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

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling cattle were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling quality was mostly plain to average. Most yearlings were cut backs off summer video sales. Despite a lower quality offering demand remains very good. Steer calves under 550 lbs sold mostly 15.00-20.00 higher, while steer calves over 550 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher. Heifer calves under 550 lbs sold mostly 5.00-15.00 higher. Heifer calves over 550 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand was good to very good for all calves on offer. Quality this week was mostly average to very attractive for calves. Heavyweight calves were more attractive than lightweight calves this sale. Calves were mostly offered in small to moderate size packages. No load lots were seen this sale. Heifer demand was slightly uneven compared to steer demand. 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 buyers. Weigh up cows and bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed on feeding cows, slaughter cows and slaughter bulls. Demand was mostly moderate for light offerings. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average as many cows were very full. Cow and bull quality today was mostly average.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $463.91/cwt on 373 head. That ranks 1 of 1 comparable sales and sits −39.98 against this barn's trailing median of $503.89.

Average price

$463.91

373 head · 544 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,526

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$128

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

$30.46/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−2.37

vs MT average

+18.06 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	544	468.57	2,550	312
Medium 1	514	450.00	2,313	10thin
Medium and Large 1-2	553	438.11	2,421	51

One grade step is worth $30.46/cwt here — about $128 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 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 sale373 hd

463.91

—

MT average4 barns · 2,047 hd

466.28

−2.37

National average181 barns · 23,254 hd

445.85

+18.06

This barn, trailing median1 sales

503.89

−39.98

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	1,766	182.45	3,222	22
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,420	170.46	2,421	75
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,665	163.00	2,714	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,213	154.87	1,879	62

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/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,080	$3,550	1thin

Every lot, as filed

87 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 1-2Unweaned	500–550	530	449.71/cwt	420.00–460.00	2,383	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	618	412.75/cwt	392.00–427.00	2,551	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	464	427.65/cwt	424.00–430.00	1,984	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	270	740.00/cwt	740.00–740.00	1,998	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	728	391.19/cwt	380.00–396.00	2,848	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	489	512.03/cwt	500.00–525.00	2,504	64
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	260	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	1,690	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	920	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,898	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	397	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,866	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	380	615.00/cwt	615.00–615.00	2,337	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	568	447.27/cwt	428.00–464.00	2,540	160
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	561	422.50/cwt	422.50–422.50	2,370	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	666	376.63/cwt	370.00–380.00	2,508	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	472	491.27/cwt	475.00–520.00	2,319	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	675	416.54/cwt	387.00–426.00	2,812	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	520	443.50/cwt	420.00–459.00	2,306	130
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	651	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,279	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	366	532.50/cwt	532.50–532.50	1,949	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	615	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,399	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	481	465.38/cwt	432.50–490.00	2,238	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	519	491.00/cwt	466.00–508.50	2,548	152
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	323	603.27/cwt	560.00–610.00	1,949	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	425	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	2,189	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	550–600	563	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,393	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	595	393.41/cwt	383.00–422.50	2,341	39
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	618	372.59/cwt	354.00–392.00	2,303	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	369	547.63/cwt	545.00–550.00	2,021	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	426	500.93/cwt	462.00–530.00	2,134	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	468	432.50/cwt	432.50–432.50	2,024	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	966	317.00/cwt	317.00–317.00	3,062	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,929	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	750–800	753	386.00/cwt	386.00–386.00	2,907	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	868	334.00/cwt	334.00–334.00	2,899	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	668	383.50/cwt	383.50–383.50	2,562	46
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	500–550	548	407.50/cwt	407.50–407.50	2,233	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	500	464.00/cwt	464.00–464.00	2,320	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	2,735	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,414	166.89/cwt	163.00–172.00	2,360	34
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,193	150.26/cwt	143.00–157.00	1,793	24
Bulls	—	—	1,671	169.59/cwt	162.00–180.00	2,834	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,710	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	2,822	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,410	156.60/cwt	141.00–161.50	2,208	10
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,445	176.64/cwt	171.00–185.00	2,552	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,431	178.85/cwt	175.00–185.00	2,559	31
Bulls	—	—	1,825	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	3,650	1
Bulls	—	—	2,054	190.36/cwt	184.00–196.00	3,910	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,249	167.04/cwt	164.00–171.00	2,086	30
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,138	123.10/cwt	110.00–131.00	1,401	8
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,778	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	3,360	8
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	632	417.00/cwt	417.00–417.00	2,635	3
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	576	379.00/cwt	379.00–379.00	2,183	4
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	451	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,759	4
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,069	299.00/cwt	299.00–299.00	3,196	7
Heifers	Large 1	550–600	552	381.00/cwt	381.00–381.00	2,103	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,620	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	2,608	1
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	500–550	514	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,313	10
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	500–550	538	397.00/cwt	397.00–397.00	2,136	6
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	600–650	639	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,524	13
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	580	383.00/cwt	383.00–383.00	2,221	16
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	700–750	713	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	2,620	2
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	700–750	705	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,397	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,176	219.82/cwt	185.00–265.00	2,585	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,067	196.39/cwt	173.00–225.00	2,095	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,046	220.26/cwt	206.00–255.00	2,304	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,000	276.45/cwt	220.00–325.00	2,765	10
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	300–350	323	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,163	4
Steers	Medium 2	350–400	398	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,274	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	434	517.48/cwt	490.00–540.00	2,246	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	831	352.00/cwt	352.00–352.00	2,925	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	360	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	2,016	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	400–450	447	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,922	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,200	188.00/cwt	188.00–188.00	2,256	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,080	3,550.00/head	3,550.00–3,550.00	3,550	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	519	407.39/cwt	392.50–415.00	2,114	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	700–750	715	378.00/cwt	378.00–378.00	2,703	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	585	421.55/cwt	415.00–425.00	2,466	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	150–200	197	640.00/cwt	640.00–640.00	1,261	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	567	374.38/cwt	362.50–390.00	2,123	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	450–500	465	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,814	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	268	770.00/cwt	770.00–770.00	2,064	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	410	556.88/cwt	540.00–580.00	2,283	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	872	325.60/cwt	320.00–327.50	2,839	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	350–400	353	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,553	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	600–650	622	377.50/cwt	370.00–385.00	2,348	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	350–400	356	480.53/cwt	440.00–495.00	1,711	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	621	432.88/cwt	422.00–442.00	2,688	183
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	205	800.00/cwt	800.00–800.00	1,640	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 →