Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-10-15
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-15

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. All calves were too lightly tested to develop any market trend, as this week featured bred cows, pairs and weigh ups. Demand for calves and yearlings was moderate to good. Quality was mostly average this week. Most feeder offerings were offered in small packages with many singles noticed. A small crowd was on hand for todays feeder offering, however internet bidding was very active this sale. Market activity was active despite a light offering. Weigh up cows sold on mostly very good demand for moderate offerings. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Slaughter cows were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on lean and boning cows. Breaking slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00 higher. Very few offerings were purchased for slaughter again this week as feeding cow buyers and replacement buyers absorbed most of the offerings. Only extremely blemished cows, not suitable to feed, were purchased for immediate harvest this week. Feeding cows sold 2.00-5.00 higher with the largest price increase seen for high quality feeding cows. Weigh conditions were mixed this week. Slaughter bulls sold unevenly as feeding bull buyers pushed to buy bulls away from packers. Bulls suitable to feed sold steady to firm on very good demand. Slaughter bulls too big to feed or unsound sold 3.00-5.00 lower in a very narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold 5.00-10.00 higher. Demand for these offerings was very good with a large buyer pool bidding on offerings. Quality was mostly average to attractive. Demand was similar for both coming 3 and coming 4 year old cows. Demand for bred cows was mostly good for light offerings. Bred cow quality was average to attractive.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $383.11/cwt on 19 head. That ranks 4 of 19 comparable sales and sits −38.43 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$383.11

19 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,149

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$12

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

$10.18/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−49.30

vs MT average

−14.75 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	523	390.00	2,040	2thin
Medium and Large 1	583	384.03	2,239	10thin
Medium and Large 1-2	540	379.82	2,052	7thin

One grade step is worth $10.18/cwt here — about −$12 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 sale19 hd

383.11

—

MT average4 barns · 1,118 hd

432.41

−49.30

National average180 barns · 19,448 hd

397.86

−14.75

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−38.43

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	1,833	186.78	3,424	41
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,381	172.92	2,389	206
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,681	171.85	2,888	37
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Low	1,701	166.68	2,835	50
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,201	163.77	1,967	129
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,170	132.00	1,544	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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,374	$3,900	7
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,182	$3,896	50
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,325	$3,850	4thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,262	$3,589	8
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,235	$3,550	3thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,413	$3,374	11
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,205	$3,350	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,447	$3,125	12
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,408	$3,075	4thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,441	$2,936	32
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,593	$2,925	5
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,331	$2,863	20
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,465	$2,850	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,204	$2,420	29
Bred Heifers	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,012	$4,042	22
Bulls	N/A	(<2 yrs)	1,058	$3,738	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,739	$5,100	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,251	$4,693	19
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,896	$4,469	16

