Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2026-03-24
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-03-24

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week (3-17-26): All feeder cattle were to lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate to good. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and mostly offered in small packages or as singles. Quality this week was not as attractive as last weeks attractive offering. CME positions moved higher today with all contracts posting modest gains. A smaller crowd was on hand for todays sale as quality and volume of feeders kept some buyers out of the market. Market activity was moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light offerings. A large offering of fed cows was seen this week. Demand for fed cows was good as packers bid against each other on several sets of very attractive fed cows. No recent test has been seen for premium white cows so no trend is available. Feeding cow buyers showed good demand for all cows which would feed. A few sets of fed cows were purchased to return to feed as they needed more time on feed. Feeding cows sold generally steady in a very narrow comparison. Slaughter cows sold on good demand, however very few cows were purchased for immediate harvest as most cows outside the fed cow offerings were purchased to return to feed. Slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on a higher yielding offering. Feeding type bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Young age cows were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mostly average.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $433.00/cwt on 2 head, down $35.19 from the prior sale. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −53.23 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$433.00

▼ 35.19 vs prior sale

2 head · 598 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,589

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

−16.76

vs MT average

−45.09 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	598	433.00	2,589	2thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

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 sale2 hd

433.00

—

MT average2 barns · 15 hd

449.76

−16.76

National average173 barns · 11,948 hd

478.09

−45.09

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

−53.23

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	1,789	199.90	3,577	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,548	176.22	2,727	54
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,825	173.59	3,168	97
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,369	170.10	2,328	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,126	141.17	1,589	16
Dairy Bulls	—	Low	1,305	173.00	2,258	1thin

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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,337	$3,375	15
Bred Cows	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,095	$3,250	1thin
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,200	$4,000	2thin

Every lot, as filed

50 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
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,566	177.08/cwt	170.00–182.00	2,773	43
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,825	173.74/cwt	171.00–174.50	3,171	96
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,193	117.76/cwt	112.50–122.50	1,405	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,050	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	1,103	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,170	171.03/cwt	168.00–177.00	2,001	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,404	160.91/cwt	152.00–165.00	2,259	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	463	524.93/cwt	522.50–527.50	2,430	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	674	402.00/cwt	402.00–402.00	2,709	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	618	423.92/cwt	422.50–425.00	2,620	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	598	433.00/cwt	433.00–433.00	2,589	2
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,200	4,000.00/head	4,000.00–4,000.00	4,000	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,095	3,250.00/head	3,250.00–3,250.00	3,250	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,283	184.39/cwt	183.00–185.50	2,366	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	399.00/cwt	399.00–399.00	2,494	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	632	362.48/cwt	355.00–377.50	2,291	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	468	509.27/cwt	485.00–512.50	2,383	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	529	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	2,460	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	611	389.69/cwt	382.50–392.00	2,381	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	667	393.67/cwt	392.50–396.00	2,626	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	432	532.43/cwt	517.50–542.50	2,300	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,500	195.49/cwt	182.00–211.00	2,932	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,025	298.11/cwt	222.50–321.00	3,056	29
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,086	279.39/cwt	250.00–307.50	3,034	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,337	3,375.00/head	3,375.00–3,375.00	3,375	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	700	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,695	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,300	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	2,210	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,465	203.10/cwt	192.50–206.00	2,975	5
Bulls	—	—	2,478	203.01/cwt	202.00–204.00	5,031	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,098	152.49/cwt	152.00–153.00	1,674	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,430	152.00/cwt	152.00–152.00	2,174	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,825	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	2,902	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,509	161.08/cwt	155.00–165.00	2,431	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,380	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	2,567	5
Bulls	—	—	1,800	204.00/cwt	204.00–204.00	3,672	1
Bulls	—	—	2,295	186.00/cwt	186.00–186.00	4,269	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	925	104.02/cwt	100.00–108.00	962	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,372	174.63/cwt	169.00–180.00	2,396	11
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,402	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	2,594	3
Bulls	—	—	2,088	208.47/cwt	206.00–211.00	4,353	2
Dairy Bulls	—	—	1,305	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	2,258	1
Bulls	—	—	1,935	207.49/cwt	207.00–208.00	4,015	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,295	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	1,917	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,865	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	3,264	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,183	199.21/cwt	185.00–215.00	2,357	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	855	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,565	1
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	790	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	2,508	1
Bulls	Large 1	1050–1100	1,050	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,993	1
Steers	Large 1	800–850	813	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,683	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,228	137.02/cwt	134.00–140.00	1,683	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	775	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,751	5

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 →