Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-04-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-04-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week's sale, Feeder Steers 600-800 lb traded 20.00-25.00 higher. Feeder Heifers 500-700 lbs traded mostly 25.00 higher with active buyers on a larger offering of spring feeder cattle.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $341.20/cwt on 591 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −80.34 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$341.20

591 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,880

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$424

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

$57.84/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.84

vs MT average

+20.02 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	553	347.84	1,923	429
Medium and Large 1-2	547	324.70	1,776	157
Medium and Large 2	517	290.00	1,499	5thin

One grade step is worth $57.84/cwt here — about $424 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

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 sale591 hd

341.20

—

MT average2 barns · 610 hd

340.36

+0.84

National average175 barns · 12,815 hd

321.18

+20.02

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−80.34

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	1,739	178.17	3,099	30
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,638	157.58	2,581	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,386	156.52	2,169	33
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,124	141.37	1,589	15

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	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,554	$3,229	22

Every lot, as filed

82 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
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,427	164.00/cwt	164.00–164.00	2,340	13
Bulls	—	—	1,715	164.85/cwt	154.00–184.00	2,827	13
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,256	188.75/cwt	175.00–202.00	2,371	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,112	222.86/cwt	205.00–246.00	2,478	29
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,554	3,229.08/head	3,150.00–3,500.00	3,229	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	571	317.22/cwt	310.00–330.00	1,811	49
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	633	259.02/cwt	240.00–265.00	1,640	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	385	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	1,396	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	517	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,499	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	786	250.53/cwt	240.00–255.00	1,969	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	679	255.26/cwt	245.00–262.00	1,733	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	488	303.67/cwt	296.50–319.00	1,482	88
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	717	268.03/cwt	237.50–276.00	1,922	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	638	292.00/cwt	292.00–292.00	1,863	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	894	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	2,181	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	964	230.77/cwt	230.00–236.00	2,225	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	422	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,561	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	536	328.09/cwt	305.00–333.00	1,759	108
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	779	281.20/cwt	252.00–286.00	2,191	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	836	223.84/cwt	223.00–225.00	1,871	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	519	353.09/cwt	340.00–371.00	1,833	132
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	423	396.93/cwt	370.00–414.00	1,679	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	865	250.39/cwt	242.00–254.00	2,166	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	731	277.06/cwt	266.00–286.00	2,025	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	676	270.66/cwt	270.00–272.00	1,830	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	807	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	793	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	815	273.27/cwt	256.00–284.00	2,227	43
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	722	303.64/cwt	283.00–319.00	2,192	479
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	329.91/cwt	309.00–339.50	2,045	448
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	378	385.87/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,459	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	225	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	889	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	281	387.11/cwt	385.00–395.00	1,088	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	674	322.60/cwt	295.00–328.00	2,174	354
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	288.89/cwt	274.00–303.00	2,219	336
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	400–450	415	447.00/cwt	447.00–447.00	1,855	42
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	350–400	372	449.00/cwt	449.00–449.00	1,670	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	400–450	410	449.00/cwt	449.00–449.00	1,841	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	600–650	612	356.36/cwt	356.00–358.00	2,181	22
Steers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,130	214.00/cwt	214.00–214.00	2,418	28
Steers	Large 1	1150–1200	1,158	217.50/cwt	217.50–217.50	2,519	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	850–900	866	2,578.90/head	2,400.00–2,585.00	2,579	62
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	900–950	921	2,425.00/head	2,425.00–2,425.00	2,425	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	890	242.27/cwt	239.00–243.00	2,156	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	845	274.73/cwt	262.00–277.00	2,321	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	626	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	1,706	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	520	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,872	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	588	347.19/cwt	322.00–366.00	2,041	57
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	718	274.92/cwt	265.00–285.00	1,974	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	677	303.12/cwt	292.50–325.00	2,052	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	927	266.05/cwt	253.00–271.50	2,466	112
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	515	387.73/cwt	382.50–396.00	1,997	80
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	487	321.08/cwt	319.00–347.50	1,564	54
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	426	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,619	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	773	276.56/cwt	267.00–292.00	2,138	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	562	375.01/cwt	352.50–381.00	2,108	85
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	972	250.36/cwt	244.00–255.00	2,433	62
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	438	428.52/cwt	417.00–437.00	1,877	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	831	289.96/cwt	270.00–302.00	2,410	282
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	884	283.11/cwt	269.00–288.00	2,503	119
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	677	329.85/cwt	309.00–347.00	2,233	222
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	779	312.64/cwt	290.00–315.00	2,435	784
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	713	313.48/cwt	297.50–325.50	2,235	178
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	335	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,441	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	631	337.86/cwt	315.00–349.50	2,132	95
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	450.49/cwt	435.00–467.50	1,680	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	386.83/cwt	375.00–405.00	1,876	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	278	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,098	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	237	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,007	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	345.50/cwt	334.50–363.00	1,962	297
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	483	354.24/cwt	333.00–377.50	1,711	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	707	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,838	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	417	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,647	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	581	319.00/cwt	319.00–319.00	1,853	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	753	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,090	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,204	126.52/cwt	122.00–129.00	1,523	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,638	157.58/cwt	153.00–162.00	2,581	7
Bulls	—	—	2,950	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	5,015	1
Bulls	—	—	2,110	190.27/cwt	188.00–194.00	4,015	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,334	142.36/cwt	129.00–146.00	1,899	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,084	148.80/cwt	146.00–156.00	1,613	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,370	155.65/cwt	150.00–163.00	2,132	14

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 →