Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-01-29
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-01-29

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Demand was very good for light to moderate offerings. Quality today was mixed from plain to attractive. Several sets of backgrounded cattle were seen this week. Flesh conditions were mixed with some cattle which were turned out on pasture and hay meadows were in very light flesh, while most backgrounded cattle were in moderate flesh. Cattle were offered in all size packages this week. Demand was good for all classes and all package sizes as buyers put together loads. A large buyer pool was seen this week as todays sale featured feeder cattle. Market activity was active with many buyers actively filling loads. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand today. Packer buyers were very aggressive as they purchased cows to feed and for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold mostly 4.00-6.00 higher on breaking cows. Boning cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Lean cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 on all classes. Very good demand was seen for feeding cows this week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand for slaughter bulls was mostly good this sale. Bull quality was average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Buyers showed very good demand for feeding cows and were less concerned about fill and more about quality this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Demand from both rebreed buyers and feeders continues to be very good. Quality this week was average to attractive. Many young cows were purchased to return to the country to feed.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $366.35/cwt on 353 head. That ranks 1 of 11 comparable sales and sits −125.10 against this barn's trailing median of $491.45.

Average price

$366.35

353 head · 542 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,987

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$242

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$75.68/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+3.87

vs MT average

+17.69 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	540	376.68	2,033	247
Medium and Large 1-2	531	351.81	1,870	64
Medium 1	566	340.00	1,924	26
Medium and Large 2	590	312.00	1,841	10thin
Large 1	595	301.00	1,791	6thin

One grade step is worth $75.68/cwt here — about $242 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

11 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $510.69, low $452.33, median $491.45 across 11 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 sale353 hd

366.35

—

MT average3 barns · 747 hd

362.48

+3.87

National average177 barns · 23,098 hd

348.66

+17.69

This barn, trailing median11 sales

491.45

−125.10

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	2,118	161.71	3,424	13
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,807	150.04	2,711	7thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,579	144.67	2,284	47
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,342	138.98	1,866	189
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,148	125.91	1,446	115

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/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,240	$2,600	4thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,139	$2,358	4thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,128	$2,170	5
Bred Heifers	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,130	$2,400	3thin

