Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2020-11-10
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2020-11-10

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Unweaned steer calves under 400 lbs sold sharply higher, mostly 10.00-20.00 higher; 400-499 lbs steers sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher; steer calves over 500 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher, except 550-599 lbs steers which sold 8.00-10.00 higher. Unweaned heifer calves sold 4.00-8.00 higher with the exception of 500-549 lbs heifers which sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Demand this week was mostly good for moderate to heavy offerings. Demand for lightweight calves suitable to develop into yearlings was mostly good with several buyers purchasing this weight class. Quality this week was average to attractive. Calves with two rounds of preconditioning shots continue to sell with the best demand. Buyers continue to offer a 4.00-8.00 premium for calves with two rounds of shots. Market activity this week was active. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand. Packers opted to send a very large portion of the cow offering to feed this week. The majority of cows purchased by packers this week are destined for short term feed. Packer buyers purchased these cows at similar prices to slaughter cows. Slaughter cows sold generally steady. Feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher on high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white. Short term feeding cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady. 2-3 year old's suitable to feed or rebeed sold generally steady. Quality was average.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $168.95/cwt on 1,358 head.

Average price

$168.95

1,358 head · 500 lb average

Value per head Derived

$844

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$184

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

$42.18/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+12.63

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	390	176.18	687	113
Medium and Large 1	509	168.41	858	1,241
Large 1	650	134.00	871	4thin

One grade step is worth $42.18/cwt here — about −$184 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 sale1,358 hd

168.95

—

MT average5 barns · 6,062 hd

156.32

+12.63

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	1,791	74.66	1,337	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,546	62.25	962	19
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,360	58.00	789	104
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,168	44.76	523	497

Every lot, as filed

66 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	308	211.44/cwt	210.00–212.50	651	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	328	185.26/cwt	185.00–192.00	608	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	481	142.52/cwt	130.00–145.00	686	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	390	150.10/cwt	150.00–151.00	585	39
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	425	143.00/cwt	143.00–143.00	608	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	673	141.01/cwt	137.00–144.50	949	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	—	486	160.06/cwt	159.00–160.75	778	98
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	408	155.76/cwt	147.00–159.00	636	127
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	564	139.95/cwt	135.00–144.50	789	125
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	462	179.09/cwt	164.00–185.50	827	193
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	427	184.22/cwt	181.00–188.00	787	173
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	392	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	617	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	780	133.00/cwt	133.00–133.00	1,037	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	467	152.41/cwt	145.50–154.50	712	169
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	431	172.89/cwt	165.00–179.00	745	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	533	143.77/cwt	141.00–149.00	766	101
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	526	162.14/cwt	154.50–166.00	853	273
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	600	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	960	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	—	474	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	747	44
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	366	161.94/cwt	160.00–164.50	593	64
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	530	137.50/cwt	137.50–137.50	729	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	562	157.39/cwt	149.00–160.25	885	349
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	630	127.50/cwt	127.50–127.50	803	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	787	123.50/cwt	123.50–123.50	972	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	314	163.88/cwt	159.00–165.00	515	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	619	123.55/cwt	119.00–126.50	765	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Full	—	611	117.50/cwt	117.50–117.50	718	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	930	81.04/cwt	68.00–90.00	754	111
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,150	800.00/cwt	800.00–800.00	9,200	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,118	600.00/cwt	600.00–600.00	6,708	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	1,184	53.00/cwt	53.00–53.00	628	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,140	65.88/cwt	54.00–78.00	751	66
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	—	650	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	871	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,080	36.99/cwt	34.00–39.00	399	58
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	983	35.01/cwt	32.00–37.00	344	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,171	43.56/cwt	40.50–47.50	510	140
Bulls	—	—	1,840	65.00/cwt	65.00–65.00	1,196	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,305	42.50/cwt	42.50–42.50	555	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,670	71.68/cwt	68.00–73.50	1,197	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	959	41.16/cwt	38.50–42.00	395	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,152	44.52/cwt	40.50–48.00	513	193
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,328	46.62/cwt	45.50–47.00	619	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,525	58.02/cwt	57.50–58.50	885	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,587	64.37/cwt	64.00–65.00	1,022	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,366	61.95/cwt	60.50–62.50	846	40
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	965	48.00/cwt	48.00–48.00	463	1
Bulls	—	—	1,818	78.34/cwt	77.00–79.50	1,424	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,318	49.99/cwt	49.00–50.50	659	3
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,824	76.06/cwt	75.50–77.50	1,387	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,364	57.48/cwt	50.50–59.50	784	52
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,262	52.10/cwt	48.00–58.00	658	95
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,278	47.83/cwt	47.00–48.50	611	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,540	62.40/cwt	61.00–62.50	961	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	573	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	837	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	508	136.50/cwt	136.50–136.50	693	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	544	151.00/cwt	151.00–151.00	821	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	849	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,010	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	983	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	1,101	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,180	57.00/cwt	57.00–57.00	673	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	355	202.20/cwt	192.00–208.00	718	80
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	284	215.94/cwt	210.00–219.00	613	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	327	153.88/cwt	152.00–155.00	503	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	479	161.20/cwt	158.00–166.50	772	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	360	184.58/cwt	183.00–185.00	664	20
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	441	167.27/cwt	164.00–173.00	738	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	616	146.28/cwt	141.00–148.00	901	91

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 →