Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2025-04-02

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2025-04-02
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-04-02

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, Apr 2

● Final52 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← Mar 26Apr 2Apr 9 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

229 head

▼ 205 vs last sale 434▲ 79 vs year ago 150 · +52.7%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

524 head

▼ 104 vs last sale 628▲ 308 vs year ago 216 · +142.6%

Replacement Cattle receipts

209 head

▲ 7 vs last sale 202▼ 25 vs year ago 234 · −10.7%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average today with a limited offering of attractive cattle seen. Many cutback cattle continue to be seen off winter and spring video sales. Both quality and package size limited demand today. Package sizes were small today with many groups under 10 head noticed. Demand for cattle that were developed for grass remains good to very good. Buyers continue to show strong premiums for replacement quality heifers. Todays buyer pool was small, but larger than last weeks sale. Market activity was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows comprised most of the sale today. All weigh up cows sold on mostly very good demand for moderate offerings. Regional packers and major packers continue to show very good demand for cows. With regional packers purchasing cows to slaughter and major packers mostly purchasing cows to feed. Slaughter cows sold 4.00-6.00 higher on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold mostly 3.00-7.00 higher. Demand for feeding cows drove the bulk of the cow market sharply higher as a very large feeding cow buyer pool was noticed. Feeding cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00, with instances of 10.00 higher seen on high quality offerings. Demand for thin fleshed cows was very good as feeding buyers showed very good demand for cows with lots of compensatory gain. Cow quality was mixed today from plain to very attractive. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to below average as rain and snow showers had most cows tanked up on hay. The quality of cows going to feed continues to vary greatly from buyer to buyer as several buyers were willing to take cows which were lame or slightly blemished and put them on feed or run them on wheat pasture until cow supplies tighten later in the spring and early summer. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 4.00-5.00 higher. Bull quality this week was average to attractive and similar compared to last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Demand from rebreed buyers was very good this sale as they pushed most offerings higher. Very little price difference was seen between high quality coming 2 and coming 3 year olds as buyers search for cows to rebreed.

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $310.50/cwt on 26 head. That ranks 1 of 19 comparable sales and sits −84.95 against this barn's trailing median of $395.45.

Average price

$310.50

26 head · 545 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,694

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$45

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

$29.61/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−23.53

vs MT average

−10.88 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	501	331.00	1,658	8thin
Medium and Large 1-2	565	301.39	1,704	18thin

One grade step is worth $29.61/cwt here — about −$45 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale26 hd

310.50

—

MT average2 barns · 130 hd

334.03

−23.53

National average178 barns · 12,751 hd

321.38

−10.88

This barn, trailing median19 sales

395.45

−84.95

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

19 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $464.07, low $347.53, median $395.45 across 19 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

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	—	High	1,822	175.10	3,190	36
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,648	155.35	2,561	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,413	154.78	2,187	171
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,149	142.85	1,642	196

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 Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,263	$3,000	3thin

Every lot

52 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. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.

