Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-05-07
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-05-07

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were all to lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. Demand was mostly light on light offerings. CME positions found some support today after 11 days of lower contract prices. Feeder cattle contracts traded 1.275 higher on the May and 1.25 higher on the August to settle at 137.30 and 145.60 respectfully. Market activity this week was slow. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand this week. An additional packer buyer was at the sale this week purchasing slaughter cows and bulls. This created good demand for all cows and bulls in the offering as 3 packer buyers purchased cows for harvest this week. Feeding buyers were aggressive as well, searching for high quality offerings. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-4.00 higher, however high dressing cows sold with very good demand and were as much as 6.00 higher than last week. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher than last week as additional packer and more feeding buyers helped push all feeding quality offerings higher. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Young age 2-3 year olds sold mostly 8.00-12.00 lower as feeding demand has lightened due to lower live cattle contract prices. Demand for these offerings was mostly light this week. Quality was average to attractive.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $132.16/cwt on 203 head.

Average price

$132.16

203 head · 694 lb average

Value per head Derived

$917

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$133

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

$1.15/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−9.46

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	618	132.97	822	58
Medium and Large 1	725	131.83	955	145

One grade step is worth $1.15/cwt here — about −$133 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 0–100 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale203 hd

132.16

—

MT average3 barns · 1,835 hd

141.61

−9.46

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	1,740	85.87	1,494	38
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,765	72.50	1,280	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,480	67.77	1,003	27
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,118	57.42	642	31

Every lot, as filed

45 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	Lean 85-90%	—	1,112	57.34/cwt	54.00–63.00	638	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,243	64.69/cwt	64.00–65.00	804	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	666	142.21/cwt	137.50–144.00	947	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	631	138.00/cwt	138.00–138.00	871	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	723	132.00/cwt	132.00–132.00	954	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	588	138.97/cwt	135.00–141.00	817	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	619	126.50/cwt	122.00–133.50	783	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,430	67.11/cwt	65.00–68.50	960	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	702	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	1,035	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	608	169.50/cwt	169.50–169.50	1,031	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	485	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	849	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	696	144.34/cwt	143.50–146.00	1,005	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	741	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	904	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	766	125.59/cwt	124.50–127.00	962	84
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,340	1,200.00/cwt	1,200.00–1,200.00	16,080	4
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,120	1,898.22/cwt	1,850.00–1,925.00	21,260	65
Heifer Pairs	Medium 1	—	949	1,811.47/cwt	1,800.00–1,825.00	17,191	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	830	131.50/cwt	131.50–131.50	1,091	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	535	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	904	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	605	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	938	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,017	94.52/cwt	72.00–113.00	961	105
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,054	63.12/cwt	61.00–63.50	665	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	858	80.06/cwt	77.00–82.00	687	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,428	69.24/cwt	65.50–71.75	989	30
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,255	66.49/cwt	61.00–70.50	834	27
Stock Cows	Medium 1-2	—	677	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	697	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	811	96.00/cwt	96.00–96.00	779	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	649	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,188	57.76/cwt	57.50–58.00	686	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,328	71.03/cwt	66.00–73.00	943	57
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,100	81.43/cwt	68.50–96.00	896	56
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,219	50.23/cwt	48.00–53.50	612	5
Bulls	—	—	1,867	87.35/cwt	85.00–90.50	1,631	16
Bulls	—	—	1,421	79.87/cwt	73.50–83.50	1,135	13
Bulls	—	—	2,064	94.22/cwt	92.50–97.00	1,945	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	788	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	985	2
Bulls	Large 1	—	1,085	105.00/cwt	105.00–105.00	1,139	1
Bulls	—Canadian Origin	—	1,663	83.76/cwt	83.50–84.00	1,393	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,765	72.50/cwt	72.50–72.50	1,280	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,220	68.50/cwt	68.50–68.50	836	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,337	60.75/cwt	58.50–63.00	812	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,632	71.71/cwt	69.00–74.50	1,170	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	935	58.50/cwt	58.50–58.50	547	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	968	57.26/cwt	57.00–57.50	554	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	848	51.22/cwt	47.00–53.50	434	3

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 →