Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-10-07
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-07

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested develop any market trend. Steer calves over 450 lbs offered the best comparisons this week selling sharply higher, in a narrow comparison. Heifer calves were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed. Demand was mostly good to very good for moderate offerings. Several load lots of calves were seen this sale and demand was good to very good for these offerings. Packages of calves sold on good demand as well as a large crowd was on hand with many buyers actively bidding on offerings. Quality was mostly attractive to very attractive with many reputation ranches offering calves this week. CME positions traded with triple digit gains again today which helped provide additional market support. Market activity was mostly active with many order buyers, ranchers and farmer feeders in the stands rapidly bidding on calves. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Cow quality was mostly average this week. Feeding cow demand remains very good with a large pool of feeding buyers actively bidding on offerings. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls and feeding bulls both sold generally steady. Good demand was seen for both feeding and slaughter bulls this week. Demand for all replacement cows was very good. Buyers showed good demand for all ages of cows to return to the country to pregnancy test, or put in a rebreeding program. Young age replacement cows were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $464.52/cwt on 942 head. That ranks 5 of 13 comparable sales and sits −21.72 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$464.52

942 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,550

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$163

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

$25.95/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.40

vs MT average

+18.67 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	550	465.95	2,561	874
Large 1	542	446.59	2,421	63
Medium and Large 1-2	545	440.00	2,398	5thin

One grade step is worth $25.95/cwt here — about $163 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $512.23, low $440.01, median $486.23 across 13 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale942 hd

464.52

—

MT average4 barns · 1,229 hd

463.12

+1.40

National average181 barns · 23,254 hd

445.85

+18.67

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

−21.72

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	—	High	1,677	184.59	3,096	51
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Low	1,572	172.15	2,707	38
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,379	171.42	2,365	91
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,630	164.18	2,676	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,168	157.49	1,839	56

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 Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,050	$3,050	1thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,355	$2,900	3thin

Every lot, as filed

74 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	563	458.10/cwt	440.00–467.00	2,579	634
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	554	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,133	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	345	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,570	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	600	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	2,205	1
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	479	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,036	24
Heifers	Large 1	1100–1150	1,109	298.00/cwt	298.00–298.00	3,305	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	483	452.50/cwt	452.50–452.50	2,186	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	998	212.89/cwt	187.50–247.50	2,125	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,122	236.24/cwt	185.00–270.00	2,651	23
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,016	269.96/cwt	237.50–286.00	2,743	30
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,355	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	468	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,270	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	738	342.77/cwt	342.00–345.00	2,530	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	431	544.07/cwt	527.50–560.00	2,345	81
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	545	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,398	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	968	337.00/cwt	337.00–337.00	3,262	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	464	537.02/cwt	525.00–540.00	2,492	84
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	474	478.11/cwt	460.00–487.50	2,266	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	445	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,225	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	450–500	489	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,054	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	344	555.73/cwt	522.50–575.00	1,912	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	435	494.32/cwt	486.00–499.00	2,150	67
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	819	339.50/cwt	339.50–339.50	2,781	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	922	321.33/cwt	320.50–322.00	2,963	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	618	417.20/cwt	405.00–426.00	2,578	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	514	486.68/cwt	455.00–502.50	2,502	240
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	384	575.93/cwt	557.50–595.00	2,212	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	886	323.50/cwt	323.50–323.50	2,866	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	384	523.41/cwt	516.00–529.00	2,010	14
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	968	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	2,977	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	612	384.93/cwt	380.00–415.00	2,356	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	518	455.68/cwt	435.00–466.00	2,360	238
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	572	412.63/cwt	412.50–415.00	2,360	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	957	318.00/cwt	317.00–319.00	3,043	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,444	176.99/cwt	176.00–179.00	2,556	20
Cows	Boner 80-85%Non-Traditional	—	1,393	166.02/cwt	157.00–175.00	2,313	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	840	118.79/cwt	110.00–125.00	998	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,420	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	2,016	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,761	168.00/cwt	168.00–168.00	2,958	4
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,561	171.40/cwt	170.00–171.50	2,676	32
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	870	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,240	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,373	192.50/cwt	192.50–192.50	2,643	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,725	174.00/cwt	174.00–174.00	3,002	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,470	174.00/cwt	174.00–174.00	2,558	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	175.94/cwt	175.00–177.00	2,066	19
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,722	165.03/cwt	163.00–167.00	2,842	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,545	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	2,086	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,525	150.53/cwt	149.00–152.00	2,296	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	147.76/cwt	138.00–160.00	1,735	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,118	129.83/cwt	122.50–136.00	1,451	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,181	138.50/cwt	138.50–138.50	1,636	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,343	172.75/cwt	167.00–176.00	2,320	61
Bulls	—	—	2,160	199.00/cwt	199.00–199.00	4,298	3
Bulls	—	—	1,582	175.05/cwt	170.00–184.00	2,769	7
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,170	154.80/cwt	154.00–161.00	1,811	9
Bulls	—	—	2,027	200.67/cwt	197.00–203.00	4,068	13
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,685	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	3,117	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,243	167.32/cwt	164.00–173.00	2,080	13
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,083	273.79/cwt	270.00–277.50	2,965	2
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	977	247.50/cwt	247.50–247.50	2,418	8
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,710	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	3,454	1
Bulls	—	—	1,677	190.66/cwt	185.00–197.00	3,197	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,469	150.73/cwt	141.00–157.00	2,214	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,480	181.08/cwt	176.50–185.00	2,680	4
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	542	446.59/cwt	445.00–452.50	2,421	63
Heifers	Large 1	1050–1100	1,080	310.88/cwt	309.00–311.00	3,358	17
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	621	407.50/cwt	407.50–407.50	2,531	59
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	875	237.50/cwt	237.50–237.50	2,078	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,050	3,050.00/head	3,050.00–3,050.00	3,050	1
Bulls	Large 1-2	1100–1150	1,110	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	2,692	1
Bulls	Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,055	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,928	1
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	620	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,294	1
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	400–450	435	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	2,153	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	430	454.00/cwt	454.00–454.00	1,952	12

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 →