Cattle Market Pulse

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction Market Report, Billings, MT

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 29, 2025

2,691 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $300.79/cwt +7.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,844/hd at 613 lb · 184 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $337.64/cwt ≈ $2,093/hd at 620 lb · 174 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $301.60/cwt ≈ $2,153/hd at 714 lb · 136 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,691 255 2,685
Feeder cattle 2,158 76 2,004
Slaughter cattle 400 110 541
Replacement cattle 133 69 140

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all offerings. Demand was very good for light to moderate offerings. Quality today was mixed from plain to attractive. Several sets of backgrounded cattle were seen this week. Flesh conditions were mixed with some cattle which were turned out on pasture and hay meadows were in very light flesh, while most backgrounded cattle were in moderate flesh. Cattle were offered in all size packages this week. Demand was good for all classes and all package sizes as buyers put together loads. A large buyer pool was seen this week as todays sale featured feeder cattle. Market activity was active with many buyers actively filling loads. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand today. Packer buyers were very aggressive as they purchased cows to feed and for immediate harvest. Slaughter cows sold mostly 4.00-6.00 higher on breaking cows. Boning cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Lean cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 on all classes. Very good demand was seen for feeding cows this week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand for slaughter bulls was mostly good this sale. Bull quality was average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mixed. Buyers showed very good demand for feeding cows and were less concerned about fill and more about quality this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Demand from both rebreed buyers and feeders continues to be very good. Quality this week was average to attractive. Many young cows were purchased to return to the country to feed.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 2 420.00 $420.00 $1,869 —
450–494 468 35 391.00–423.50 $406.46 $1,902 —
500 thin fleshed 500 7 403.00 $403.00 $2,015 —
500–534 511 105 376.00–396.00 $390.18 $1,994 +12.18
550–586 564 135 345.00–372.00 $364.82 $2,058 +39.82
600–631 620 174 331.00–341.00 $337.64 $2,093 —
650–698 672 76 309.00–328.00 $315.71 $2,122 +20.71
693 693 4 294.00 $294.00 $2,037 -1.00
701–740 714 136 290.00–309.00 $301.60 $2,153 —
755–791 769 32 284.00–293.00 $286.47 $2,203 —
811 811 4 282.00 $282.00 $2,287 —
856–880 861 21 271.00–274.00 $273.71 $2,357 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,344 —
367–397 384 27 430.00–432.00 $431.38 $1,656 —
440–442 441 7 380.00–405.00 $394.26 $1,739 —
453–485 469 33 363.00–390.00 $372.91 $1,749 —
503–535 513 45 352.50–375.00 $363.05 $1,862 —
571–578 575 19 313.00–336.00 $325.18 $1,870 —
613–645 622 41 314.00–323.00 $318.13 $1,979 —
665–692 670 67 285.00–313.00 $308.39 $2,066 —
748 748 2 285.00 $285.00 $2,132 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
566 566 26 340.00 $340.00 $1,924 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 10 372.50 $372.50 $1,546 —
590 590 10 312.00 $312.00 $1,841 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 6 301.00 $301.00 $1,791 —
698 698 4 305.00 $305.00 $2,129 —
1219 1219 9 216.00 $216.00 $2,633 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
661 661 7 276.00 $276.00 $1,824 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 4 290.00 $290.00 $1,404 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354 354 11 397.50 $397.50 $1,407 —
404–436 430 29 360.00–376.00 $362.38 $1,558 —
450–483 473 33 347.00–364.00 $350.59 $1,658 —
500–529 519 101 327.50–351.00 $334.73 $1,737 -2.62
574 574 23 323.00 $323.00 $1,854 —
550–585 575 32 308.00–323.00 $315.87 $1,816 —
602–647 613 184 288.00–309.00 $300.79 $1,844 +7.79
650–695 679 20 274.00–285.00 $276.07 $1,875 —
726 fancy 726 12 278.00 $278.00 $2,018 —
708–749 740 18 265.50–271.00 $268.84 $1,989 —
770 fancy 770 29 269.50 $269.50 $2,075 —
804–818 808 7 259.00–267.00 $264.69 $2,139 —
895 895 4 241.00 $241.00 $2,157 —
915 915 1 241.00 $241.00 $2,205 —
