Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2019-10-29
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2019-10-29

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold sharply higher with most sales 10.00-15.00 higher and instances of 20.00 higher seen at times, 450-549 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher, 550-699 lbs steers sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher. Heifer calves weighing under 400 lbs were too lightly tested to trend, however higher undertones were noticed; heifer calves 400-599 lbs sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand this week was mostly moderate to good for heavy offerings. Demand for grass cattle improved this week with more buyers actively bidding on offerings. Calves with 2 rounds of preconditioning shots continue to sell on the best demand. These calves offered strong premiums of 7.00-15.00 throughout the sale. Calf quality this week was average to attractive. Many load lots of partial load lots were seen this week making it easy for buyers to piece together loads. Market activity this week was mostly active. Weigh up cows sold on very light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers continue to send most of the cow offering to feed. Some packers were looking for high quality, high yielding cows with flesh this week. This caused slaughter cows to sell on mixed demand. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady. Feeding cows sold generally steady. Feeding buyers showed the best demand for fleshy large framed cows. The yield of slaughter cows continues to be mostly very low to low as many cows are in very light to light flesh. Many cows continue to carry wet bags. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand for re-breeding cows was mostly moderate to good this sale. Too few comparable sales were seen to make an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $153.00/cwt on 1,940 head.

Average price

$153.00

1,940 head · 566 lb average

Value per head Derived

$867

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$88

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

$4.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−2.78

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	570	153.36	874	1,789
Medium and Large 1-2	528	148.85	785	151

One grade step is worth $4.50/cwt here — about $88 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 sale1,940 hd

153.00

—

MT average5 barns · 5,838 hd

155.79

−2.78

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	1,750	64.91	1,136	15
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,519	66.28	1,007	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,467	52.44	769	8thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,128	38.90	439	65

Every lot, as filed

58 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 1-2Unweaned	—	536	131.22/cwt	130.00–133.00	703	52
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	394	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	619	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,131	39.23/cwt	36.00–43.00	444	28
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,167	33.35/cwt	30.00–36.00	389	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,485	47.97/cwt	45.50–51.00	712	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,142	47.38/cwt	46.00–47.50	541	13
Bulls	—	—	1,703	60.28/cwt	53.00–64.50	1,027	6
Bulls	—	—	1,781	68.00/cwt	65.00–74.50	1,211	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	432	156.72/cwt	151.00–163.50	677	96
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	617	133.48/cwt	128.00–136.50	824	92
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,053	70.00/cwt	70.00–70.00	737	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	449	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	665	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	572	143.07/cwt	139.50–145.00	818	50
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	456	157.95/cwt	147.50–160.00	720	42
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	544	144.32/cwt	143.50–148.00	785	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	613	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	843	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	659	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	903	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	364	173.00/cwt	173.00–173.00	630	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	442	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	707	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,170	41.21/cwt	34.00–45.00	482	52
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,264	59.32/cwt	52.00–65.00	750	29
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	969	73.38/cwt	58.50–85.00	711	56
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	932	81.49/cwt	63.50–86.00	759	48
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,322	55.33/cwt	47.00–66.50	731	64
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,231	52.66/cwt	46.00–62.00	648	223
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	374	199.24/cwt	197.00–201.00	745	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	427	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	521	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	776	137.84/cwt	136.50–142.00	1,070	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	383	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	586	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	575	126.22/cwt	124.00–130.00	726	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	473	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	662	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	822	132.64/cwt	130.50–133.50	1,090	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	527	138.06/cwt	132.50–144.00	728	470
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	571	133.87/cwt	132.00–139.75	764	171
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	473	147.30/cwt	142.50–154.50	697	124
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,095	49.05/cwt	46.00–49.50	537	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,179	41.96/cwt	36.00–47.50	495	12
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,160	46.50/cwt	46.50–46.50	539	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	580	149.55/cwt	145.00–154.50	867	503
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	618	147.15/cwt	141.00–151.50	909	442
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	531	154.90/cwt	152.00–163.00	823	344
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	470	168.31/cwt	157.50–177.00	791	252
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	674	145.05/cwt	140.00–150.00	978	125
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	425	177.42/cwt	171.00–190.00	754	51
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	713	146.23/cwt	139.50–147.75	1,043	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	315	176.00/cwt	176.00–176.00	554	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	685	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	925	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	513	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	757	19
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,005	122.75/cwt	122.00–123.50	1,234	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	600	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	795	3
Heifers	Large 1	—	1,050	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	1,239	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,458	40.00/cwt	40.00–40.00	583	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,463	60.90/cwt	59.00–63.50	891	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,525	69.96/cwt	69.50–70.50	1,067	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,573	62.05/cwt	61.50–62.50	976	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,480	66.65/cwt	66.50–67.00	986	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	1,000	39.00/cwt	39.00–39.00	390	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	904	35.37/cwt	34.50–36.00	320	4

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 →