Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-10-03
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-03

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

This was the first Friday feeder special of the fall run so no comparisons can be made. Demand was good for all yearlings on offer, while demand for calves was very good offerings were light. Quality this week was mostly average for yearlings and average to attractive for calves. Calves were mostly offered in small to moderate size packages. No load lots were seen this sale. Demand from order buyers buying for packers was very good as they tried to buy big calves to finish early. This helped push 600 lb and heavier cattle above heavy 5 weight cattle. Demand for light calves was very good as some farmer feeders are already buying calves to develop into yearlings. A large buyer pool was on hand for todays sale. Market activity was mostly active with a good mix of order buyers, farmer feeders and very active internet bidding. Weigh up cows and bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly light for very light offerings. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average as many cows were very full. Cow and bull quality today was mostly plain.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $459.67/cwt on 244 head. That ranks 1 of 1 comparable sales and sits −44.22 against this barn's trailing median of $503.89.

Average price

$459.67

244 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,501

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$142

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

$50.63/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+8.92

vs MT average

+37.02 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	540	465.90	2,517	214
Medium and Large 1-2	572	415.26	2,375	30

One grade step is worth $50.63/cwt here — about $142 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.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale244 hd

459.67

—

MT average4 barns · 409 hd

450.75

+8.92

National average177 barns · 15,324 hd

422.65

+37.02

This barn, trailing median1 sales

503.89

−44.22

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	1,955	186.33	3,643	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,385	149.96	2,077	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,222	131.14	1,603	13

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)	1,358	$3,100	2thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,505	$2,500	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,287	$2,500	3thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,468	$2,454	2thin

Every lot, as filed

67 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Fri)

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 1Unweaned	550–600	575	441.61/cwt	420.00–455.00	2,539	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	955	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	2,817	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	317	542.46/cwt	535.00–548.00	1,720	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	530	474.08/cwt	457.00–480.00	2,513	163
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	676	418.74/cwt	395.00–429.00	2,831	87
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	705	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,573	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	548	422.50/cwt	422.50–422.50	2,315	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	534	404.29/cwt	392.50–414.00	2,159	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	621	387.80/cwt	379.00–390.00	2,408	64
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	410	499.54/cwt	487.50–502.50	2,048	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	474	439.42/cwt	423.00–470.00	2,083	73
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	792	350.25/cwt	348.50–357.50	2,774	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	689	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,739	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	750–800	753	409.00/cwt	409.00–409.00	3,080	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	858	354.00/cwt	354.00–354.00	3,037	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	633	423.02/cwt	403.00–439.50	2,678	112
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	401	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,085	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	871	329.12/cwt	326.00–336.00	2,867	48
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	829	341.64/cwt	338.00–345.00	2,832	34
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	490	462.50/cwt	462.50–462.50	2,266	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	665	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,494	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	366	586.39/cwt	565.00–640.00	2,146	65
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	900–950	922	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	2,877	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	750–800	767	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,569	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,505	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	422.50/cwt	422.50–422.50	2,345	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	948	314.00/cwt	314.00–314.00	2,977	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,280	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	2,112	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	840	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	1,058	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,264	120.78/cwt	113.00–133.00	1,527	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,377	152.04/cwt	150.00–154.00	2,094	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,423	160.15/cwt	160.00–161.00	2,279	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,358	136.79/cwt	135.00–139.00	1,858	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	850	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,593	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,113	199.23/cwt	179.00–222.50	2,217	2
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	463	482.00/cwt	482.00–482.00	2,232	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,231	142.09/cwt	132.00–150.00	1,749	4
Bulls	—	—	2,065	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	3,903	1
Bulls	—	—	1,900	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	3,515	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	659	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	2,092	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	450–500	456	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,847	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,468	2,453.83/head	2,400.00–2,500.00	2,454	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,287	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,113	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	2,365	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,358	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	359	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	1,885	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	577	411.96/cwt	410.00–417.00	2,377	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	427	503.94/cwt	480.00–525.00	2,152	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	314	572.84/cwt	555.00–585.00	1,799	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	287	635.00/cwt	635.00–635.00	1,822	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	763	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	2,732	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	648	369.00/cwt	369.00–369.00	2,391	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	303	495.10/cwt	465.00–520.00	1,500	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	381	497.50/cwt	497.50–497.50	1,895	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	558	393.00/cwt	393.00–393.00	2,193	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	839	318.50/cwt	318.50–318.50	2,672	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	275	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,320	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	922	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,858	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	896	322.00/cwt	322.00–322.00	2,885	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	527	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	2,345	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	200–250	248	640.00/cwt	640.00–640.00	1,587	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	366	531.56/cwt	515.00–540.00	1,946	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	645	381.50/cwt	365.00–398.00	2,461	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	430	536.39/cwt	528.00–550.00	2,306	64
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	464	497.99/cwt	485.00–520.00	2,311	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	706	404.06/cwt	381.00–415.00	2,853	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	568	388.05/cwt	381.00–402.00	2,204	72

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 →