Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2026-01-07
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-07

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (12-03-25): The last Wednesday sale was over a month ago making market comparisons difficult. Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Demand for feeder cattle was good to very good for light offerings. Most feeders were offered in small groups or as singles. Quality was mostly plain, with a small selection of attractive quality cattle noted. A small crowd was on hand for todays sale. Market activity was mostly active despite a small buyer pool. Weigh up cows comprised most of the sale. With the last sale being over a month ago comparisons for cows are difficult, however higher undertones were noticed on all classes of feeding offerings. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Slaughter bulls sold with higher undertones in a narrow comparison. Quality was mostly average to very attractive today with many high quality cows selling off reputation ranches. Packers and private feeders both showed good to very good demand for all offerings to feed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Demand for young offerings was mostly moderate. Quality was average to attractive.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $405.80/cwt on 31 head. That ranks 7 of 19 comparable sales and sits −15.73 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$405.80

31 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,209

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$305

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

$43.12/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−9.57

vs MT average

−4.30 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	554	418.12	2,318	19thin
Medium and Large 1-2	522	394.39	2,059	7thin
Medium and Large 2	537	375.00	2,014	5thin

One grade step is worth $43.12/cwt here — about $305 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 sale31 hd

405.80

—

MT average2 barns · 101 hd

415.37

−9.57

National average199 barns · 28,725 hd

410.10

−4.30

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

−15.73

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	—	Low	1,800	169.60	3,053	79
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,744	168.00	2,930	18
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,663	163.98	2,728	80
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,357	160.59	2,179	486
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,157	138.95	1,608	249

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)	1,216	$3,498	5
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,173	$3,100	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,525	$2,540	7
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,442	$2,391	20

Every lot, as filed

76 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	—	1,517	2,650.00/head	2,650.00–2,650.00	2,650	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,461	2,417.63/head	2,400.00–2,450.00	2,418	12
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,413	2,350.00/head	2,350.00–2,350.00	2,350	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,175	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	629	384.00/cwt	384.00–384.00	2,415	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	584	408.50/cwt	397.00–422.50	2,386	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	955	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	2,889	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,356	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	538	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,829	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	646	339.00/cwt	339.00–339.00	2,190	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	425.11/cwt	422.50–430.00	2,266	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	260	667.50/cwt	667.50–667.50	1,736	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	394	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,852	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	456	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,143	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	443	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,994	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	436.00/cwt	436.00–436.00	2,725	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	467	423.27/cwt	420.00–430.00	1,977	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	323	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,583	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	471.32/cwt	465.00–485.00	2,663	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	613	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,023	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	522	394.39/cwt	380.00–420.00	2,059	7
Steers	Large 1	700–750	722	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	2,606	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	537	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,014	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	374.00/cwt	374.00–374.00	2,450	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	467	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	2,475	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	730	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,738	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	626	417.58/cwt	415.00–420.00	2,614	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	546	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,457	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	680.00/cwt	680.00–680.00	2,550	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	526	508.27/cwt	470.00–525.00	2,674	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	1,967	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	423	607.20/cwt	580.00–610.00	2,568	11
Bulls	Large 1	800–850	848	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,629	2
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,140	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,850	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	674	372.97/cwt	370.00–375.00	2,514	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	2,349	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	525	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,336	5
Bulls	Large 1	1350–1400	1,395	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	2,790	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,173	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,306	190.01/cwt	176.00–196.00	2,482	22
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	975	223.37/cwt	170.00–285.00	2,178	34
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	965	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,834	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,017	266.98/cwt	189.00–316.00	2,715	171
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	750	259.89/cwt	240.00–285.00	1,949	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,218	183.35/cwt	175.00–187.00	2,233	10
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,216	3,498.44/head	3,400.00–3,600.00	3,498	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,531	2,457.12/head	2,400.00–2,475.00	2,457	4
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,641	165.07/cwt	150.00–172.00	2,709	26
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,245	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,556	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,715	179.07/cwt	174.00–182.00	3,071	8
Bulls	—	—	2,081	180.67/cwt	175.00–184.00	3,760	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,661	173.85/cwt	173.50–175.00	2,888	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,203	160.43/cwt	153.00–164.50	1,930	105
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	131.24/cwt	125.00–138.00	1,882	19
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,757	170.75/cwt	169.00–171.50	3,000	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,134	116.19/cwt	100.00–122.50	1,318	72
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	898	98.25/cwt	95.00–105.00	882	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	925	83.88/cwt	65.00–90.00	776	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,352	162.36/cwt	153.00–170.00	2,195	296
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,399	144.51/cwt	128.00–152.50	2,022	18
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,573	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	2,249	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,606	168.01/cwt	160.00–173.00	2,698	40
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	978	125.27/cwt	118.00–132.50	1,225	2
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,744	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,930	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,126	128.50/cwt	124.00–139.00	1,447	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,388	117.65/cwt	107.50–125.00	1,633	31
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,605	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,696	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,797	163.80/cwt	160.00–168.00	2,943	20
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,568	138.37/cwt	130.00–154.00	2,170	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,150	141.48/cwt	124.00–152.50	1,627	31
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,164	167.77/cwt	165.00–170.00	1,953	5
Bulls	—	—	2,137	188.46/cwt	184.00–196.00	4,027	6
Bulls	—	—	1,732	159.37/cwt	137.50–173.00	2,760	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,340	174.21/cwt	171.00–177.00	2,334	121
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,162	89.42/cwt	85.00–92.50	1,039	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,160	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,653	1

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 →