Miles City Livestock Commission Auction market report — October 20, 2026
Miles City, MT · Tuesday sale · USDA report published 10/20/2026 · Sale days
Last year 4,198
vs last week +0.98
Headline prices here are unweaned calves. Over the last 13 weeks USDA reported more unweaned No. 1 and 1–2 calves than weaned regular lots at Miles City Livestock Commission Auction, so the cards, trends, charts and recent sales use unweaned lots. The weight tables below list regular lots first, with unweaned in its own column.
Compared to the last sale (10-13-26): Feeder steers weighing under 500 lbs sold 4.00 to 8.00 lower, while those weighing over 500 lbs sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder heifers weighing under 500 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noted. Feeder heifers weighing over 500 lbs sold 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive on calves and mostly average on yearlings. Light weight calves continue to sell on good demand. Market activity was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 1.00 higher on breaking and lean flesh cows, while boning cows sold 4.00 to 7.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 lower on boning and lean cows in a narrow comparison. Breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noted. Weigh up conditions were mostly average today. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Quality was mostly average this week. Several sets of exposed cows continue to sell either ranch tested or not tested at all. These sold on good demand and are listed as stock cows in the report below.
USDA Market News reporter, October 20, 2026
Feeder steers — Oct 20
| Weight | Head | Avg wt | $/cwt | $/head | vs last week | vs last year | Unweaned $/cwt | No. 2 $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300–399 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $563.30 (107 hd) | — |
| 400–499 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $486.43 (415 hd) | — |
| 500–599 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $433.40 (879 hd) | — |
| 600–699 lb | 431 | 621 lb | $400.20 | $2,485 | +60.20 | — | — | $332.24 (6 hd) |
| 700–799 lb | 16 | 732 lb | $360.46 | $2,638 | — | −22.19 | — | — |
| 900–999 lb | 18 | 936 lb | $319.00 | $2,985 | −7.68 | −19.00 | — | $260.00 (1 hd)† |
Feeder heifers — Oct 20
| Weight | Head | Avg wt | $/cwt | $/head | vs last week | vs last year | Unweaned $/cwt | No. 2 $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300–399 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $495.25 (93 hd) | — |
| 400–499 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $439.97 (320 hd) | — |
| 500–599 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | $393.74 (517 hd) | — |
| 600–699 lb | 64 | 619 lb | $359.08 | $2,222 | — | — | — | — |
| 800–899 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | $297.50 (1 hd)† |
Slaughter cows — Oct 20
| Grade | Dressing | Head | Avg wt | Avg $/cwt | Range $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boner 80-85% | High | 59 | 1,316 lb | $144.39 | $138.00–$157.50 |
| Boner 80-85% | Average | 149 | 1,334 lb | $142.11 | $129.00–$148.00 |
| Boner 80-85% | Low | 107 | 1,306 lb | $137.88 | $131.00–$142.00 |
| Breaker 75-80% | Average | 39 | 1,519 lb | $137.28 | $130.00–$143.00 |
| Breaker 75-80% | Low | 12 | 1,521 lb | $124.93 | $119.00–$129.00 |
| Lean 85-90% | High | 4 | 1,030 lb | $151.62 | $150.00–$152.50 |
| Lean 85-90% | Average | 150 | 1,228 lb | $133.30 | $115.00–$147.00 |
| Lean 85-90% | Low | 93 | 1,142 lb | $114.01 | $95.00–$128.00 |
| Lean 85-90% | Very Low | 14 | 1,117 lb | $93.69 | $85.00–$98.00 |
Price trends
Unweaned steers 500–599 lb Rising
- Latest (week of October 19, 2026)
- $433.40/cwt
- 4-week average
- $424.31
- 13-week average
- $418.71
- 4-week vs 13-week
- +1.3%
Sales in 6 of the last 13 weeks.
Unweaned steers 700–799 lb Steady
- Latest (week of October 12, 2026)
- $357.19/cwt
- 4-week average
- $357.19
- 13-week average
- $357.19
- 4-week vs 13-week
- 0.0%
Sales in 1 of the last 13 weeks.
