Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-10-21
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-21

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested develop any market trend. Steer calves all sold steady to firm. Heifer calves under 450 sold steady to firm, heifers over 450 sold steady to 8.00 lower. Demand was mostly good to very good for moderate offerings. A few 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 buyers showed need for calves to fill loads. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Demand for heifers was softer this sale, but improved as the sale progressed. Buyers showed very good demand for calves with 2 rounds of vaccinations. Some offerings bring as much as 10.00-15.00 cwt premium for calves with two rounds of vaccinations. A large buyer pool was on hand for todays sale which stretched late into the evening. Some of the highest offerings sold late in the day as a large pool of buyers pushed to fill loads. 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 sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower on boning and lean cows, breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Most cows on offer this week were purchased for either long term feed or to hold until the holidays. Many lame or blemished cows were purchased to put on a holding ration until the holidays. High quality cows suitable for long term feed sold generally steady. A wider variety of cows were purchased for feed this week as more blemished and lame cows were purchased for short term feed. Slaughter bulls and feeding bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to lower undertones were noticed. Weigh up conditions were mixed 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 sold mostly steady in a narrow comparison. Demand for bred cows was very good for light offerings. A few ranch tested bred cows were offered this week, these bred offerings are in the report below sold per cwt as they were not worked at the yards.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $486.86/cwt on 1,005 head. That ranks 9 of 13 comparable sales and sits +0.62 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$486.86

1,005 head · 541 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,633

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$163

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$42.78/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+11.75

vs MT average

+28.72 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	541	488.81	2,643	922
Medium and Large 1-2	538	469.67	2,526	67
Large 1	556	446.03	2,480	16thin

One grade step is worth $42.78/cwt here — about $163 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 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 sale1,005 hd

486.86

—

MT average5 barns · 2,429 hd

475.10

+11.75

National average182 barns · 38,495 hd

458.14

+28.72

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

+0.62

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	1,794	181.80	3,262	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,387	172.32	2,391	221
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,675	168.20	2,818	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,207	157.04	1,896	160

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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,515	$3,275	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,355	$3,250	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,488	$3,209	23

Every lot, as filed

83 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	600–650	621	440.59/cwt	420.00–455.00	2,736	416
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	559	376.38/cwt	371.00–377.50	2,104	32
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	426	540.57/cwt	537.50–543.00	2,303	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	622	454.85/cwt	390.00–632.00	2,829	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	376	475.02/cwt	420.00–512.50	1,786	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	566	458.98/cwt	440.00–492.50	2,598	368
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	592	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,368	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	475	430.66/cwt	425.00–440.00	2,046	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	467	543.79/cwt	525.00–555.00	2,539	218
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	725	378.36/cwt	375.00–382.50	2,743	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	568	406.50/cwt	381.00–420.00	2,309	348
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	716	347.93/cwt	345.00–351.00	2,491	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	334	610.98/cwt	555.00–650.00	2,041	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	309	635.00/cwt	635.00–635.00	1,962	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	471	462.16/cwt	440.00–503.00	2,177	354
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	393	542.46/cwt	525.00–557.50	2,132	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	524	436.45/cwt	419.00–450.00	2,287	300
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	464	515.00/cwt	515.00–515.00	2,390	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	424	519.47/cwt	481.00–549.00	2,203	129
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	438	566.78/cwt	545.00–592.50	2,482	127
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	617	382.20/cwt	361.00–392.50	2,358	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	1000–1050	1,014	304.72/cwt	302.00–312.00	3,090	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	886	339.00/cwt	339.00–339.00	3,004	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	524	508.63/cwt	490.00–530.00	2,665	554
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,275	182.50/cwt	182.50–182.50	2,327	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	662	415.23/cwt	400.00–419.00	2,749	73
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	930	323.97/cwt	323.50–324.50	3,013	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	920	338.00/cwt	338.00–338.00	3,110	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	382.50/cwt	382.50–382.50	2,938	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	961	317.79/cwt	315.00–322.50	3,054	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	523	482.00/cwt	482.00–482.00	2,521	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	848	341.00/cwt	341.00–341.00	2,892	11
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,488	3,209.09/head	3,100.00–3,225.00	3,209	23
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,515	3,274.50/head	3,250.00–3,300.00	3,275	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,355	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	2,879	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,128	102.52/cwt	102.00–103.00	1,156	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,505	179.50/cwt	179.50–179.50	2,701	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,671	169.93/cwt	165.00–172.00	2,840	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,287	135.67/cwt	132.00–142.00	1,746	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,227	171.84/cwt	167.00–177.50	2,108	76
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,203	118.87/cwt	107.00–129.00	1,430	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,236	179.11/cwt	179.00–180.00	2,214	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,172	156.23/cwt	135.00–165.00	1,831	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	970	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,407	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,693	163.55/cwt	160.50–167.00	2,769	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,716	165.10/cwt	164.00–167.00	2,833	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,465	153.01/cwt	143.00–155.00	2,242	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,393	150.77/cwt	124.00–161.00	2,100	25
Bulls	—	—	1,957	190.81/cwt	187.00–192.00	3,734	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,095	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	1,725	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,412	124.63/cwt	122.00–126.00	1,760	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,634	175.30/cwt	166.00–181.00	2,864	6
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,745	188.34/cwt	184.00–191.00	3,287	3
Heifers	Large 1	500–550	549	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,182	14
Bulls	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	476	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,428	133
Bulls	—	—	1,940	193.35/cwt	192.00–195.00	3,751	2
Bulls	—	—	1,795	165.54/cwt	161.00–171.00	2,971	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,375	179.85/cwt	179.00–181.00	2,473	52
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,387	175.33/cwt	165.00–179.00	2,432	135
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	400–450	427	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,050	50
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	350–400	376	505.00/cwt	505.00–505.00	1,899	7
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	563	433.88/cwt	419.00–437.00	2,443	12
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	648	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	2,705	37
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	400–450	411	547.50/cwt	547.50–547.50	2,250	5
Bulls	Large 1Unweaned	350–400	392	540.50/cwt	540.50–540.50	2,119	25
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	991	305.31/cwt	220.00–337.50	3,026	23
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,355	3,250.00/head	3,250.00–3,250.00	3,250	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,251	227.50/cwt	227.50–227.50	2,846	19
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	500–550	530	402.50/cwt	402.50–402.50	2,133	2
Bulls	Large 1-2	1200–1250	1,205	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	2,772	1
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	535	482.50/cwt	482.50–482.50	2,581	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	436	445.52/cwt	435.00–461.00	1,942	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	534	476.19/cwt	467.50–483.00	2,543	57
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	503	412.50/cwt	412.50–412.50	2,075	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,093	231.49/cwt	182.50–307.50	2,530	55
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	902	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	2,683	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,081	182.83/cwt	180.00–185.00	1,976	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	366	625.99/cwt	602.50–642.50	2,291	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	486	514.95/cwt	502.50–517.50	2,503	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	560	432.52/cwt	427.50–437.50	2,422	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	738	383.00/cwt	383.00–383.00	2,827	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	377	573.10/cwt	550.00–585.00	2,161	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	650–700	652	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	2,527	9

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 →