Every lot, as filed

106 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	850–900	888	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	3,019	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Registered	—	1,896	4,469.39/head	4,000.00–5,000.00	4,469	16
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Registered	—	1,739	5,100.00/head	5,100.00–5,100.00	5,100	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	988	232.64/cwt	217.50–250.00	2,298	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,003	336.00/cwt	336.00–336.00	3,370	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	900–950	913	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	3,059	12
Steers	Large 1	1200–1250	1,213	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	3,409	4
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,080	288.00/cwt	288.00–288.00	3,110	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,235	3,550.00/head	3,550.00–3,550.00	3,550	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,613	2,600.00/head	2,600.00–2,600.00	2,600	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1Registered	—	1,362	5,538.41/head	5,450.00–5,750.00	5,538	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,086	250.54/cwt	186.00–315.00	2,721	80
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	—	1,323	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	2,448	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,187	4,200.00/head	4,200.00–4,200.00	4,200	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	992	197.37/cwt	182.00–220.00	1,958	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	946	288.76/cwt	235.00–325.00	2,732	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	442	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,387	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	693	339.00/cwt	339.00–339.00	2,349	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	661	398.91/cwt	392.00–406.00	2,637	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,229	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,581	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Registered	—	1,058	3,737.95/head	3,200.00–4,100.00	3,738	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	220	790.00/cwt	790.00–790.00	1,738	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	998	304.00/cwt	304.00–304.00	3,034	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	583	384.03/cwt	382.00–387.00	2,239	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	425	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,998	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,020	299.06/cwt	296.00–302.00	3,050	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	508	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,413	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	526	450.44/cwt	447.50–470.00	2,369	16
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,013	3,383.99/head	3,100.00–3,650.00	3,384	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,326	2,932.53/head	2,800.00–2,975.00	2,933	17
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,593	2,925.00/head	2,925.00–2,925.00	2,925	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,447	3,125.00/head	3,125.00–3,125.00	3,125	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,286	186.33/cwt	180.00–189.00	2,396	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,262	3,588.71/head	3,500.00–3,600.00	3,589	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,447	2,963.63/head	2,800.00–3,300.00	2,964	30
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,169	2,472.06/head	2,375.00–2,550.00	2,472	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,362	2,470.75/head	2,300.00–2,550.00	2,471	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,180	2,325.00/head	2,325.00–2,325.00	2,325	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,325	3,850.00/head	3,850.00–3,850.00	3,850	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,408	3,075.00/head	3,075.00–3,075.00	3,075	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,159	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	3,477	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,050	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	2,153	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,205	3,350.00/head	3,350.00–3,350.00	3,350	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,355	2,525.00/head	2,525.00–2,525.00	2,525	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,374	3,900.00/head	3,900.00–3,900.00	3,900	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,178	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	2,038	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,293	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,845	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,210	3,979.34/head	3,600.00–4,200.00	3,979	43
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	983	311.89/cwt	227.50–365.00	3,066	78
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	955	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	812	1
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,170	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	1,544	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,393	134.19/cwt	133.00–135.00	1,869	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,055	97.50/cwt	97.50–97.50	1,029	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,561	183.57/cwt	182.50–184.00	2,866	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,611	170.66/cwt	167.00–175.00	2,749	15
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,204	182.27/cwt	177.50–185.00	2,195	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,020	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	3,414	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Heavy Weight	—	2,003	173.50/cwt	173.50–173.50	3,475	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,793	169.28/cwt	165.00–172.50	3,035	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Non-Traditional	—	1,625	187.00/cwt	187.00–187.00	3,039	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	820	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	984	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,308	158.21/cwt	156.00–162.00	2,069	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,190	93.71/cwt	85.00–100.00	1,115	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,155	125.00/cwt	120.00–127.00	1,444	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,220	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	1,989	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,701	166.68/cwt	166.00–167.50	2,835	50
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,157	154.37/cwt	142.50–166.00	1,786	24
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,730	194.41/cwt	184.00–201.50	3,363	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,223	172.31/cwt	168.00–176.00	2,107	87
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,664	159.98/cwt	154.00–163.00	2,662	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,411	156.95/cwt	145.00–165.00	2,215	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,429	183.56/cwt	181.00–185.50	2,623	64
Bulls	—	—	2,260	201.00/cwt	201.00–201.00	4,543	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,469	144.43/cwt	141.00–153.00	2,122	4
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,840	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	5,680	1
Bulls	—	—	2,175	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	4,046	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,835	198.00/cwt	198.00–198.00	3,633	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,893	181.91/cwt	181.00–183.00	3,444	2
Bulls	—	—	1,868	184.99/cwt	181.00–193.00	3,456	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	349	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	1,832	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	417	506.76/cwt	490.00–510.00	2,113	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	531	383.96/cwt	380.00–405.00	2,039	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	375	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	2,288	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	338	630.00/cwt	630.00–630.00	2,129	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	353	635.00/cwt	635.00–635.00	2,242	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	475	411.80/cwt	410.00–425.00	1,956	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	386	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,795	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	680	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	2,635	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	330	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	1,914	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	730	383.00/cwt	383.00–383.00	2,796	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,230	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	3,260	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	608	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,402	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	453	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,310	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	738	343.00/cwt	343.00–343.00	2,531	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	635	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,254	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	595	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,112	1
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	500–550	523	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,040	2
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,012	4,042.48/head	3,400.00–4,250.00	4,042	22
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,268	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	2,187	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,465	2,850.00/head	2,850.00–2,850.00	2,850	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,413	3,374.12/head	3,200.00–3,500.00	3,374	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,278	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	2,588	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,353	172.53/cwt	166.00–179.00	2,334	116
Bulls	—	—	1,812	168.95/cwt	160.00–174.00	3,061	9
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	910	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,730	1
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,138	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	3,016	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 →