Unweaned heifers 500–599 lb Steady
- Latest (week of October 19, 2026)
- $393.74/cwt
- 4-week average
- $386.41
- 13-week average
- $385.63
- 4-week vs 13-week
- +0.2%
Sales in 5 of the last 13 weeks.
Direction compares the 4-week average with the 13-week average: Rising +1% or more, Steady within ±1%, Easing −1% to −3%, Falling −3% or more. Weekly prices are head-weighted averages of Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 feeder cattle, unweaned lots only.
The label describes recent prices; it is not a forecast. In our backtest of every barn since 2019 (about 35,000 barn-weeks), barns labeled Falling went on to beat other barns' average move over the next 13 weeks 61% of the time, and barns labeled Rising trailed it 56% of the time.
Last 52 weeks
Price history since 2019
When to sell: the seasonal pattern
The seasonal pattern uses regular (weaned) lots, which have years of history at this barn; unweaned calves sell mostly in the fall.
5-weight steers
For 500–599 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Feb and Mar and lowest in Nov and Dec.
| Month | vs year avg | Pattern | Years above | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | +1.4% | 83% | 6 | |
| Feb | +3.8% | 67% | 6 | |
| Mar | +3.5% | 83% | 6 | |
| Apr | +1.2% | 57% | 7 | |
| May | +0.8% | 57% | 7 | |
| Jun | +0.9% | 67% | 6 | |
| Jul | — | — | 2 | |
| Aug | +0.7% | 60% | 5 | |
| Sep | −1.9% | 50% | 4 | |
| Oct | +0.8% | 67% | 3 | |
| Nov | −2.8% | 0% | 6 | |
| Dec | −2.6% | 17% | 6 |
7-weight steers
For 700–799 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Aug and Jul and lowest in Nov and Dec.
| Month | vs year avg | Pattern | Years above | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | +0.6% | 57% | 7 | |
| Feb | +1.1% | 57% | 7 | |
| Mar | +0.4% | 29% | 7 | |
| Apr | −2.5% | 43% | 7 | |
| May | −4.3% | 0% | 7 | |
| Jun | −0.6% | 50% | 6 | |
| Jul | +5.6% | 100% | 3 | |
| Aug | +8.6% | 83% | 6 | |
| Sep | +5.2% | 71% | 7 | |
| Oct | +2.2% | 71% | 7 | |
| Nov | −7.0% | 0% | 3 | |
| Dec | −4.8% | 17% | 6 |
Recent sales
| Sale | Head sold | Unweaned Steers 500–599 $/cwt | Unweaned Steers 700–799 $/cwt | Unweaned Heifers 500–599 $/cwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Oct 20 | 4,049 | $433.40 | — | $393.74 |
| Tue Oct 13 | 3,001 | $432.42 | $357.19 | $392.99 |
| Tue Oct 6 | 2,305 | $444.42 | — | $396.77 |
| Tue Sep 29 | 964 | $387.00 | — | $362.14 |
| Tue Sep 22 | 361 | — | — | — |
| Tue Sep 15 | 923 | — | — | — |
| Tue Sep 1 | 344 | $417.50 | — | — |
| Tue Aug 25 | 666 | — | — | $382.50† |
| Tue Aug 18 | 338 | $397.50† | — | — |
| Tue Aug 4 | 252 | — | — | — |
Nearby barns this week
| Barn | Distance | Sale | Steers 500–599 | Steers 700–799 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Auction Yards Livestock, Billingsunweaned | 137 mi | Oct 23 | $434.66 | — |
| Billings Livestock Commission, Billingsunweaned | 137 mi | Oct 22 | $438.06 | $365.27 |
Sale days
| Sale | Latest report | Head | Sales in 52 weeks | USDA report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | October 20, 2026 | 4,049 | 44 | AMS_1773 |
Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “Miles City Livestock Commission Auction - Miles City, MT” (AMS_1773). See something wrong? Report a correction. Feeder prices are Medium and Large frame No. 1 and 1–2 cattle, $/cwt, grouped into 100-lb bands by average weight and weighted by head count. Value-added, unweaned and No. 2 lots are shown in their own columns; other lot types (fancy, fleshy, thin-fleshed, spayed, replacement) are left out. $/head = $/cwt × average weight ÷ 100.