Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2021-01-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-01-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: steer calves under 450 lbs sold steady to 10.00 higher; 450-499 lbs steers sold generally steady; steers over 500 lbs sold steady to 3.00 lower. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested to develop an market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Heifers under 450 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher; heifers over 450 lbs sold generally steady to weak. Feeder cattle quality was mostly average today. The best demand was seen for lightweight calves suitable to run on grass. CME positions sold off sharply on Monday. Lower CME contract prices coupled with sharply higher feed costs put a damper on the market this week. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cow buyers were the driving force behind the cow market this week. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher as packing buyers competed with feeding buyers over offerings. Cow and bull quality was mostly average to attractive this week. Cow body condition scores have started to improve as winter has been very mild and many produces have weaned calves over 60 days. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend as most bulls sold to feeding buyers last sale. Demand for bulls was mostly good. Weigh up conditions were average this week. Young age cows sold sharply lower as the calendar has advanced too late in the year for southern ranchers to breed for fall calving. Many sets of young age cows sold as feeding cows this week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $167.84/cwt on 559 head.

Average price

$167.84

559 head · 533 lb average

Value per head Derived

$894

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$152

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

$4.15/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+0.00

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	446	171.39	764	82
Medium and Large 1	548	167.24	916	477

One grade step is worth $4.15/cwt here — about −$152 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 sale559 hd

167.84

—

MT average1 barns · 559 hd

167.84

+0.00

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	—	High	1,818	78.82	1,433	36
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	2,000	59.00	1,180	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,329	57.19	760	163
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,491	57.16	852	41
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,176	48.48	570	270

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 1Unweaned	—	444	159.04/cwt	158.00–162.00	706	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	471	180.85/cwt	175.00–190.00	852	83
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	677	142.99/cwt	140.00–145.00	968	46
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	320	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	656	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	580	131.50/cwt	131.50–131.50	763	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	627	148.00/cwt	148.00–148.00	928	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	398	207.50/cwt	207.50–207.50	826	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	411	173.31/cwt	159.50–177.00	712	75
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	656	145.50/cwt	145.50–145.50	954	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	570	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	855	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	473	163.07/cwt	160.00–167.00	771	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	577	157.86/cwt	152.50–161.00	911	178
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	479	184.49/cwt	182.50–185.00	884	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	533	146.04/cwt	143.50–147.25	778	22
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	532	144.65/cwt	144.00–144.75	770	58
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	480	155.44/cwt	149.50–157.00	746	123
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	610	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	799	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	985	118.50/cwt	118.50–118.50	1,167	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	941	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,101	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	514	171.00/cwt	171.00–171.00	879	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	624	150.42/cwt	147.00–153.50	939	38
Steers	Medium and Large 1Natural	—	458	200.50/cwt	200.50–200.50	918	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	423	211.25/cwt	204.00–217.00	894	25
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,363	58.50/cwt	58.50–58.50	797	8
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,510	57.29/cwt	55.00–57.50	865	24
Bulls	—	—	1,975	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,659	1
Bulls	—	—	1,900	80.26/cwt	77.00–82.50	1,525	26
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,485	78.77/cwt	78.50–79.00	1,170	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,372	73.58/cwt	72.50–74.00	1,010	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	385	178.89/cwt	172.00–190.00	689	36
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,030	61.06/cwt	52.00–92.00	629	66
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	855	54.41/cwt	47.00–62.00	465	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	438	153.02/cwt	150.00–155.00	670	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	563	142.06/cwt	138.00–143.00	800	53
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	522	168.54/cwt	165.00–171.50	880	35
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	543	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	858	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,327	57.97/cwt	52.00–59.50	769	142
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,120	52.62/cwt	50.50–55.00	589	57
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	430	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	791	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	930	114.50/cwt	114.50–114.50	1,065	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,254	738.91/cwt	710.00–775.00	9,266	5
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	938	1,385.00/cwt	1,385.00–1,385.00	12,991	16
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	2,000	59.00/cwt	59.00–59.00	1,180	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,190	52.02/cwt	50.00–53.00	619	34
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,099	53.00/cwt	53.00–53.00	582	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	375	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	619	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,353	45.62/cwt	43.00–47.00	617	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	985	45.50/cwt	45.00–46.00	448	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,338	59.50/cwt	59.50–59.50	796	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,556	55.14/cwt	54.50–57.00	858	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,163	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	698	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,318	1,035.00/cwt	1,035.00–1,035.00	13,641	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,153	37.98/cwt	31.00–40.00	438	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,222	45.69/cwt	41.00–49.00	558	47
Bulls	—	—	1,751	72.16/cwt	67.00–74.00	1,264	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,189	47.91/cwt	45.50–50.00	570	111
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,340	51.00/cwt	51.00–51.00	683	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,525	59.50/cwt	59.50–59.50	907	1

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 →