Montana Feeder Cattle Prices

Feeder steer and heifer cash prices near Billings, MT by weight class. Source: USDA AMS MARS Report 2489. Updated weekly (Friday releases).

USDA AMS Report 2489 · Weekly (Friday) · Iowa / Southern Minnesota benchmark
Sample Data Free preview — 1 weight class shown. Pro unlocks all weight classes, heifer prices, and trend history.
Feeder Steers (500–600 lb)
Iowa / S. Minnesota · Medium & Large #1
$278.25 / cwt
USDA AMS 2489
Feeder Steers (700–800 lb)
Iowa / S. Minnesota · Medium & Large #1
$256.50 / cwt
USDA AMS 2489
Cattle Feeding Margin
At current feeder + fed prices
+$142 / head
Derived — USDA AMS + NASS

Montana Feeder Cattle Market Context

Montana operates the largest range cattle system in the lower 48. Cow-calf pairs run on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service grazing leases across 94 million acres. Feeder calves move south and east in fall; prices track the Billings Livestock Commission and Miles City sales.

Key Markets and Buyers Near Billings

Montana Quality Foods Billings; cattle primarily market to WY and ID packers; R-CALF stronghold

Understanding the Iowa/S. Minnesota Benchmark

USDA AMS Report 2489 reports feeder cattle prices for the Iowa/Southern Minnesota region — the primary feeder procurement zone for the central Corn Belt feedlot industry. Montana feeder prices trade at a basis to this benchmark that reflects distance to feedlots, local forage conditions, and regional demand from backgrounding operations.

Track Montana Feeder Cattle Prices Weekly

GrainBrief Pro delivers all feeder weight classes, heifer prices, and Cattle Feeding Margin each Friday after USDA releases Report 2489. Price alerts fire when feeder bids move more than 5% week-over-week.

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Page reviewed: 2026-06-03 Topic: montana feeder cattle prices Sources: USDA AMS, cattle auction references, corn feed cost context, and GrainBrief livestock margin models

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