.20

▼ 13.12 vs prior sale

5 head · 516 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,870

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$86

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

$0.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−1.24

vs MT average

−11.83 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	530	362.50	1,921	2thin
Medium and Large 1-2	507	362.00	1,835	3thin

One grade step is worth $0.50/cwt here — about $86 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

19 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $464.07, low $350.88, median $421.54 across 19 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 sale5 hd

362.20

—

MT average2 barns · 9 hd

363.44

−1.24

National average160 barns · 6,700 hd

374.03

−11.83

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−59.34

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	1,879	203.98	3,833	95
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,589	172.43	2,740	99
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,404	164.51	2,309	131
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,176	151.37	1,780	63

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)	1,153	$2,883	3thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,194	$2,800	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,680	$4,400	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,733	$4,400	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,278	$4,250	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,678	$3,725	2thin

Every lot, as filed

75 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	445	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,736	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	780	346.68/cwt	344.00–355.00	2,704	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	254	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	1,372	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	498	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,892	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	367	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,798	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	530	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	1,921	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	235	640.00/cwt	640.00–640.00	1,504	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	715	363.83/cwt	360.00–367.50	2,601	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	375	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,744	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	284	482.37/cwt	471.00–495.00	1,370	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	460	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,725	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	951	316.00/cwt	316.00–316.00	3,005	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	438	474.32/cwt	460.00–485.00	2,078	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	382	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,595	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	905	309.00/cwt	309.00–309.00	2,796	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	419	418.00/cwt	418.00–418.00	1,751	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	840	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,814	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,680	4,400.00/head	4,400.00–4,400.00	4,400	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,213	202.39/cwt	192.00–222.00	2,455	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	477	444.89/cwt	440.00–450.00	2,122	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	373	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	1,958	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	905	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	2,919	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,678	3,725.00/head	3,725.00–3,725.00	3,725	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,110	2,750.00/head	2,750.00–2,750.00	2,750	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,234	191.55/cwt	182.00–230.00	2,364	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,386	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	839	334.30/cwt	334.00–335.00	2,805	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	916	317.53/cwt	313.00–319.00	2,909	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,433	184.24/cwt	183.00–188.00	2,640	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,240	3,150.00/head	3,150.00–3,150.00	3,150	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,278	4,250.00/head	4,250.00–4,250.00	4,250	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	930	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	1,256	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,709	157.52/cwt	149.00–164.00	2,692	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,412	172.94/cwt	167.00–178.00	2,442	55
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,190	122.83/cwt	110.00–127.50	1,462	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,156	141.24/cwt	130.00–148.00	1,633	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,224	153.12/cwt	149.00–161.00	1,874	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	454	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,907	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	310	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	1,566	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,020	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,733	4,400.00/head	4,400.00–4,400.00	4,400	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,360	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	2,747	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,059	275.02/cwt	266.00–287.50	2,912	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,310	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	507	362.00/cwt	362.00–362.00	1,835	3
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,080	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	2,808	2
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,052	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,946	3
Bulls	Large 1	1150–1200	1,175	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,938	7
Bulls	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,185	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,785	1
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	885	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,213	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	2,090	1
Bulls	—	—	1,949	206.50/cwt	199.50–212.00	4,025	36
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,397	160.46/cwt	149.00–165.00	2,242	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,423	170.97/cwt	170.00–172.00	2,433	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,525	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,211	1
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,405	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	2,599	1
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,140	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	3,021	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,577	176.42/cwt	169.00–178.00	2,782	69
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,125	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,856	3
Bulls	—	—	1,886	217.61/cwt	214.00–228.00	4,104	11
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,670	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	5,474	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,845	206.51/cwt	202.00–212.00	3,810	13
Bulls	—	—	2,310	198.00/cwt	198.00–198.00	4,574	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,187	163.68/cwt	155.00–167.50	1,943	20
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,479	160.34/cwt	155.00–162.50	2,371	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,399	161.50/cwt	150.00–166.00	2,259	34
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,698	170.85/cwt	165.00–175.50	2,901	6
Bulls	—	—	1,798	194.14/cwt	190.00–199.00	3,491	14
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,730	196.64/cwt	187.50–201.00	3,402	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,470	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	1,727	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,225	165.50/cwt	165.50–165.50	3,682	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,610	178.30/cwt	177.00–181.00	2,871	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,381	141.69/cwt	126.00–147.00	1,957	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	840	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	1,407	1
Bulls	—	—	2,345	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	4,807	1

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 →