Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-01-06
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-06

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale (12-16-25): Steers under 500 lbs were too lightly tested to develop a full market trend, however sharply higher undertones were noticed. Steers over 500 lbs were also too lightly tested to trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Heifers were too lightly tested last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher to sharply higher undertones were noticed on all weight classes. Demand for all feeders was good to very good on light offerings. Demand for light weight cattle suitable to develop into yearlings was very good. Quality this week was mostly plain to average with a limited selection of attractive quality cattle noticed. No load lots were seen this week and most feeders were offered in small packages forcing buyers to piece together loads. CME positions continue to march higher driven by lighter supplies and very good feeding demand. Market activity was mostly active this week with a good mix of order buyers and ranchers actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cow demand continues to drive the weigh up market as a large buyer pool of feeding cow buyers were present actively bidding on cows. Feeding cows sold mostly 4.00-5.00 higher on boning and lean fleshed cows. Breaking flesh feeding cows sold mostly 5.00 lower as demand for fleshy cows was significantly lighter. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-6.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking slaughter cows sold 6.00-12.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Very few cows continue to be purchased for immediate harvest as feeding cow demand continues to keep cow prices above where packers want to buy slaughter cows. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last sale to develop any market trend. Feeding bull demand was mostly moderate to good as most sound bulls were purchased to feed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on moderate to good demand. Too few young cows were seen last sale to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Quality was mostly average this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $419.61/cwt on 70 head, up $67.13 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 16 comparable sales and sits −20.82 against this barn's trailing median of $440.43.

Average price

$419.61

▲ 67.13 vs prior sale

70 head · 574 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,409

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$257

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

$19.80/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

vs MT average

+9.51 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	583	424.99	2,480	51
Medium and Large 1-2	549	405.18	2,223	19thin

One grade step is worth $19.80/cwt here — about $257 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

16 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $468.13, low $352.48, median $440.43 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 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale70 hd

419.61

—

MT average1 barns · 70 hd

419.61

+0.00

National average199 barns · 28,725 hd

410.10

+9.51

This barn, trailing median16 sales

440.43

−20.82

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	1,747	166.67	2,912	34
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,367	167.06	2,284	190
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	2,125	159.00	3,379	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,634	147.30	2,407	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,141	139.28	1,589	98

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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	973	$2,950	4thin
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	872	$2,500	3thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,195	$2,458	9
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,307	$2,380	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,213	$2,085	7

Every lot, as filed

72 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	398	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,129	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	745	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,496	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,117	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	384	635.00/cwt	635.00–635.00	2,438	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	289	736.00/cwt	736.00–736.00	2,127	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	542	488.33/cwt	481.00–502.50	2,647	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,639	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	572	463.47/cwt	445.00–472.50	2,651	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	708	387.00/cwt	387.00–387.00	2,740	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	591	423.04/cwt	421.00–433.00	2,500	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	334	690.00/cwt	690.00–690.00	2,305	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	658	422.50/cwt	422.50–422.50	2,780	21
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	517.50/cwt	517.50–517.50	2,210	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	479	467.27/cwt	457.00–472.50	2,238	37
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	383	507.21/cwt	505.00–535.00	1,943	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	744	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,567	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	609	407.78/cwt	402.50–410.00	2,483	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	332	560.37/cwt	557.50–570.00	1,860	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	279	652.50/cwt	652.50–652.50	1,820	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	514	442.88/cwt	432.50–450.00	2,276	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	556.00/cwt	556.00–556.00	2,658	25
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	667	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	2,501	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	527	461.26/cwt	445.00–472.00	2,431	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	2,275	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,190	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	2,410	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,109	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	2,928	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,174	174.50/cwt	174.50–174.50	2,049	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,335	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,195	2,458.37/head	2,425.00–2,550.00	2,458	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,048	235.01/cwt	230.00–242.50	2,463	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,136	86.51/cwt	80.00–92.00	983	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,097	110.55/cwt	100.00–120.00	1,213	18
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,540	147.00/cwt	147.00–147.00	2,264	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,736	155.93/cwt	149.00–158.00	2,707	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,590	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	2,258	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,606	144.76/cwt	143.50–155.00	2,325	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	678	372.93/cwt	367.50–380.00	2,528	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	610	421.26/cwt	407.50–422.50	2,570	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	623	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	2,258	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	516	425.44/cwt	420.00–432.50	2,195	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	386.95/cwt	375.00–390.00	2,237	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	470	446.70/cwt	435.00–450.00	2,099	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	410	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	2,091	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	481	511.36/cwt	487.50–537.50	2,460	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	514	444.36/cwt	440.00–460.00	2,284	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	260	710.00/cwt	710.00–710.00	1,846	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	579	392.94/cwt	387.50–402.00	2,275	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	610	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,105	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,014	260.48/cwt	217.50–307.50	2,641	97
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	872	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,265	2,350.00/head	2,350.00–2,350.00	2,350	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,213	2,084.80/head	1,950.00–2,350.00	2,085	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	973	2,950.00/head	2,950.00–2,950.00	2,950	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	945	245.14/cwt	178.00–287.50	2,317	12
Bulls	—	—	1,942	177.58/cwt	176.00–179.00	3,449	5
Bulls	—	—	1,800	164.73/cwt	149.00–171.00	2,965	7
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,756	174.32/cwt	173.00–180.00	3,061	10
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,627	156.88/cwt	120.00–172.00	2,552	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,315	114.79/cwt	110.00–120.00	1,509	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,345	91.00/cwt	91.00–91.00	1,224	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,411	125.35/cwt	120.00–130.00	1,769	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,305	168.87/cwt	155.00–173.50	2,204	95
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,451	177.08/cwt	175.00–177.50	2,569	71
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,356	136.23/cwt	121.00–150.00	1,847	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,169	133.87/cwt	112.00–147.00	1,565	12
Cows	Premium White 65-75%Heavy Weight	—	2,125	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	3,379	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,168	125.06/cwt	122.50–127.50	1,461	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	983	103.51/cwt	102.00–105.00	1,018	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	798	82.50/cwt	82.50–82.50	658	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	890	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	979	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,176	160.77/cwt	150.00–165.00	1,891	44
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,181	170.94/cwt	167.00–174.00	2,019	8

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 →