Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2026-09-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-09-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (9-9-26): Feeder steer and heifer calves were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed on all offerings. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Most calf offerings were in small packages or as singles, while most yearling offerings were in small to moderate size package. Demand was mostly moderate to good for both yearlings and calves. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate offerings. Breaking cows sold steady to 1.00 higher, while boning and lean cows sold 3.00 to 8.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00 to 7.00 lower. Feeding cow quality was mostly plain to average this week. Feeding cows overall sold steady to 4.00 lower. Young age offerings were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however a higher undertone was noted. Demand was mostly good. Quality was mostly plain to average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $347.53/cwt on 18 head, down $24.79 from the prior sale. That ranks 1 of 20 comparable sales and sits −73.45 against this barn's trailing median of $420.98.

Average price

$347.53

▼ 24.79 vs prior sale

18 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,913

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$115

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

$28.51/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.33

vs MT average

−6.78 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	546	358.62	1,957	11thin
Medium and Large 1-2	558	330.11	1,842	7thin

One grade step is worth $28.51/cwt here — about $115 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 200–300 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

20 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $464.07, low $347.53, median $420.98 across 20 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 sale18 hd

347.53

—

MT average2 barns · 80 hd

351.86

−4.33

National average171 barns · 9,246 hd

354.31

−6.78

This barn, trailing median20 sales

420.98

−73.45

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	1,687	180.42	3,045	66
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,522	147.20	2,241	48
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,340	145.51	1,950	184
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,131	135.13	1,528	88

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	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,110	$3,030	21
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,120	$2,802	2thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	939	$2,553	4thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,419	$2,192	14
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,463	$3,800	3thin

Every lot, as filed

97 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 1-2	350–400	368	487.55/cwt	485.00–490.00	1,794	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	283	417.43/cwt	415.00–420.00	1,181	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	393	432.00/cwt	432.00–432.00	1,698	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	720	336.34/cwt	330.00–342.50	2,422	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	240	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	984	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	328	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	1,656	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	360	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,512	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	895	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,596	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	703	319.36/cwt	310.00–322.50	2,245	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	340	441.16/cwt	440.00–445.00	1,500	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	659	327.55/cwt	322.50–332.50	2,159	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	320	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,568	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	509	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,163	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	486	449.84/cwt	425.00–465.00	2,186	63
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	622	377.34/cwt	375.00–384.00	2,347	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	964	270.57/cwt	260.00–285.00	2,608	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	920	307.25/cwt	304.00–313.00	2,827	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	977	317.96/cwt	317.00–318.00	3,106	45
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	776	353.93/cwt	352.50–355.00	2,746	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	468	435.58/cwt	400.00–440.00	2,039	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	484	403.72/cwt	395.00–415.00	1,954	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	422	424.10/cwt	420.00–430.00	1,790	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	689	341.94/cwt	341.00–342.50	2,356	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	737	350.94/cwt	347.00–355.00	2,586	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	813	355.31/cwt	353.00–359.00	2,889	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	489.94/cwt	485.00–495.00	2,058	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	362	453.87/cwt	445.00–465.00	1,643	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	875	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,800	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	408	458.73/cwt	450.00–465.00	1,872	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	265	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	1,431	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	417	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,043	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	822	336.99/cwt	335.00–345.00	2,770	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	359.20/cwt	350.00–370.00	1,897	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	971	300.79/cwt	293.00–305.00	2,921	37
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	452	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	2,023	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	516	404.11/cwt	395.00–417.00	2,085	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	393.00/cwt	393.00–393.00	2,201	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	890	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	2,826	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	678	350.05/cwt	345.00–360.00	2,373	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	567	357.92/cwt	348.00–362.50	2,029	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,015	3,210.51/head	3,200.00–3,250.00	3,211	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,127	256.83/cwt	250.00–261.00	2,894	27
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,215	202.38/cwt	195.00–212.50	2,459	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,144	230.35/cwt	222.50–235.00	2,635	10
Bulls	—	—	1,401	165.23/cwt	164.00–167.50	2,315	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,153	135.49/cwt	130.00–142.50	1,562	37
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,132	142.54/cwt	137.50–146.00	1,614	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,348	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	2,062	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,505	154.35/cwt	148.00–157.00	2,323	22
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,351	141.20/cwt	137.00–149.00	1,908	69
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,127	123.65/cwt	119.00–127.50	1,394	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,346	146.54/cwt	144.00–148.00	1,972	23
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,989	173.58/cwt	170.00–177.00	3,453	15
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,197	211.21/cwt	205.00–215.00	2,528	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,159	148.99/cwt	146.00–150.00	1,727	7
Bulls	—	—	1,425	192.81/cwt	188.00–195.00	2,748	4
Heifers	Large 1	1000–1050	1,029	292.14/cwt	282.00–296.00	3,006	34
Bulls	—	—	1,684	173.88/cwt	169.00–180.00	2,928	24
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,884	184.41/cwt	181.00–188.00	3,474	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,354	134.71/cwt	132.00–137.00	1,824	23
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,569	142.71/cwt	135.00–146.00	2,239	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,549	144.90/cwt	143.00–146.00	2,245	9
Heifers	Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,033	274.33/cwt	274.00–275.00	2,834	3
Heifers	Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,095	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,957	1
Bulls	Large 1-2	1200–1250	1,218	226.35/cwt	226.00–230.00	2,757	23
Bulls	Large 1-2	1150–1200	1,165	234.63/cwt	232.00–235.00	2,733	8
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,098	289.00/cwt	287.00–290.00	3,173	18
Heifers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,119	288.50/cwt	288.50–288.50	3,228	19
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,061	206.41/cwt	200.00–210.00	2,190	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,120	2,801.79/head	2,700.00–2,900.00	2,802	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,463	3,800.00/head	3,800.00–3,800.00	3,800	3
Steers	Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,052	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	2,867	3
Heifers	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,109	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	3,016	4
Steers	Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,027	289.00/cwt	289.00–289.00	2,968	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	565	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,062	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,060	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	833	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,749	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	985	234.20/cwt	222.50–245.00	2,307	17
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,419	2,191.65/head	2,100.00–2,325.00	2,192	14
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	939	2,553.13/head	2,400.00–2,800.00	2,553	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	558	330.11/cwt	325.00–331.00	1,842	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	623	366.26/cwt	365.00–367.50	2,282	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	830	321.00/cwt	319.00–326.00	2,664	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	771	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	2,679	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	413	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,941	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	940	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	2,938	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	695	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,572	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	910	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,548	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,236	2,788.27/head	2,700.00–2,900.00	2,788	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	373.77/cwt	370.00–377.50	2,123	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,139	184.77/cwt	180.00–187.50	2,105	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,275	166.00/cwt	166.00–166.00	2,117	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,322	152.88/cwt	150.00–162.50	2,021	66
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,000	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,650	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,020	153.94/cwt	152.00–155.00	1,570	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,079	113.21/cwt	111.00–117.50	1,222	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,476	134.13/cwt	131.00–137.00	1,980	7

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 →