Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2026-03-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-03-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (3-04-26): Feeder cattle were not well tested this week and not tested at all last week, thus no trend is available. Quality this week was mostly plain and offered in small packages or as singles. Demand was light to moderate as quality and light receipts made it difficult for buyers to piece together loads. Market activity was slow with a small crowd on hand for todays sale. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand again this week. Almost every cow purchased today was once again purchased to feed in some capacity. Feeding cows sold fully steady. Quality this week was average to attractive, however not as attractive as last weeks offering. Many sets of cows which had be started on feed sold this week. Demand from packers was mostly light for fleshy slaughter cows. Most of fed cows on offer were purchased to return to feed as most needed another 30-60 days to grade premium white. Canadian buyers were back in the market this week and they showed very good demand for feeding cows to ship north and feed. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to below average today and significantly lower than last weeks sale. Several sets of fed cows were pushing heavy amounts of fill. Cows with blemishes were also heavily purchased to feed this week as buyers pushed cow prices well over packer buyers orders for slaughter cows. Very few cows were purchased for immediate harvest as feeding cow demand held cow prices above slaughter cow orders. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Feeding bull buyers were very aggressive in buying bulls to feed. This helped keep slaughter bull prices near steady as feeding and slaughter buyers bid over the same offerings. Demand for young cows remains very good. Young age offerings sold mostly steady. Quality this week was average to attractive, but not as attractive as last weeks, large, very attractive offering.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $421.54/cwt on 13 head, down $32.21 from the prior sale (only 14 head in that comparison). That ranks 10 of 19 comparable sales and sits +0.00 against this barn's trailing median of $421.54.

Average price

$421.54

▼ 32.21 vs prior sale

13 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,316

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$195

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

$2.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−23.66

vs MT average

+7.76 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	566	422.50	2,391	8thin
Medium and Large 1-2	523	420.00	2,197	5thin

One grade step is worth $2.50/cwt here — about $195 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 sale13 hd

421.54

—

MT average3 barns · 470 hd

445.20

−23.66

National average182 barns · 10,991 hd

413.78

+7.76

This barn, trailing median19 sales

421.54

+0.00

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	1,826	203.71	3,719	35
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,404	179.26	2,516	167
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,620	174.35	2,824	104
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,201	169.07	2,031	92
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,388	139.00	1,929	2thin
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,446	129.33	1,870	6thin

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)	1,286	$4,000	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,193	$3,500	8
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,460	$3,400	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,345	$3,100	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,364	$2,896	11
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,518	$2,700	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,143	$2,100	4thin
Bred Heifers	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,313	$4,100	3thin

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
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,049	275.07/cwt	200.00–319.00	2,885	194
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	986	268.58/cwt	230.00–297.50	2,648	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,111	222.08/cwt	177.50–255.00	2,467	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,276	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,680	5
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,313	4,100.00/head	4,100.00–4,100.00	4,100	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,193	3,500.00/head	3,500.00–3,500.00	3,500	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,286	4,000.00/head	4,000.00–4,000.00	4,000	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,518	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,515	2,892.05/head	2,850.00–2,900.00	2,892	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	770	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,541	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	243	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,094	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	432	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,095	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	370	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,739	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	700–750	743	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,378	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fleshy	600–650	644	332.00/cwt	332.00–332.00	2,138	7
Heifers	Large 1	700–750	715	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	2,449	3
Heifers	Large 1	600–650	625	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	2,422	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	634	395.60/cwt	395.00–396.00	2,508	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,914	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	320	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,488	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	566	422.50/cwt	422.50–422.50	2,391	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	455	475.05/cwt	470.00–480.00	2,161	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	523	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,197	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	595	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,499	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	250	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,275	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	388	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	1,921	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	298	590.00/cwt	590.00–590.00	1,758	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	488	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,538	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	607	416.65/cwt	410.00–420.00	2,529	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	700–750	741	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,519	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	973	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,822	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	678	354.29/cwt	352.50–355.00	2,402	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	873	301.00/cwt	301.00–301.00	2,628	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	800–850	818	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,372	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	685	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,124	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,093	145.21/cwt	140.00–155.00	1,587	3
Bulls	—	—	2,003	215.53/cwt	215.00–217.00	4,317	4
Bulls	—	—	1,850	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	3,626	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,701	167.37/cwt	166.00–169.50	2,847	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,438	183.68/cwt	162.00–186.00	2,641	58
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,366	186.72/cwt	184.00–196.00	2,551	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,555	156.98/cwt	148.00–162.00	2,441	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,226	174.43/cwt	168.00–180.00	2,139	64
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,159	159.41/cwt	145.00–165.00	1,848	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,464	183.56/cwt	182.00–184.00	2,687	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,610	176.63/cwt	172.00–181.00	2,844	74
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,411	157.29/cwt	148.00–166.00	2,219	7
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,335	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	1,842	2
Dairy Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,388	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	1,929	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,300	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	1,723	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	970	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,261	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,102	127.40/cwt	120.00–137.50	1,404	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,775	162.81/cwt	159.00–165.00	2,890	8
Dairy Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,501	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,876	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,381	179.71/cwt	170.00–184.00	2,482	83
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,203	183.26/cwt	181.00–185.00	2,205	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,615	167.08/cwt	162.00–172.00	2,698	13
Bulls	—	—	1,973	210.72/cwt	198.00–213.00	4,158	19
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,500	199.52/cwt	199.00–200.00	2,993	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,505	185.45/cwt	165.00–194.00	2,791	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,090	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	2,044	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	857	216.25/cwt	195.00–265.00	1,853	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,143	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,182	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	5
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,013	308.00/cwt	308.00–308.00	3,120	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	900	306.05/cwt	295.00–321.00	2,754	6
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	898	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	2,335	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,212	187.32/cwt	183.00–237.50	2,270	32
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,345	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,460	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	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 →