Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-12-09
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-12-09

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. A few remanent yearlings continue to be marketed. CME feed cattle contract prices have moved sharply higher over the last two weeks which has helped increase demand for all feeders. Demand for yearling cattle has improved from light demand to moderate to good demand. Higher undertones were noticed on limited yearling offerings. Steer calves under 550 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed. Steer calves over 550 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Heifer calves under 450 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Heifers 450-649 lbs sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Heifers over 650 lbs were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. High quality offerings sold on very good demand this week. Offerings were mixed for group size however no load lots were seen. Small packages and singles sold with significantly lighter demand compared to large consignments. Demand was mixed as a result. Offerings were light. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week despite a small buyer pool on hand for todays sale. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cow demand remains good. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. All classes of slaughter cows sold generally steady to firm in a narrow comparison. A larger portion of the cow offering this week was comprised of cows too blemished to feed. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly moderate. Cow quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on moderate demand. Too few young cows were seen this week to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average this week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $429.46/cwt on 194 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −56.77 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$429.46

194 head · 567 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,435

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$113

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$31.07/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−8.47

vs MT average

−1.17 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	566	431.07	2,441	181
Medium and Large 1-2	578	411.56	2,377	8thin
Medium 1	582	400.00	2,328	5thin

One grade step is worth $31.07/cwt here — about $113 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 sale194 hd

429.46

—

MT average4 barns · 651 hd

437.94

−8.47

National average179 barns · 20,601 hd

430.63

−1.17

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

−56.77

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	—	Low	1,810	169.06	3,061	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,316	158.65	2,087	260
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,612	156.94	2,530	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,171	132.32	1,549	147

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)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,289	$2,085	41

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	600–650	614	403.49/cwt	391.00–412.00	2,477	27
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	449	406.00/cwt	406.00–406.00	1,823	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	547	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,379	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	374	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	1,599	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,153	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	653	329.00/cwt	329.00–329.00	2,148	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	682	393.55/cwt	391.00–394.00	2,684	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	709	380.61/cwt	380.00–381.00	2,699	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	519	381.67/cwt	380.00–394.00	1,981	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	519	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,998	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	568	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,903	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	834	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,627	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	668	397.00/cwt	397.00–397.00	2,652	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	573	423.00/cwt	407.50–440.00	2,424	98
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,390	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	570	434.50/cwt	434.50–434.50	2,477	63
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	617	353.37/cwt	347.00–365.00	2,180	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	519	423.00/cwt	423.00–423.00	2,195	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	409	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,188	26
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	563	374.50/cwt	374.50–374.50	2,108	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	476	438.72/cwt	419.00–451.00	2,088	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	521	472.05/cwt	458.00–478.00	2,459	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	2,327	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	673	319.00/cwt	319.00–319.00	2,147	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	562	399.50/cwt	399.50–399.50	2,245	76
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	992	188.24/cwt	175.00–205.00	1,867	6
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	874	230.12/cwt	230.00–232.50	2,011	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	700–750	709	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	2,559	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	627	395.14/cwt	391.00–397.00	2,478	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	403	486.00/cwt	486.00–486.00	1,959	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	650–700	696	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	2,513	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,181	113.39/cwt	102.50–121.00	1,339	44
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,193	133.32/cwt	115.00–142.00	1,591	29
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,087	163.51/cwt	162.00–164.00	1,777	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,572	153.48/cwt	152.00–153.75	2,413	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,697	155.46/cwt	152.00–157.00	2,638	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,340	166.18/cwt	166.00–169.00	2,227	16
Bulls	—	—	1,785	164.84/cwt	163.00–167.00	2,942	2
Bulls	—	—	1,855	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	3,432	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,191	152.91/cwt	149.00–159.00	1,821	52
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	883	107.15/cwt	100.00–115.00	946	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,573	161.18/cwt	157.00–162.00	2,535	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,379	138.58/cwt	122.50–144.00	1,911	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,312	162.03/cwt	154.00–166.00	2,126	219
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,605	160.00/cwt	155.00–163.00	2,568	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,282	128.15/cwt	122.00–142.00	1,643	10
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,765	172.94/cwt	171.00–175.00	3,052	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	910	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	592	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	945	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,181	1
Heifers	Medium 1	450–500	492	392.00/cwt	392.00–392.00	1,929	5
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	785	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	2,178	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,190	126.67/cwt	126.00–132.00	1,507	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,355	113.22/cwt	105.00–120.00	1,534	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,083	89.39/cwt	80.00–100.00	968	4
Bulls	—	—	1,995	168.71/cwt	166.00–171.00	3,366	3
Heifers	Medium 1-2	300–350	320	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,392	13
Steers	Medium 1	550–600	582	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,328	5
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	522	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,801	3
Heifers	Medium 1	400–450	425	382.50/cwt	382.50–382.50	1,626	2
Heifers	Medium 1	750–800	754	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,300	7
Steers	Medium 1	300–350	305	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	1,708	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	825	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,526	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,053	234.34/cwt	207.50–260.00	2,468	11
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,245	192.50/cwt	192.50–192.50	2,397	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,458	2,375.00/head	2,375.00–2,375.00	2,375	13
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,211	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	28
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,034	200.30/cwt	175.00–237.50	2,071	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	360	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	1,746	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	465	482.50/cwt	482.50–482.50	2,244	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	482	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,783	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	489	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,809	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	430	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	2,129	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	596	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,369	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	425	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,806	2

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 →