Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-08-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-08-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale(8/06/25): Feeder cattle were too lightly tested last sale to develop a full market trend, however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed. Demand for feeders was very good for light to moderate offerings. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive with many high quality offerings coming straight off grass. Demand for cutting bulls remains very good as several buyers continue to purchase bulls to cut and make steers. Market activity was active with buyers all bidding rapidly. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and not as attractive as last sale. Slaughter cows were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Very few offerings were purchased for slaughter this week as feeding cow buyers kept cow prices above slaughter cow orders. Feeding cows sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower as Northern packers showed slightly lighter demand for bulls this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any trend. Stronger demand was seen for young feeding cows as fed cattle prices have increased sharply from last month. 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 $350.00/cwt on 5 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −71.54 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$350.00

5 head · 565 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,978

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

−3.85

vs MT average

−9.80 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1-2	565	350.00	1,978	5thin

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

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

350.00

—

MT average2 barns · 13 hd

353.85

−3.85

National average158 barns · 7,895 hd

359.80

−9.80

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−71.54

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	1,895	189.83	3,597	96
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,475	160.24	2,364	91
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,726	158.32	2,733	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,251	144.52	1,807	30
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,100	131.00	1,441	1thin
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,325	128.00	1,696	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
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,293	$2,250	4thin

Every lot, as filed

74 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 1-2	900–950	925	306.00/cwt	306.00–306.00	2,831	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	780	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	2,816	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	800–850	832	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,704	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,145	174.00/cwt	174.00–174.00	1,992	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,171	199.93/cwt	185.00–215.00	2,341	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	880	333.00/cwt	333.00–333.00	2,930	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	363	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,706	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	290	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	1,465	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	812	328.33/cwt	315.00–330.50	2,666	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	726	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,505	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	895	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,730	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	880	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	3,080	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	951	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,901	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	867	331.23/cwt	325.00–334.00	2,872	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	776	356.00/cwt	356.00–356.00	2,763	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	783	336.00/cwt	336.00–336.00	2,631	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Full	1000–1050	1,023	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,864	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	750–800	778	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,490	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	411	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,870	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	933	333.94/cwt	332.00–338.00	3,116	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,015	320.55/cwt	320.00–323.00	3,254	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	881	317.03/cwt	307.00–323.50	2,793	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	781	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,890	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	900–950	938	314.00/cwt	314.00–314.00	2,945	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	971	322.29/cwt	311.00–327.50	3,129	106
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,028	307.87/cwt	304.00–313.00	3,165	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	738	358.05/cwt	358.00–358.50	2,642	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	933	322.63/cwt	320.00–325.50	3,010	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	715	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,538	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	839	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,937	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	950–1000	997	307.00/cwt	307.00–307.00	3,061	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,010	112.50/cwt	112.50–112.50	1,136	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,225	132.35/cwt	120.00–144.00	1,621	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,527	155.87/cwt	152.00–158.00	2,380	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,180	154.00/cwt	154.00–154.00	1,817	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,730	168.98/cwt	168.50–169.50	2,923	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,068	158.55/cwt	155.00–162.50	1,693	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,020	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	3,030	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,173	168.97/cwt	168.00–170.00	1,982	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,487	168.03/cwt	165.50–170.00	2,499	41
Bulls	—	—	2,340	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	4,586	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,715	164.95/cwt	161.00–168.00	2,829	4
Bulls	—	—	1,868	182.64/cwt	176.00–185.00	3,412	15
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,515	192.01/cwt	190.00–194.00	4,829	2
Bulls	—	—	2,106	204.64/cwt	201.00–209.00	4,310	8
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,665	180.33/cwt	170.00–185.00	3,002	14
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,100	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,441	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,500	151.31/cwt	144.00–155.00	2,270	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,614	164.28/cwt	162.00–166.50	2,651	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,766	150.12/cwt	145.00–158.00	2,651	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,644	190.09/cwt	186.00–197.00	3,125	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,438	158.20/cwt	154.00–164.00	2,275	27
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,536	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	2,319	6
Bulls	—	—	1,955	192.37/cwt	185.00–201.00	3,761	42
Bulls	—	—	2,263	191.02/cwt	186.00–196.00	4,323	2
Steers	Large 1Full	1050–1100	1,081	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	3,178	6
Steers	Large 1Fleshy	1400–1450	1,443	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	3,319	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,482	140.35/cwt	135.00–148.00	2,080	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,465	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,461	1
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,325	128.00/cwt	128.00–128.00	1,696	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,720	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	2,339	1
Bulls	Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,070	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,889	1
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,060	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	3,207	1
Bulls	Large 1	1250–1300	1,260	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	3,037	1
Steers	Large 1Fleshy	1300–1350	1,323	229.60/cwt	228.00–236.00	3,038	15
Steers	Large 1Fleshy	1450–1500	1,475	232.00/cwt	232.00–232.00	3,422	3
Heifers	Large 1	900–950	925	314.43/cwt	308.00–321.00	2,908	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,035	243.72/cwt	230.00–261.00	2,523	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	945	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	1,607	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,293	2,250.00/head	2,250.00–2,250.00	2,250	4
Heifers	Medium 1-2	550–600	565	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,978	5
Heifers	Medium 1	650–700	670	363.45/cwt	363.00–367.00	2,435	48
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,069	295.31/cwt	293.00–297.50	3,157	21
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	573	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,977	2

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 →