Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2022-03-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2022-03-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were scarcely tested this week, thus no trend can be established, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. Quality this week was average to attractive. Offerings this week were very light. Icy and snow covered roads slowed cattle from coming to market this week. Market activity this week was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light offerings. Fed cows were met with mostly good demand this week as a couple of ranches continue to market these offerings. Some of these offerings were purchased to return to feed as they needed 30 days of grain to be able to grade premium white, others were shipped directly to harvest. Cow quality overall was not as attractive this week. Several feeding buyers were back in the market and pushed packer buyers on lower quality offerings. Slaughter cows sold generally steady on all classes. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 higher with the biggest gains seen on lower quality cows. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Weigh up conditions were fair to buyers as many cows were rather empty as they were weighed. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on good demand. Prices for these offerings were generally steady. Several sets of bred cows were on offer today these offerings were met with mostly moderate to good demand.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $177.55/cwt on 59 head.

Average price

$177.55

59 head · 487 lb average

Value per head Derived

$865

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$335

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

$5.73/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+10.78

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	508	178.23	906	52
Medium and Large 1-2	331	172.50	571	7thin

One grade step is worth $5.73/cwt here — about $335 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 sale59 hd

177.55

—

MT average2 barns · 797 hd

166.77

+10.78

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	1,766	90.51	1,598	9thin
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,492	83.00	1,238	40
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,565	81.80	1,280	44
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,394	77.64	1,082	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,157	73.53	851	140

Every lot, as filed

39 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	Medium and Large 1	—	833	134.00/cwt	134.00–134.00	1,116	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	520	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	920	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	419	199.00/cwt	199.00–199.00	834	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	590	166.70/cwt	165.00–169.00	984	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	355	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	657	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	768	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,190	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	723	143.50/cwt	143.50–143.50	1,038	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	327	187.50/cwt	187.50–187.50	613	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	331	172.50/cwt	172.50–172.50	571	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	491	211.61/cwt	210.00–217.00	1,039	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	333	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	716	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	640	182.32/cwt	180.00–183.00	1,167	31
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,341	1,351.18/cwt	1,235.00–1,425.00	18,119	72
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,321	1,104.30/cwt	1,000.00–1,225.00	14,588	93
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,013	1,419.42/cwt	1,410.00–1,450.00	14,379	24
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,064	1,568.47/cwt	1,400.00–1,600.00	16,689	24
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	976	116.75/cwt	101.00–130.00	1,139	32
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,008	82.97/cwt	73.00–92.00	836	26
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,245	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	934	1
Bulls	—	—	1,853	94.94/cwt	91.00–98.00	1,759	7
Bulls	—	—	1,675	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	1,256	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,129	72.01/cwt	68.00–74.50	813	24
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	903	64.00/cwt	64.00–64.00	578	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,548	82.52/cwt	81.75–82.75	1,277	36
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	938	65.92/cwt	62.00–68.00	618	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,475	75.69/cwt	74.00–77.50	1,116	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,105	68.83/cwt	61.50–72.50	761	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,339	78.68/cwt	74.00–80.50	1,054	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,300	86.50/cwt	86.50–86.50	1,125	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,420	73.00/cwt	73.00–73.00	1,037	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,550	76.16/cwt	74.00–78.50	1,180	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,199	76.18/cwt	73.50–78.75	913	39
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,167	80.18/cwt	80.00–81.00	936	6
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,492	83.00/cwt	83.00–83.00	1,238	40
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,707	80.74/cwt	79.50–82.75	1,378	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,045	60.00/cwt	60.00–60.00	627	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,633	78.00/cwt	78.00–78.00	1,274	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	965	72.00/cwt	72.00–72.00	695	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,218	75.88/cwt	73.50–77.00	924	37

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 →