1020 1020 2 224.00–231.00 $227.50 $2,320 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 5 375.00 $375.00 $1,294 —
351–399 386 26 372.50–385.00 $374.15 $1,444 +12.08
435–444 442 12 330.00–355.00 $340.79 $1,506 —
456–489 475 27 305.00–341.00 $331.56 $1,575 —
540–544 542 11 299.00–320.00 $307.34 $1,666 —
563–586 578 8 303.00–305.00 $303.99 $1,757 —
615–633 626 5 273.00–275.00 $273.79 $1,714 —
699 699 15 266.00 $266.00 $1,859 —
863 863 3 229.00 $229.00 $1,976 —
940 940 3 226.00 $226.00 $2,124 —
1025 1025 3 220.00 $220.00 $2,255 —
1053–1090 1075 5 210.00–216.00 $212.35 $2,283 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 4 307.50 $307.50 $1,516 —
513–546 518 48 309.00–326.00 $312.17 $1,617 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
616–627 621 14 283.00–287.00 $284.73 $1,768 —
1146 1146 4 212.00 $212.00 $2,430 -11.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–388 376 6 340.00–352.50 $344.16 $1,294 —
524 524 5 282.50 $282.50 $1,480 +2.50
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 3 345.00 $345.00 $1,138 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417 417 3 390.00 $390.00 $1,626 +20.00
485 485 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,867 —
563–574 572 10 301.00–315.00 $303.76 $1,738 -1.24
673–691 687 8 285.00 $285.00 $1,958 —
770 770 2 254.00 $254.00 $1,956 —
800 800 1 256.00 $256.00 $2,048 —
1003 1003 4 225.00 $225.00 $2,257 —
1062–1086 1076 7 220.00–224.00 $222.31 $2,392 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
527 527 9 310.00 $310.00 $1,634 —
595 595 12 285.00 $285.00 $1,696 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1170–1423 1331 80-85% 61 142.00–149.50 $146.57 $1,951 —
1228–1645 1337 80-85% 105 131.00–143.00 $137.56 $1,839 —
1272–1590 1345 80-85% 5 138.00–145.00 $142.49 $1,916 —
1220–1475 1376 80-85% 7 122.00–125.00 $123.34 $1,697 +3.29
1365–1435 1418 80-85% 4 102.00–103.00 $102.76 $1,457 —
1045–1623 1442 80-85% 7 126.00–130.00 $127.88 $1,844 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805 805 85-90% 1 97.50 $97.50 $785 —
982–1200 1068 85-90% 9 119.00–122.00 $120.27 $1,284 +4.94
935–1235 1130 85-90% 34 105.00–122.50 $119.00 $1,345 —
1095–1235 1157 85-90% 7 108.00–115.00 $112.18 $1,298 —
915–1275 1161 85-90% 42 123.50–136.00 $128.07 $1,487 —
1170–1250 1197 85-90% 22 138.00–145.00 $140.41 $1,681 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1438–1635 1515 75-80% 18 147.00–149.00 $147.23 $2,231 +8.23
1405–1616 1557 75-80% 8 146.50–149.50 $148.44 $2,311 —
1470–1790 1627 75-80% 16 135.00–146.00 $143.42 $2,333 +6.92
1575–1800 1663 75-80% 3 123.00–133.00 $128.82 $2,142 —
1630–1835 1733 75-80% 2 136.00–145.00 $140.23 $2,430 -4.77
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1590–1835 1753 65-75% 6 149.00–150.50 $150.05 $2,630 —
2130 2130 65-75% 1 150.00 $150.00 $3,195 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555–1763 1694 3 139.00–145.00 $140.84 $2,386 —
1775–2235 2053 4 155.00–166.00 $160.87 $3,303 —
2195–2480 2355 3 175.00–182.00 $178.42 $4,202 —
YG2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2390 2390 3 167.00 $167.00 $3,991 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
870–1295 997 (<2 yrs)Open 49 162.50–219.00 $206.10 $2,055
883–1375 1093 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 26 142.00–192.50 $163.41 $1,786
1243 1243 (<2 yrs)Open 6 157.00 $157.00 $1,952
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
833–915 858 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 150.00–152.50 $151.99 $1,304
900–1038 993 (<2 yrs)Open 7 163.00–191.00 $180.57 $1,793
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
734 thin fleshed 734 (<2 yrs)Open 5 172.50 $172.50 $1,266
775 775 (<2 yrs)Open 2 185.00 $185.00 $1,434
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1008 1008 (<2 yrs)Open 4 154.00 $154.00 $1,552
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
833 833 (<2 yrs)Open 3 187.50 $187.50 $1,562

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1117–1145 1128 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 2,150.00–2,200.00 $2,170.30
1080–1198 1139 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 2,200.00–2,500.00 $2,357.77
1215–1315 1240 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 4 2,600.00 $2,600.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1130 1130 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 2,400.00 $2,400.00

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.