Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-03-17
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-03-17

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (3-10-26): All feeder cattle were to lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on all steers and steady to higher undertones were noticed on feeder heifer under 650 lbs. Heifers over 650 lbs were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Feeder cattle were offered in mostly moderate size packages this week with a few load lots of replacement quality heifers seen. Quality was mostly average to very attractive this week. Demand was mostly good this sale and stronger than the last couple weeks. CME positions have moved sharply higher over the last couple days and buyers responded positively as they showed stronger demand for feeder cattle. Replacement heifer demand was mostly good, however a smaller crowd was on hand for todays sale and some ranchers are slightly concerned about drought conditions. Eastern Montana received limited snowfall with the latest winter storm this past weekend and with record warmth forecasted for this week, drought concerns weigh on local ranchers minds. Replacement heifers sold with lower undertones compared to the last few feeder specials. Market activity was moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on moderate to good demand for light offerings. Feeding cow buyers showed good demand for all cows which would feed. Feeding cows sold steady to firm in a very narrow comparison. Cow quality this week was mostly average. Slaughter cows sold on good demand, however very few cows were purchased for immediate harvest as private feeders kept cow prices over slaughter cow orders Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Feeding type bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Young age cows were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mostly average.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $448.25/cwt on 122 head, up $23.75 from the prior sale (only 14 head in that comparison). That ranks 13 of 16 comparable sales and sits +7.81 against this barn's trailing median of $440.43.

Average price

$448.25

▲ 23.75 vs prior sale

122 head · 535 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,397

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$636

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

$122.11/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.90

vs MT average

+32.13 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	533	475.49	2,534	94
Medium and Large 1-2	578	401.00	2,318	2thin
Medium and Large 2	537	353.38	1,898	26

One grade step is worth $122.11/cwt here — about $636 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale122 hd

448.25

—

MT average3 barns · 149 hd

445.35

+2.90

National average164 barns · 8,069 hd

416.12

+32.13

This barn, trailing median16 sales

440.43

+7.81

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	1,822	187.01	3,408	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,655	175.18	2,900	21
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,445	169.82	2,454	10
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,102	133.73	1,473	12

Every lot, as filed

77 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	Large 1	1150–1200	1,165	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,913	1
Bulls	Large 1	1100–1150	1,145	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	2,805	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,275	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	2,295	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,660	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	2,573	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	627	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,477	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	337	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,685	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	634	387.00/cwt	387.00–387.00	2,454	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	820	352.00/cwt	352.00–352.00	2,886	29
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	462	516.68/cwt	510.00–520.00	2,387	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	717	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,474	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	561	497.00/cwt	497.00–497.00	2,788	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	577	457.67/cwt	442.50–470.00	2,641	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	578	401.00/cwt	401.00–401.00	2,318	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	717	417.31/cwt	390.00–418.00	2,992	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	772	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	2,490	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	385	520.00/cwt	515.00–530.00	2,002	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	755	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,869	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	383	525.00/cwt	525.00–525.00	2,011	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	836	356.93/cwt	355.50–367.00	2,984	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	772	354.06/cwt	350.00–355.00	2,733	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	760	366.93/cwt	366.00–370.00	2,789	218
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,531	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	482.38/cwt	472.00–522.50	2,306	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	634	446.73/cwt	439.00–458.00	2,832	99
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	865	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,768	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	548	486.00/cwt	486.00–486.00	2,663	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	475.49/cwt	466.00–477.50	2,534	94
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	414.42/cwt	409.00–420.00	2,574	76
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	718	373.17/cwt	351.00–381.00	2,679	114
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	666	437.97/cwt	416.00–446.00	2,917	117
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	800–850	825	2,812.81/head	2,800.00–2,825.00	2,813	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	842	319.00/cwt	319.00–319.00	2,686	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	680	380.18/cwt	372.00–389.00	2,585	60
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	50–100	95	1,100.00/head	1,100.00–1,100.00	1,100	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	900–950	934	2,825.00/head	2,825.00–2,825.00	2,825	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	730	356.54/cwt	349.00–359.00	2,603	40
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	995	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,542	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,648	178.61/cwt	172.00–180.00	2,943	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,250	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	2,150	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	950	100.00/cwt	100.00–100.00	950	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,270	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,842	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,051	120.59/cwt	116.00–133.00	1,267	4
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,805	192.00/cwt	192.00–192.00	3,466	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,500	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,250	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,155	143.96/cwt	143.00–145.00	1,663	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,625	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	2,746	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,468	172.70/cwt	167.00–178.00	2,535	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,345	95.00/cwt	95.00–95.00	1,278	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	890	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	1,179	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,725	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	3,191	1
Bulls	—	—	1,848	192.87/cwt	190.00–195.00	3,564	2
Bulls	—	—	2,003	195.25/cwt	193.00–197.00	3,911	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,803	164.49/cwt	164.00–165.00	2,966	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,583	161.48/cwt	160.00–163.00	2,556	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,355	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	2,453	2
Bulls	—	—	1,590	177.98/cwt	164.00–185.00	2,830	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	227.34/cwt	207.50–250.00	2,501	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,048	245.04/cwt	190.00–285.00	2,568	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,137	269.12/cwt	220.00–305.00	3,060	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,238	192.00/cwt	192.00–192.00	2,377	2
Steers	Medium 2	350–400	375	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,631	5
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	800	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	2,260	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	639	429.80/cwt	415.00–435.50	2,746	33
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	550–600	559	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,739	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	506	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,619	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	564	382.00/cwt	382.00–382.00	2,154	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	550	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,530	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	994	299.53/cwt	290.00–304.00	2,977	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	519	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,491	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	557	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,866	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	471	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,237	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	454	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	2,032	35
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,095	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	531	488.13/cwt	483.00–510.00	2,592	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	988	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	3,063	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	700	386.00/cwt	386.00–386.00	2,702	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	667	410.21/cwt	385.00–415.00	2,736	25

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 →