Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-11-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-11-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Feeder cattle offerings were very light this week. Quality was mostly plain and offered in small packages. Market activity was moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Demand for feeding cows was mostly moderate with good demand seen at times. Demand did diminish as buyers filled loads and exited the market. High quality feeding cows suitable to feed to premium white sold mostly steady to 2.00 lower. Thin feeding cows mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Packer buyers buying cows to hold for the upcoming holidays showed moderate demand for these type offerings and stronger demand than was seen last week. Many of these cows had a slight blemish, but would feed for 1-4 weeks. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-5.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold unevenly with higher prices seen on low yielding cows and lower prices seen on average yielding cows. Regional packers were not in the market this week and very few average to high yielding cows were purchased to slaughter. Average to high yielding cows were mostly purchased to feed this week. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive with lots of variation in quality noticed. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average this sale with many very full offerings noticed. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher, driven higher by stronger feeding bull demand and competition between packer buyers and private feeders. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 15.00-20.00 higher on a larger, higher quality offering. Demand for young offerings was mostly good, with very good demand seen for high quality offerings off reputation ranches. Most of these offerings were purchased to go south for fall calving programs.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 300–400 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

300–400 lb heifers averaged $465.00/cwt on 8 head. That ranks 1 of 5 comparable sales and sits −36.42 against this barn's trailing median of $501.42.

Average price

$465.00

8 head · 305 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,418

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+14.89

vs MT average

+53.74 vs national

What quality paid 300–400 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	305	465.00	1,418	8thin

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

This barn's trailing prices 300–400 lb

5 sales

Heifers 300–400 lb: high $562.38, low $472.86, median $501.42 across 5 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 300–400 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale8 hd

465.00

—

MT average5 barns · 233 hd

450.11

+14.89

National average183 barns · 7,302 hd

411.26

+53.74

This barn, trailing median5 sales

501.42

−36.42

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	1,784	171.13	3,053	74
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,584	162.66	2,577	82
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,360	159.12	2,164	315
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,172	147.79	1,732	332

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 Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,139	$3,397	23
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,153	$3,282	11
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,097	$2,769	14
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,306	$2,713	8
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,283	$2,575	6
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,439	$2,515	37
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,428	$2,500	2thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,191	$2,108	17
Bred Heifers	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,130	$3,100	2thin
Bred Heifers	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	830	$2,100	2thin

Every lot, as filed

59 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
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,450	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	878	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	2,590	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	924	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	2,717	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	305	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,418	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	273	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	1,529	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	200–250	234	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	1,357	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	920	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,314	2,750.00/head	2,750.00–2,750.00	2,750	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,206	174.29/cwt	167.50–178.00	2,102	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,176	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,221	2,027.57/head	2,000.00–2,100.00	2,028	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2Thin Fleshed	—	745	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,155	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,250	2,450.00/head	2,450.00–2,450.00	2,450	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,499	2,688.12/head	2,350.00–2,800.00	2,688	27
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	935	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,283	2,575.00/head	2,575.00–2,575.00	2,575	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,178	2,024.35/head	1,950.00–2,150.00	2,024	14
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	918	272.40/cwt	205.00–315.00	2,501	23
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	997	228.24/cwt	184.00–270.00	2,276	15
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,214	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,250	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,402	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,314	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	1,984	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,662	152.04/cwt	143.00–165.00	2,527	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,701	168.59/cwt	167.00–170.00	2,868	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,296	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	2,307	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,587	159.14/cwt	141.00–166.00	2,526	35
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,210	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	2,087	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,185	163.29/cwt	160.00–166.00	1,935	154
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,378	109.36/cwt	100.00–117.50	1,507	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,122	93.76/cwt	87.50–95.00	1,052	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,147	107.05/cwt	97.50–118.00	1,228	47
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,227	127.50/cwt	127.50–127.50	1,564	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,545	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	2,735	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,509	169.28/cwt	165.00–174.00	2,554	26
Bulls	—	—	2,041	178.97/cwt	174.00–184.00	3,653	20
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,626	166.87/cwt	157.00–172.00	2,713	15
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,714	179.52/cwt	176.00–181.00	3,077	14
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,370	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	1,904	2
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,530	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	4,428	1
Bulls	—	—	1,706	164.30/cwt	142.50–173.00	2,803	22
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,177	151.40/cwt	127.50–160.50	1,782	110
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	810	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	608	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	955	102.97/cwt	92.50–112.50	983	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,350	163.57/cwt	160.00–170.50	2,208	210
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,392	151.11/cwt	122.00–163.00	2,103	77
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,467	120.74/cwt	120.00–123.00	1,771	4
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,130	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,405	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	1
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	758	275.13/cwt	255.00–285.00	2,085	6
Bred Heifers	Medium 1	—	830	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	2
Bulls	Large 1	1150–1200	1,155	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	2,772	2
Heifers	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,165	265.50/cwt	265.50–265.50	3,093	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	498	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,830	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	570	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,824	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,097	2,769.09/head	2,750.00–2,900.00	2,769	14
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	938	310.38/cwt	210.00–335.00	2,911	178
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,061	239.22/cwt	171.00–315.00	2,538	95
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,159	3,589.50/head	3,050.00–3,675.00	3,590	16

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 →