Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2026-02-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-02-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (2-18-26): Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for light offerings was good to very good. Cattle were mostly offered in small groups or as singles this week forcing buyers to piece together loads. Quality this week was mostly average and not as attractive as last weeks offering. Many blemished or odd cattle continue to be marketed and demand for these offerings was mostly good. Cattle with short ears of tails are selling with only slight discounts to non-blemished cattle as buyers search for cattle with value that will still feed. Internet bidding was very active this week with several buyers online actively buying feeding cattle. Market activity was mostly active this sale. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light to moderate offerings. Feeding cows sold on mostly good to very good demand again this week. Packer buyers were not as aggressive at bidding on feeding cows this week, opting to pass and let private feeders buy. Feeding cows sold steady to weak on a slightly lower quality offering. Several consignments of cows had been on feed and were purchased to return to feed this week. Demand for slaughter cows was good to very good. Breaking cows sold steady to 2.00 higher, boning and lean cows sold 2.00-5.00 higher in a very narrow comparison. Most cows purchased for slaughter were too blemished to feed. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady on very good demand. Packers and feeding bull buyers both showed good demand for bulls again this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on good to very good demand. Quality this week was average to attractive. Several cows which recently lost calves sold this sale and demand for these offerings was good to very good. Young age offerings sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $453.75/cwt on 14 head, up $0.09 from the prior sale. That ranks 18 of 19 comparable sales and sits +32.21 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$453.75

▲ 0.09 vs prior sale

14 head · 540 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,450

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

−7.90

vs MT average

+23.34 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	540	453.75	2,450	14thin

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 sale14 hd

453.75

—

MT average3 barns · 135 hd

461.65

−7.90

National average177 barns · 14,680 hd

430.41

+23.34

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

+32.21

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	1,953	196.15	3,830	33
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,582	174.24	2,757	34
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,396	171.12	2,389	161
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,151	154.47	1,778	64
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	725	115.00	834	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)	1,363	$3,800	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,315	$3,400	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,545	$3,050	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,427	$2,785	13

Every lot, as filed

70 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	527.36/cwt	520.00–542.50	2,784	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	805	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,737	1
Heifers	Large 1	450–500	461	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	2,328	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	414	531.93/cwt	510.00–540.00	2,202	4
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	911	223.44/cwt	205.00–240.00	2,036	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,610	3,250.00/head	3,250.00–3,250.00	3,250	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,394	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	11
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,545	3,050.00/head	3,050.00–3,050.00	3,050	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	705	353.00/cwt	353.00–353.00	2,489	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	481	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,405	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	840	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,604	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	658	381.68/cwt	365.00–387.50	2,511	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	504	477.50/cwt	477.50–477.50	2,407	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	610	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,532	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	400	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	2,400	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	725	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	2,596	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	576	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,477	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	2,324	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	465	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	2,465	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	820	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,255	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	925	282.24/cwt	255.00–290.00	2,611	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,107	211.61/cwt	180.00–270.00	2,343	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	630	452.50/cwt	452.50–452.50	2,851	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	512.50/cwt	512.50–512.50	2,896	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	743	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,823	2
Steers	Large 1	450–500	475	541.87/cwt	527.50–557.50	2,574	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	663	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,884	6
Steers	Medium 1	550–600	598	442.50/cwt	442.50–442.50	2,646	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	373	575.00/cwt	575.00–575.00	2,145	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	895	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,819	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,451	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	798	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,753	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	695	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,676	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,681	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	837	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,930	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,459	159.32/cwt	145.00–164.00	2,324	15
Bulls	—	—	1,948	200.38/cwt	198.00–206.00	3,903	4
Bulls	—	—	2,490	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	4,631	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,201	173.07/cwt	165.00–177.00	2,079	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,107	151.83/cwt	142.50–163.00	1,681	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,670	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	2,605	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,575	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	2,567	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,678	172.56/cwt	167.00–178.50	2,896	18
Bulls	—	—	2,066	197.62/cwt	190.00–205.00	4,083	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,376	146.53/cwt	142.00–159.00	2,016	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,151	143.88/cwt	139.00–147.50	1,656	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,158	111.25/cwt	110.00–112.50	1,288	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	900	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,170	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	935	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	795	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,397	173.42/cwt	164.50–180.00	2,423	78
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,215	179.44/cwt	179.00–179.50	2,180	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,369	180.24/cwt	180.00–182.00	2,467	50
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,150	132.07/cwt	130.00–136.00	1,519	11
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	725	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	834	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,382	180.50/cwt	180.50–180.50	2,495	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,633	173.50/cwt	170.00–176.50	2,833	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,389	129.98/cwt	120.00–139.00	1,805	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,713	172.00/cwt	171.00–173.00	2,946	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	805	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,006	1
Bulls	—	—	2,098	211.40/cwt	209.00–218.00	4,435	5
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,540	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	5,131	1
Bulls	—	—	1,878	175.68/cwt	173.00–178.00	3,299	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,563	179.28/cwt	170.00–186.50	2,802	3
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,620	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	5,397	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,566	192.48/cwt	188.00–197.50	3,014	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,363	3,800.00/head	3,800.00–3,800.00	3,800	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,315	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	927	306.73/cwt	235.00–340.00	2,843	31
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,223	183.29/cwt	174.00–187.00	2,242	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,000	288.37/cwt	200.00–320.00	2,884	61

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 →