Every lot, as filed

109 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	622	318.13/cwt	314.00–323.00	1,979	41
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	441	394.26/cwt	380.00–405.00	1,739	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,139	2,357.77/head	2,200.00–2,500.00	2,358	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,093	163.41/cwt	142.00–192.50	1,786	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	895	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	2,157	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	527	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,634	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	858	151.99/cwt	150.00–152.50	1,304	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	997	206.10/cwt	162.50–219.00	2,055	49
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	800	256.00/cwt	256.00–256.00	2,048	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	770	254.00/cwt	254.00–254.00	1,956	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,020	227.50/cwt	224.00–231.00	2,321	2
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,130	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,128	2,170.30/head	2,150.00–2,200.00	2,170	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	574	323.00/cwt	323.00–323.00	1,854	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	315.87/cwt	308.00–323.00	1,816	32
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,867	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	769	286.47/cwt	284.00–293.00	2,203	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	915	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	2,205	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	354	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	1,407	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	808	264.69/cwt	259.00–267.00	2,139	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	613	300.79/cwt	288.00–309.00	1,844	184
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	519	334.73/cwt	327.50–351.00	1,737	101
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,003	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	2,257	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	679	276.07/cwt	274.00–285.00	1,875	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	511	390.18/cwt	376.00–396.00	1,994	105
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	714	301.60/cwt	290.00–309.00	2,153	136
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	740	268.84/cwt	265.50–271.00	1,989	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,025	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,255	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	350.59/cwt	347.00–364.00	1,658	33
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	993	180.57/cwt	163.00–191.00	1,793	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	325.18/cwt	313.00–336.00	1,870	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	320	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,344	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	748	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,132	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	513	363.05/cwt	352.50–375.00	1,862	45
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,243	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	1,952	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	699	266.00/cwt	266.00–266.00	1,859	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,075	212.35/cwt	210.00–216.00	2,283	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	386	374.15/cwt	372.50–385.00	1,444	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	442	340.79/cwt	330.00–355.00	1,506	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	469	372.91/cwt	363.00–390.00	1,749	33
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	595	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,696	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	542	307.34/cwt	299.00–320.00	1,666	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	303.99/cwt	303.00–305.00	1,757	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	940	226.00/cwt	226.00–226.00	2,124	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,294	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	475	331.56/cwt	305.00–341.00	1,575	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	670	308.39/cwt	285.00–313.00	2,066	67
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	384	431.38/cwt	430.00–432.00	1,656	27
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,130	119.00/cwt	105.00–122.50	1,345	34
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,345	142.49/cwt	138.00–145.00	1,916	5
Bulls	—	—	2,390	167.00/cwt	167.00–167.00	3,991	3
Bulls	—	—	2,053	160.87/cwt	155.00–166.00	3,303	4
Bulls	—	—	1,694	140.84/cwt	139.00–145.00	2,386	3
Bulls	—	—	2,355	178.42/cwt	175.00–182.00	4,202	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,161	128.07/cwt	123.50–136.00	1,487	42
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,753	150.05/cwt	149.00–150.50	2,630	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,663	128.82/cwt	123.00–133.00	2,142	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,557	148.44/cwt	146.50–149.50	2,311	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,733	140.23/cwt	136.00–145.00	2,430	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,515	147.23/cwt	147.00–149.00	2,231	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,376	123.34/cwt	122.00–125.00	1,697	7
Cows	Premium White 65-75%Heavy Weight	—	2,130	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	3,195	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,337	137.56/cwt	131.00–143.00	1,839	105
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,418	102.76/cwt	102.00–103.00	1,457	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,068	120.27/cwt	119.00–122.00	1,284	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	805	97.50/cwt	97.50–97.50	785	1
Heifers	Large 1-2	300–350	330	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,139	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,197	140.41/cwt	138.00–145.00	1,681	22
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,627	143.42/cwt	135.00–146.00	2,333	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,157	112.18/cwt	108.00–115.00	1,298	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,442	127.88/cwt	126.00–130.00	1,844	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,331	146.57/cwt	142.00–149.50	1,951	61
Steers	Large 1	650–700	698	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,129	4
Heifers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,146	212.00/cwt	212.00–212.00	2,430	4
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	833	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	1,562	3
Heifers	Large 1	600–650	621	284.73/cwt	283.00–287.00	1,768	14
Stock Cows	Large 1-2	—	1,008	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	1,552	4
Steers	Large 1-2	650–700	661	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,824	7
Heifers	Medium 1	450–500	493	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	1,516	4
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	775	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,434	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1Thin Fleshed	—	734	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	1,266	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	362.38/cwt	360.00–376.00	1,558	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	650–700	693	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	2,037	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	315.71/cwt	309.00–328.00	2,122	76
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,869	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	811	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	2,287	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	337.64/cwt	331.00–341.00	2,093	174
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	417	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,626	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	726	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	2,018	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1050–1100	1,076	222.31/cwt	220.00–224.00	2,392	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	303.76/cwt	301.00–315.00	1,738	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	861	273.71/cwt	271.00–274.00	2,357	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	564	364.82/cwt	345.00–372.00	2,058	135
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	750–800	770	269.50/cwt	269.50–269.50	2,075	29
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	372.50/cwt	372.50–372.50	1,546	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	1,841	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	687	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,958	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	500–550	500	403.00/cwt	403.00–403.00	2,015	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,240	2,600.00/head	2,600.00–2,600.00	2,600	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	468	406.46/cwt	391.00–423.50	1,902	35
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	518	312.17/cwt	309.00–326.00	1,617	48
Steers	Medium 1	550–600	566	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,924	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	626	273.79/cwt	273.00–275.00	1,714	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	863	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	1,976	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	524	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	1,480	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	376	344.16/cwt	340.00–352.50	1,294	6
Steers	Large 1	1200–1250	1,219	216.00/cwt	216.00–216.00	2,633	9
Steers	Large 1	550–600	595	301.00/cwt	301.00–301.00	1,791	6
Steers	Medium 2	450–500	484	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,404	4

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 →