Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-08-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-18

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (8-04-26): Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. A few yearlings are beginning to come off grass. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Demand for feeders was mostly moderate, but suffered again this sale as buyers struggled to build loads. Many sets of yearlings coming off grass were pushing moderate amounts on all feeders on offer. A few sets of spring calves were seen this week. Several were out of drought areas. Calves were in mostly light flesh. Demand for calves was light as hot weather and light offerings limited demand. CME positions traded much of the morning in positive territory but traded mixed before the end of the sale, which concluded before the board closed. CME positions are lower than the last sale on August 8th. Market activity was slow to moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for light offerings. Feeding cows were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to lower undertones were noticed on a poorer quality offering. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower on a lower yielding offering. A large offering of bulls was seen this sale as many are marketing bulls coming out of breeding pastures. Many bulls were in thin condition and lower yielding as a result. Weigh up conditions were mixed today with both full and empty cows and bulls noticed. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend. Many young cows were pushing moderate to moderate plus flesh as pasture conditions in eastern Montana have been mostly good. Quality this week was mostly plain to average this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 600–700 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

600–700 lb heifers averaged $363.33/cwt on 15 head, down $21.41 from the prior sale (only 11 head in that comparison). That ranks 1 of 16 comparable sales and sits −32.70 against this barn's trailing median of $396.03.

Average price

$363.33

▼ 21.41 vs prior sale

15 head · 644 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,339

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+14.23

vs MT average

+27.50 vs national

What quality paid 600–700 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	644	363.33	2,339	15thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

This barn's trailing prices 600–700 lb

16 sales

Heifers 600–700 lb: high $404.52, low $363.33, median $396.03 across 16 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 600–700 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale15 hd

363.33

—

MT average2 barns · 28 hd

349.11

+14.23

National average147 barns · 4,354 hd

335.83

+27.50

This barn, trailing median16 sales

396.03

−32.70

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

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	—	Average	1,819	191.48	3,484	80
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,620	166.27	2,693	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,457	165.62	2,412	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,106	123.79	1,369	7thin

Every lot, as filed

43 lots · USDA AMS · Miles City Livestock Commission Auction - Miles City, MT

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,405	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,037	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,500	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	2,280	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,439	167.81/cwt	165.00–174.00	2,415	24
Bulls	—	—	1,987	201.15/cwt	194.00–213.00	3,997	19
Bulls	—	—	1,724	185.45/cwt	171.00–193.00	3,197	44
Bulls	—Natural	—	1,817	191.69/cwt	191.00–195.00	3,483	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	510	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,027	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,030	290.75/cwt	288.50–294.00	2,995	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	790	336.00/cwt	336.00–336.00	2,654	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	348	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	1,844	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	717	341.00/cwt	341.00–341.00	2,445	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	441	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,841	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	498	443.00/cwt	443.00–443.00	2,206	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	367	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	1,899	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	971	299.23/cwt	295.00–300.00	2,906	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	942	297.07/cwt	296.50–299.00	2,798	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	735	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,426	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	423	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,734	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	450–500	453	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,676	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,201	214.00/cwt	191.00–232.50	2,570	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,130	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	2,401	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	424	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	2,099	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	575	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,286	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	456	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,915	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	387	457.50/cwt	457.50–457.50	1,771	5
Heifers	Large 1Full	1050–1100	1,088	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	3,057	2
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,060	286.50/cwt	286.50–286.50	3,037	2
Heifers	Medium 1Thin Fleshed	650–700	695	356.00/cwt	356.00–356.00	2,474	4
Heifers	Medium 1Thin Fleshed	600–650	625	366.00/cwt	366.00–366.00	2,288	11
Steers	Medium 1Thin Fleshed	650–700	655	392.50/cwt	392.50–392.50	2,571	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,140	183.88/cwt	175.00–193.00	2,096	2
Bulls	—	—	2,271	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	5,019	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,644	165.77/cwt	165.00–167.00	2,725	19
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,525	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,562	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,480	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	2,590	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,426	179.46/cwt	174.00–184.00	2,559	5
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	1,150	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,415	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,600	159.51/cwt	153.00–164.00	2,552	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	865	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	908	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,675	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	2,680	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,164	118.31/cwt	115.00–125.00	1,377	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,055	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	1,794	1
Bulls	—Heavy Weight	—	2,555	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	4,701	1

How this sale compares

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 →