Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2021-01-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2021-01-26

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: steer calves under 500 lbs sold steady to firm, steers 500 lbs and heavier sold steady to 5.00 higher. Heifers all sold sold 3.00-7.00 higher. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Several load lots of cattle were seen this week and these offerings sold on very good demand. Packages of calves sold on light to moderate demand. A good crowd was on hand for todays sale. Both order buyers and ranchers were actively bidding on offerings pushing all offerings higher. CME positions traded lower today as the January contract, which is near expiration, traded 0.90 lower, the March traded down 2.375 and the April traded down 1.975. Feeder cattle all traded lower as grain prices gained back some of last weeks losses. Market activity was mostly active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers showed very good demand for slaughter cows this week as they showed need for cows for immediate harvest. The cutter cow cutout continued to push higher since last sale. The current cow cutout is 179.25, 2.14 higher than last Tuesday. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-7.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. Cow quality was mostly plain to average this week. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed as slaughter and feeding buyers competed over offerings. Young age cows suitable to rebreed were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, steady to higher undertones were noticed. A heavy offering of 3 coming 4 year old cows were seen this week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb steers averaged $173.27/cwt on 911 head.

Average price

$173.27

911 head · 535 lb average

Value per head Derived

$927

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

−$129

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

$19.34/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+3.88

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	441	176.34	778	100
Medium and Large 1	546	172.97	945	807
Large 1	578	157.00	907	4thin

One grade step is worth $19.34/cwt here — about −$129 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 sale911 hd

173.27

—

MT average4 barns · 2,448 hd

169.39

+3.88

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	1,837	85.30	1,567	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,616	58.87	951	7thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,332	56.63	754	61
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,078	53.47	576	134

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
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,448	84.00/cwt	84.00–84.00	1,216	2
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,837	87.10/cwt	87.00–87.50	1,600	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	927	53.19/cwt	44.00–55.00	493	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,349	58.09/cwt	55.50–62.50	784	23
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,135	43.93/cwt	43.00–45.00	499	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,434	52.70/cwt	50.50–55.00	756	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	393	191.05/cwt	191.00–192.00	751	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	567	148.60/cwt	141.00–155.00	843	39
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	527	160.28/cwt	155.00–169.00	845	16
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	448	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	739	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	577	162.84/cwt	158.50–168.00	940	73
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	830	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	880	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	508	164.58/cwt	164.50–165.00	836	37
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	561	150.50/cwt	150.50–150.50	844	34
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	685	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	884	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	366	186.60/cwt	185.00–187.00	683	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	514	180.19/cwt	174.00–183.25	926	272
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	622	155.51/cwt	153.50–157.50	967	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	427	189.70/cwt	185.50–193.00	810	110
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	428	175.09/cwt	172.00–176.50	749	137
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	491	167.49/cwt	166.00–168.50	822	133
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	963	54.50/cwt	54.50–54.50	525	6
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,323	1,400.00/cwt	1,400.00–1,400.00	18,522	34
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	957	1,174.90/cwt	1,025.00–1,235.00	11,244	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	809	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,044	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	326	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	636	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	678	152.75/cwt	149.00–157.50	1,036	202
Bulls	—	—	2,095	83.15/cwt	82.00–84.00	1,742	3
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,598	55.43/cwt	53.50–57.50	886	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,061	55.32/cwt	54.50–58.50	587	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	363	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	570	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	665	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	938	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	428	179.75/cwt	175.00–182.00	769	29
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,299	56.28/cwt	56.00–57.00	731	31
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,383	55.24/cwt	55.00–55.50	764	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,623	60.25/cwt	59.00–61.50	978	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	489	184.27/cwt	184.25–184.50	901	101
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	429	157.24/cwt	156.50–162.00	675	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	460	175.95/cwt	175.00–177.50	809	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,115	51.37/cwt	46.00–54.00	573	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,174	57.63/cwt	57.50–58.50	677	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,085	53.27/cwt	49.75–54.75	578	56
Steers	Large 1	—	578	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	907	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	992	63.72/cwt	53.00–86.00	632	108
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,320	750.00/cwt	750.00–750.00	9,900	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 →