Northern Livestock Auction

What Northern Livestock Auction does

Northern Livestock Video Auction (NLVA) is a privately held livestock video marketing firm headquartered in Billings, Montana, that operates an online video and timed auction platform serving cattle producers, purebred/seedstock breeders, and horse sellers across the United States and Canada. With approximately 7 employees, the company conducts live video auctions, weekly timed online cattle and sheep auctions, purebred cattle auctions, and horse sales through a proprietary bidding platform hosted at bid.northernlivestockvideo.com. The firm positions itself as one of the largest and most respected video marketing firms in the country, with a nationwide and Canadian buyer base and a long-standing reputation for trust and dependable service. Operations are organized around 16+ physical auction venues across Montana and Nebraska, supported by a network of regional sales representatives.\n\nNLVA's core products are structured around four auction formats: live video auctions with real-time broadcast bidding (online and phone), weekly timed cattle and sheep auctions with staggered lot closing and anti-sniping extensions, specialized purebred cattle auctions for bull and production sales, and horse sales operated through its BLS Horse Sales sub-brand. The underlying technology stack combines third-party auction software (LiveAuctionGroup and AuctionManagementSoftware) for the bidding platform, with marketing, payments (Stripe and PayPal), and authentication (Facebook and Google login) delivered through SaaS providers, including Squarespace for website hosting. Notable technical features include tiered bidding increments calibrated to price ranges (e.g., $25 increments up to $500, $50 up to $1,000, $100 up to $2,500) and a 3-minute anti-sniping extension for timed auctions. The platform supports pre-bids, real-time bidding, and lot closing notifications, and auctions are conducted at locations such as Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Jordan, Glasgow, Denton, Crawford, Malta, Hilger, Chinook, Dillon, Havre, Fairview, Fairfield, and Whitman.\n\nThe company generates revenue primarily through commissions on successful auction sales, with the buyer side typically charged a 0% premium on most auctions and horse sales. Its go-to-market relies on regional commissioned sales representatives who guide consignors from initial contact through delivery, supplemented by a website, email newsletter, and a network of physical auction venues. Customer segments include commercial cattle producers (primary), purebred/seedstock producers, and horse sellers, all served through a vertically-segmented approach within the agriculture and ranching vertical. NLVA operates independently with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or PE-backed ownership structure.

Name

Northern Livestock Auction

Legal name

Northern Livestock Video

Website

https://northernlivestockvideo.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northern Livestock Video Auction is a privately held Billings, Montana-based livestock video marketing firm operating a video and timed online auction platform serving cattle producers, purebred/seedstock breeders, and horse sellers across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Auction Services

NAICS

Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (42452)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock Weighing, Sorting & Handling Facility Services (AFAEALAG)

Keywords

• Livestock video auctions
• Cattle marketing services
• Purebred cattle sales
• Online horse auctions
• Timed cattle auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Billings

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission Services: Facilitates video and online auctions for livestock producers, earning commissions on successful sales. Services include annual consignment sales, bull sales, production sale support, and horse sales.
2. Buyer's Premium: Some auctions charge no buyer's premium while others may include premiums. Horse sales (e.g., BLS Horse Sales) typically have 0% buyer's premium.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Northern Livestock Video Auction operates a livestock video marketing and auction platform that facilitates live video broadcast auctions, weekly timed online cattle/sheep auctions, purebred cattle sales, and horse sales. Consignors (ranchers, purebred breeders, horse sellers) market their livestock to a nationwide and Canadian buyer base through online and phone bidding, supported by regional sales representatives and physical auction venues across Montana and Nebraska. The firm earns commissions on successful transactions and provides consignment, marketing, and production sale support services.

Product overview

Northern Livestock Video Auction is a livestock marketing firm operating as a video auction platform with multiple auction formats. The core product is the Video Auctions service, complemented by Weekly Timed Cattle/Sheep Auctions, Purebred Cattle Auctions, and Horse Sales. The company also provides consignment and marketing services, a representative network for personalized support, and market reports. The platform enables producers to market cattle and horses to a nationwide and Canadian buyer base through live broadcast and timed online bidding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLS Horse Sales: Horse sales division operated by Northern Livestock Video Auction, hosting events such as the July 25th Summer Special Catalog Sale in Billings, Montana.

Products and services

• Video Auctions Live video broadcast auctions where cattle are presented via video footage and bid on in real-time by buyers nationwide and in Canada. Facilitated through online and phone bidding capabilities on the company's platform.
• Weekly Timed Cattle / Sheep Auctions Regular scheduled timed online auctions for cattle and sheep where bidding occurs over a specified period with staggered lot closing times and anti-sniping 3-minute extension.
• Purebred Cattle Auctions Specialized video auctions dedicated to purebred cattle sales, including bull sales and production sales with breed-specific marketing for registered Angus and other purebred genetics.
• Horse Sales Live and timed online auctions for horses, including the BLS Horse Sales division, offering catalog sales and special showcase events with broadcast bidding when hip numbers enter the ring.
• Consignment and Marketing Services Marketing solutions for producers including annual consignment sales, bull sale support, and production sale support with national buyer exposure and access to broadcasting tools.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SquarespacecoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting provider powering the main northernlivestockvideo.com online store and website analytics. Provides e-commerce platform, email marketing services, and customer data management.
• Stripe and PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing providers for credit card transactions. Stripe handles payment information including credit card numbers during checkout.
• LiveAuctionGroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline auction software provider powering the bid.northernlivestockvideo.com auction platform with bidding, lot management, and auction closing features.
• AuctionManagementSoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationAuction software provider supporting the online auction platform operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Western Video Market: Regional video livestock auction firm serving Western US cattle producers with live video broadcasts and online bidding. Closely comparable model focused on Western cattle country.
• Superior Livestock Auction: Largest competitor in video livestock auctions in the US, offering live video and timed online auctions for cattle with national buyer reach. Directly comparable business model and customer base.
• DVAuction: Digital video livestock auction platform enabling live and timed online auctions for cattle, sheep, and other livestock. Direct competitor in the video/online livestock marketing space.
• Midcontinent Livestock Exchange: Video and online livestock auction company serving the central US. Operates with similar commission-based model and national buyer network, overlapping customer segments with Northern Livestock.

Broad incumbents

• Farmers National Company: Broader agricultural services firm with farmland management, livestock, and real estate services. Adjacent because it provides auction/marketing services for both farmland and farm assets including livestock, but is much more diversified.

Regional players

• Stockmen's Livestock Exchange: Regional livestock auction company in the Western US operating traditional and video/timed auctions. Comparable in offering but smaller geographic footprint than Northern Livestock's national reach.
• Pratt Livestock Auction: Regional cattle auction market in Kansas offering traditional sale barn services alongside video/timed auctions. Comparable auction services but focused on a different geographic territory.

Others

• LiveAuctionGroup: Technology vendor that powers Northern Livestock's bid.northernlivestockvideo.com platform. Not a competitor but a critical enabling partner — its strategic decisions directly shape Northern Livestock's auction capabilities.
• American Angus Association: Breed association that supports registered Angus producers, many of whom are Northern Livestock customers. Not a competitor but an ecosystem participant whose marketing programs and events influence demand for seedstock video auctions.

Emerging players

• CattleUSA: Online livestock marketplace and auction listing service connecting buyers and sellers across the US. Competes in the online cattle marketing category but with a directory-style model rather than video broadcasting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-livestock-auction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Livestock Auction