Billings Livestock Commission Co.

What Billings Livestock Commission Co. does

Billings Livestock Commission Co. (BLS) is a privately held, family-operated livestock auction company founded in 1934 in Billings, Montana, conducting cattle, horse, and video/internet livestock auctions and consignment sales. The company operates three core service lines: weekly live cattle auctions every Thursday at its North Frontage Road facility, monthly on-premise horse catalog sales on the fourth weekend of each month (positioned as the nation's largest monthly horse sale), and video/internet cattle auctions through its Northern Livestock Video Auction (NLVA) partnership. BLS is one of the oldest continuous livestock auctions in America and bills itself as Montana's pioneer market.

The company's underlying technology is operationally focused rather than productized. It runs a physical auction ring supported by the NLVA video/internet auction platform (whose base operation is co-located at BLS), the CattleUSA live online bidding platform for weekly Thursday cattle sales, and a timed online-only horse sale system with staggered closing windows. Supporting services include on-site veterinary (Bryan Roe, DVM), a brand inspection office, hauling coordination, holding facilities, insurance, coggins testing, and Canadian export paperwork, creating a one-stop venue for both consignors and buyers across the Western U.S.

BLS earns revenue primarily through transaction commissions on cattle and horse sales, with three documented streams: cattle sales commissions, horse sales commissions, and video auction services through NLVA. Customer segments are vertical: cattle ranchers and breeders (primary), horse owners and breeders, and cattle buyers/feedlots. Pricing is not publicly disclosed — commission rates are negotiated individually — and the go-to-market is event-driven (weekly Thursday cattle sales, monthly horse sales, periodic NLVA video sales), supplemented by field representatives (Ty Thompson, Dan Catlin, Kenny Stahl) who recruit consignments, and digital channels including Facebook Live previews, monthly mailed sale newspapers, and a 'text Billings to 313131' notification system. The company moves approximately 125,000 cattle through the ring, 300,000 cattle through NLVA video, and 6,000+ horses annually.

Name

Billings Livestock Commission Co.

Legal name

Billings Livestock Commission

Website

https://billingslivestock.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Auction Services

NAICS

Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (424520)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Beef Cattle Trading & Order Buying (Live Cattle) (AFAEABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Equine Sales, Auctions & Bloodstock Agencies (AFAEAGAH)

Keywords

• Livestock auction services
• Cattle auction sales
• Horse auction sales
• Video livestock auctions
• Livestock consignment

Headquarters

HQ city

Billings

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cattle Sales Commission: Commission-based sales of cattle through weekly Thursday auctions and video/internet sales
2. Horse Sales Commission: Commission-based sales through monthly on-premise catalog sales and timed online-only horse sales
3. Video Auction Services: Northern Livestock Video Auction base operation providing video/internet cattle sales to international market

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Billings Livestock Commission Co. operates a livestock auction business conducting weekly Thursday cattle sales, monthly catalog horse sales on the 4th weekend, and video/internet livestock auctions through Northern Livestock Video Auction. The company sells approximately 125,000 cattle annually through the on-premise ring, 300,000 cattle annually via video/internet sales, and over 6,000 horses annually through its monthly horse sales.

Product overview

Billings Livestock Commission Co. is Montana's pioneer livestock market founded in 1934, operating as a livestock auction company rather than a technology product company. The company offers three core service lines: (1) Weekly live cattle auctions held every Thursday selling approximately 125,000 cattle annually through the ring; (2) Northern Livestock Video Auctions selling approximately 300,000 cattle annually via video/internet sales to international markets; and (3) Monthly horse sales on the 4th weekend of each month, recognized as the nation's largest monthly horse sale with over 6,000 head sold annually, plus timed online-only horse auctions. Supporting services include market reports, USDA market data, online consignment forms, and customer support including hauling coordination, insurance, and export paperwork assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northern Livestock Video Auction: Video auction service for cattle sales, base operation located at BLS
• NLVA

Products and services

• Cattle Sales/Auctions Weekly live cattle auctions held every Thursday at the Billings facility, selling all classes of cattle including bulls, cows, feeder cattle, calves, pairs, and bred cattle. Approximately 125,000 head are sold annually through the ring.
• Horse Sales/Auctions Monthly on-premise catalog horse sales held on the 4th weekend of each month, featuring performance horses, rope horses, and all classes. BLS is the nation's largest monthly horse sale, selling over 6,000 head annually with 500-1,100 head per weekend.
• Northern Livestock Video Auction Video and internet-based cattle auction sales staged to an international market, with the base operation located at BLS. The company sells approximately 300,000 cattle annually through video/internet sales.
• Timed Online Only Horse Sales Timed online-only horse auctions where bidding opens at noon on opening day and continues until 6 p.m. on closing day, with horses located at consignors' facilities.
• Consignment Services Online and offline consignment forms for cattle and horse sellers to register animals for upcoming auctions.

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northern Livestock Video Auction (NLVA)coreTechnology or IntegrationNLVA base operation is located at Billings Livestock. Several video sales per year are staged to an international market through this partnership, complementing the weekly cattle auctions with video/internet sales capabilities.
• Cattle Plus NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate network including Public Auction Yards, Vermilion, Diamond, J&L Ranch, Premier Land Company, WLR, and AGN - linked as cattle industry partners on the Our Cattle Links page.
• CattleUSAcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeekly live cattle auction broadcast through CattleUSA platform for online viewing and bidding during Thursday sales.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Public Auction Yards: Billings, MT-based competitor auction yard operating weekly cattle sales and a broad livestock marketplace. Cited as an affiliate via the Cattle Plus Network and operates in the same regional Montana catchment as BLS.
• Northern Livestock Video Auction: Video/internet cattle auction platform whose base operation is physically located at BLS. Comparable business model (commission-based video livestock sales) and overlapping customer base of cattle ranchers and buyers.
• Superior Livestock Auction: One of the largest satellite/video livestock auction companies in the US, selling hundreds of thousands of cattle annually via video/internet. Directly comparable to Northern Livestock Video Auction and the cattle auction business at BLS.
• Western Video Market: Video/internet livestock auction company serving Western US cattle producers. Same commission-based, transaction-fee model and overlapping target customer base of ranchers and feedlot buyers.
• Oklahoma National Stockyards: One of the largest physical cattle auction facilities in the US, holding regular weekly sales. Same core business model (commission-based live cattle auctions serving ranchers and feedlots), though geographically focused on the Southern Plains.
• Amarillo Livestock Auction: Long-running physical cattle auction company in the Texas Panhandle with weekly commission-based cattle sales. Comparable regional auction house model with similar customer base of ranchers and order buyers.
• Hub City Livestock Auction: Regional cattle auction company based in Aberdeen, SD, holding regular sales serving ranchers and feedlot buyers in the Northern Plains. Same auction-house business model and adjacent geographic catchment to BLS.
• Empire Livestock Marketing: Multi-location livestock auction operator in the Northeast US with regular cattle and horse sales. Comparable commission-based auction business, though serving a different geography.

Emerging players

• CattleUSA: Online cattle marketplace and live auction broadcasting platform that streams BLS's weekly Thursday auctions. Comparable digital infrastructure for online cattle bidding, and a potential substitute channel for in-person auction attendance.

Regional players

• Torrington Livestock Markets: Wyoming-based regional livestock auction company with weekly cattle sales. Comparable physical auction house model serving rancher/feedlot customers in the broader Northern Rockies region that overlaps with BLS's catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Billingslivestockhorsesale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/billings-livestock-commission-co-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Billings Livestock Commission Co.