Class	Weight	Grade / description	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Feeder Cattle · Steers5 lots · lightest first
Steers	400–450	Medium and Large 2	443	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,617	2
Steers	500–550	Medium and Large 2	510	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,760	1
Steers	650–700	Medium and Large 1-2	653	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	2,139	2
Steers	700–750	Medium and Large 1-2	744	293.74/cwt	290.00–296.00	2,185	8
Steers	950–1000	Medium and Large 1-2	955	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	2,330	3
Feeder Cattle · Heifers12 lots · lightest first
Heifers	400–450	Medium and Large 2	415	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,328	4
Heifers	400–450	Medium and Large 1-2	443	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,551	3
Heifers	450–500	Medium and Large 1	465	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,674	3
Heifers	450–500	Medium and Large 2	488	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,476	3
Heifers	500–550	Medium and Large 1	501	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	1,658	8
Heifers	500–550	Medium and Large 1-2	535	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	1,672	2
Heifers	550–600	Medium and Large 1-2	569	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,707	16
Heifers	600–650	Medium and Large 1-2	625	292.65/cwt	286.00–307.50	1,829	5
Heifers	600–650	Medium and Large 1	628	316.53/cwt	312.00–325.00	1,988	31
Heifers	600–650	Medium and Large 2	632	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,643	3
Heifers	700–750	Medium and Large 1	700	274.00/cwt	274.00–274.00	1,918	2
Heifers	700–750	Medium and Large 1Replacement	731	298.50/cwt	298.50–298.50	2,182	44
Feeder Cattle · Bulls4 lots · lightest first
Bulls	900–950	Medium and Large 1	915	245.33/cwt	244.00–248.00	2,245	6
Bulls	1000–1050	Medium and Large 1	1,017	233.73/cwt	223.00–242.00	2,377	7
Bulls	1100–1150	Large 1	1,100	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	2,431	1
Bulls	1150–1200	Large 1	1,175	213.98/cwt	209.00–219.00	2,514	2
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls5 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,515	162.23/cwt	162.00–162.50	2,458	2
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,608	156.35/cwt	151.00–162.00	2,514	2
Bulls	—	—	1,803	177.54/cwt	163.00–183.00	3,201	23
Bulls	—	—	1,847	147.94/cwt	143.00–151.00	2,732	3
Bulls	—	—	2,056	189.85/cwt	183.00–197.00	3,903	6
Slaughter Cattle · Cows18 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	893	103.65/cwt	102.50–105.00	926	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	975	112.33/cwt	107.50–119.00	1,095	4
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,093	136.28/cwt	121.00–143.00	1,490	64
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,096	96.32/cwt	90.00–101.00	1,056	5
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,124	120.74/cwt	107.50–130.00	1,357	7
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,175	147.76/cwt	140.00–154.00	1,736	59
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,217	156.21/cwt	154.00–159.00	1,901	54
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,250	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	1,763	1
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,385	99.00/cwt	99.00–99.00	1,371	1
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,393	154.96/cwt	145.00–158.50	2,159	93
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,412	159.83/cwt	158.00–166.00	2,257	55
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,428	135.28/cwt	135.00–136.00	1,932	3
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,487	145.82/cwt	143.00–150.00	2,168	12
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,515	133.11/cwt	128.00–136.00	2,017	4
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,544	159.20/cwt	159.00–160.00	2,458	5
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,558	159.44/cwt	158.50–160.00	2,484	5
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,614	159.67/cwt	159.50–160.00	2,577	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,697	153.37/cwt	151.00–156.00	2,603	20
Replacement Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	1,088	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	2,622	2
Replacement Cattle · Bred Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Bred Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	1,263	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	3
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows6 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	939	200.63/cwt	162.50–218.00	1,884	6
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,008	226.66/cwt	200.00–265.00	2,285	51
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,030	195.48/cwt	170.00–225.00	2,013	4
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Fancy	1,055	227.22/cwt	225.00–236.00	2,397	23
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,115	195.22/cwt	160.00–229.00	2,177	99
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,310	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	2,070	2

This sale against other markets

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 →

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

Wed Apr 2, 2025

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Billings, MT (LS-BL)

Feeder CattleReceipts 229Last week 434Year ago 150

Slaughter CattleReceipts 524Last week 628Year ago 216

Replacement CattleReceipts 209Last week 202Year ago 234

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	—	1,263	3,000.00	3,000.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	23	—	1,055	225.00–236.00	227.22

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	4	—	1,030	170.00–225.00	195.48
(<2 yrs)	Open	6	—	939	162.50–218.00	200.63

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	51	—	1,008	200.00–265.00	226.66
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,310	158.00	158.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	99	—	1,115	160.00–229.00	195.22

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	N/A	2	—	1,088	241.00	241.00

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
3	450–500	465	360.00	360.00
8	500–550	501	331.00	331.00
31	600–650	628	312.00–325.00	316.53
2	700–750	700	274.00	274.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	400–450	443	350.00	350.00
2	500–550	535	312.50	312.50
16	550–600	569	300.00	300.00
5	600–650	625	286.00–307.50	292.65

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	400–450	415	320.00	320.00
3	450–500	488	302.50	302.50
3	600–650	632	260.00	260.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Replacement$ per cwt · actual wt
44	700–750	731	298.50	298.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	650–700	653	327.50	327.50
8	700–750	744	290.00–296.00	293.74
3	950–1000	955	244.00	244.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	400–450	443	365.00	365.00
1	500–550	510	345.00	345.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	900–950	915	244.00–248.00	245.33
7	1000–1050	1,017	223.00–242.00	233.73

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	1100–1150	1,100	221.00	221.00
2	1150–1200	1,175	209.00–219.00	213.98

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,614	159.50–160.00	159.67
12	—	1,487	143.00–150.00	145.82
1	—	1,385	99.00	99.00
4	—	1,515	128.00–136.00	133.11

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
93	—	1,393	145.00–158.50	154.96
3	—	1,428	135.00–136.00	135.28
55	—	1,412	158.00–166.00	159.83

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	893	102.50–105.00	103.65
4	—	975	107.50–119.00	112.33

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
7	—	1,124	107.50–130.00	120.74
1	—	1,250	141.00	141.00
5	—	1,096	90.00–101.00	96.32

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,558	158.50–160.00	159.44
20	—	1,697	151.00–156.00	153.37

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
54	—	1,217	154.00–159.00	156.21
59	—	1,175	140.00–154.00	147.76
64	—	1,093	121.00–143.00	136.28

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
5	—	1,544	159.00–160.00	159.20

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	2,056	183.00–197.00	189.85
23	—	1,803	163.00–183.00	177.54
3	—	1,847	143.00–151.00	147.94

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,515	162.00–162.50	162.23
2	—	1,608	151.00–162.00	156.35

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.