Cattle Market Pulse

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

Billings, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 3, 2025

930 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $361.23/cwt -38.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,849/hd at 512 lb · 16 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $353.79/cwt ≈ $2,154/hd at 609 lb · 15 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $325.60/cwt ≈ $2,217/hd at 681 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 930 — —

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
340 340 1 490.00 $490.00 $1,666 —
452 452 5 465.00 $465.00 $2,102 —
515 515 1 417.50 $417.50 $2,150 —
518 value added 518 2 430.00 $430.00 $2,227 —
575 575 5 377.50 $377.50 $2,171 —
600 600 11 381.00 $381.00 $2,286 +31.00
656 656 12 363.00 $363.00 $2,381 —
749 749 4 345.00 $345.00 $2,584 —
890 890 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,536 —
1060 1060 1 277.50 $277.50 $2,942 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 4 352.50 $352.50 $2,097 —
697 697 11 342.50 $342.50 $2,387 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316 316 4 420.00 $420.00 $1,327 —
405 405 2 450.00 $450.00 $1,822 —
458 458 2 365.00 $365.00 $1,672 —
520 520 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,872 —
560–590 575 2 342.50 $342.50 $1,969 —
760 760 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,128 —
948 948 2 267.50 $267.50 $2,536 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
511–513 512 16 350.00–370.00 $361.23 $1,849 -38.77
551 551 8 345.00 $345.00 $1,901 +6.98
605–613 608 9 347.00–351.00 $349.65 $2,126 —
610 fancy 610 6 360.00 $360.00 $2,196 —
680–685 681 13 322.00–337.50 $325.60 $2,217 —
725 725 1 312.50 $312.50 $2,266 —
1030 1030 2 260.00 $260.00 $2,678 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–390 383 2 360.00–380.00 $370.20 $1,418 —
450 450 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,440 —
520–525 523 2 330.00–335.00 $332.51 $1,739 —
575–590 583 2 300.00–320.00 $310.13 $1,808 —
605 605 3 300.00 $300.00 $1,815 —
650–690 677 3 310.00–315.00 $311.60 $2,110 —
715 715 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,002 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
758 758 2 270.00 $270.00 $2,047 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935 935 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,618 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1330 1211 80-85% 11 141.00–169.00 $150.84 $1,827 —
1052–1328 1236 80-85% 22 156.00–192.50 $170.80 $2,111 —
1045–1500 1240 80-85% 63 144.00–157.50 $151.05 $1,873 —
1035–1470 1249 80-85% 106 142.50–181.00 $161.52 $2,017 —
1050–1379 1311 80-85% 26 157.50–166.00 $159.78 $2,095 +41.24
1170–1575 1392 80-85% 12 125.00–142.00 $134.18 $1,868 -8.77
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1186–1350 1203 75-80% 13 180.00–232.50 $193.06 $2,323 —
1135–1547 1412 75-80% 100 153.00–175.00 $163.09 $2,303 —
1340–1775 1556 75-80% 45 150.00–160.00 $156.68 $2,438 —
1515–1630 1557 75-80% 3 161.00–165.00 $162.30 $2,527 —
1345–1985 1589 75-80% 13 122.00–142.00 $133.71 $2,125 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1215 1050 85-90% 2 100.00–107.50 $103.16 $1,083 —
850–1260 1122 85-90% 29 102.50–122.50 $117.15 $1,314 -19.77
905–1300 1148 85-90% 30 126.00–166.00 $140.22 $1,610 +3.30
1000–1263 1164 85-90% 18 80.00–95.00 $88.00 $1,024 -20.58
1123–1445 1187 85-90% 12 128.00–162.00 $146.84 $1,743 -9.01
1243–1430 1337 85-90% 4 129.00–132.50 $130.87 $1,750 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1298 1298 5 137.50 $137.50 $1,785 —
1213–2180 1628 12 165.00–175.00 $171.06 $2,785 —
1255–1788 1679 5 142.50–162.00 $152.69 $2,564 —
1395–1755 1679 6 160.00–162.00 $160.70 $2,698 —
1625–2126 2005 7 179.00–181.00 $179.42 $3,597 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
755–1049 961 (<2 yrs)Open 94 180.00–310.00 $282.02 $2,710
770–1263 1092 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 61 170.00–267.50 $231.21 $2,525

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1060–1141 1123 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 10 2,100.00–2,800.00 $2,607.45
1117–1216 1164 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 14 2,600.00–3,700.00 $3,370.60
1060–1465 1224 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 16 2,350.00–2,700.00 $2,533.27
1315–1430 1370 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 27 2,000.00–2,450.00 $2,333.83
1240–1535 1380 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 1,850.00–2,050.00 $1,948.77

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
889 889 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 11 2,550.00 $2,550.00
995–1050 1023 (<2 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 2,350.00–2,450.00 $2,398.66

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1255 1255 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 3,300.00 $3,300.00 —
1627 1627 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,650.00 $2,650.00 —

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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.