Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-01-13
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-13

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (1-06-26): Steers under 500 lbs were too lightly tested either this week or last week to develop a full market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Steers over 500 lbs sold mostly 10.00-20.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Heifers sold 10.00-15.00 higher on all weight classes in a narrow comparison. Demand for all feeders was good to very good on moderate offerings. Demand for light weight cattle suitable to develop into yearlings was very good. Buyers were willing to take steers up to 600 lbs and heifers up to 575 lbs for that purpose. Quality this sale was average to very attractive. Many high quality home raised offerings off local ranchers were on offer this sale. Buyers were able to tie into full load lots as several large consignments were seen this week. CME positions sold sharply higher today fueled by lower feed costs. Corn contracts fell sharply Monday on record high estimated yields and higher ending stocks. 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 light to 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 unevenly steady from 3.00 lower to 5.00 higher. Lower quality blemished feeding cows sold higher while high quality feeding cows soften on lighter demand from private feeders. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on all classes. Packers purchased fewer slaughter cows this week as private feeding buyers were showed willingness to buy slightly blemished cows to feed, this kept cows priced mostly above where packers were willing to purchase slaughter cows. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to lower undertones were noticed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on moderate to good demand. Young cows sold generally steady to weak in a narrow comparison. Quality was mostly average this week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $486.55/cwt on 408 head, up $25.95 from the prior sale. That ranks 8 of 13 comparable sales and sits +0.32 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$486.55

▲ 25.95 vs prior sale

408 head · 564 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,746

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$279

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

$38.67/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.09

vs MT average

+14.57 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	566	489.87	2,770	373
Medium and Large 1-2	552	451.20	2,491	35

One grade step is worth $38.67/cwt here — about $279 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

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 sale408 hd

486.55

—

MT average3 barns · 838 hd

485.46

+1.09

National average187 barns · 29,067 hd

471.98

+14.57

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

+0.32

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	1,831	164.52	3,012	9thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,412	163.27	2,305	121
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,630	155.23	2,530	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,129	146.12	1,650	73

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/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,392	$2,713	12
Bred Cows	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,178	$2,200	2thin

Every lot, as filed

69 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
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	421	481.51/cwt	470.00–495.00	2,027	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	373	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	2,089	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	396.12/cwt	396.00–396.50	2,911	125
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	602	416.00/cwt	416.00–416.00	2,504	43
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	783	362.32/cwt	350.00–395.00	2,837	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	486	448.81/cwt	440.00–460.00	2,181	99
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	628	415.98/cwt	415.00–420.00	2,612	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	517	526.40/cwt	502.00–532.50	2,721	99
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	676	420.03/cwt	401.00–425.00	2,839	276
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	532.23/cwt	497.50–547.50	2,289	75
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	613	381.49/cwt	360.00–387.50	2,339	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	931	262.50/cwt	262.50–262.50	2,444	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	612	450.69/cwt	430.00–469.00	2,758	192
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	771	316.00/cwt	316.00–316.00	2,436	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	469	555.00/cwt	555.00–555.00	2,603	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	681	369.06/cwt	355.00–372.00	2,513	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	376	540.00/cwt	540.00–540.00	2,030	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	442	562.50/cwt	562.50–562.50	2,486	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	583	478.10/cwt	462.50–502.50	2,787	257
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	584	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	2,657	17
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,021	258.55/cwt	200.00–315.00	2,640	64
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,483	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	2,610	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	315	620.00/cwt	620.00–620.00	1,953	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	436.28/cwt	412.00–445.00	2,509	317
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	633	398.51/cwt	384.00–410.00	2,523	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	517	458.27/cwt	440.00–476.00	2,369	258
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	491	468.63/cwt	462.00–487.50	2,301	151
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	450–500	468	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,106	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,127	140.51/cwt	117.50–154.00	1,584	19
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,152	173.22/cwt	170.00–173.50	1,995	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,409	168.04/cwt	159.00–171.00	2,368	83
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,543	145.48/cwt	145.00–146.00	2,245	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,359	128.53/cwt	125.00–134.00	1,747	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	875	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	744	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	909	94.41/cwt	85.00–105.00	858	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,090	85.00/cwt	85.00–85.00	927	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,750	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,625	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,395	143.11/cwt	130.00–150.00	1,996	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,164	109.47/cwt	105.00–115.00	1,274	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,592	158.35/cwt	154.00–164.50	2,521	4
Bulls	—	—	1,925	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	3,176	1
Bulls	—	—	1,710	162.81/cwt	162.00–164.00	2,784	2
Bulls	—	—	1,962	170.27/cwt	168.00–175.00	3,341	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,748	159.74/cwt	145.00–167.00	2,792	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,660	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	2,457	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,151	164.59/cwt	157.00–167.00	1,894	19
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	1,230	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,178	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	2
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	778	277.46/cwt	275.00–280.00	2,159	2
Steers	Large 1	600–650	609	432.50/cwt	432.50–432.50	2,634	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,441	171.45/cwt	171.00–171.50	2,471	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,385	115.00/cwt	115.00–115.00	1,593	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	633	368.65/cwt	365.00–376.00	2,334	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	485	519.95/cwt	500.00–532.50	2,522	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,446	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	9
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,251	171.99/cwt	169.00–173.50	2,152	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	765	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	2,161	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	955	229.78/cwt	195.00–285.00	2,194	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	348	620.00/cwt	620.00–620.00	2,158	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	711	380.65/cwt	370.00–388.00	2,706	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	408.04/cwt	402.50–410.50	2,358	61
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	623	363.50/cwt	363.50–363.50	2,265	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	428	522.50/cwt	522.50–522.50	2,236	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	537	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	2,255	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	576	427.86/cwt	420.00–432.50	2,464	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	530	433.00/cwt	433.00–433.00	2,295	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	663	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,321	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	532	470.85/cwt	442.50–487.50	2,505	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	420	550.00/cwt	550.00–550.00	2,310	6

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 →