Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2023-12-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-12-05

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 500 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Steers over 500 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower in a narrow comparison on a lower quality offering. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold steady to 5.00 higher, heifers over 500 lbs sold 5.00-8.00 lower. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Offerings overall were not as attractive this week as last week. Package sizes were smaller this week with very few partial loads seen this week, and no full load lots seen. The best demand continues to be for light weight calves suitable to develop into yearlings. Calves too heavy to make yearlings sold on light to moderate demand. Several sets of long weaned calves were seen this week and these were met with mostly good demand. CME positions continue to trade very volatilely, with sharply higher and sharply lower movement seen. Today CME positions traded with triple digit gains as the January contract closed 4.175 higher to close at 214.70, while the March contract closed 3.90 higher to close at 217.475. Market activity was mostly moderate this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light to moderate demand and moderate to heavy offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly light this week. Slaughter cows sold mostly 2.00-4.00 lower on all classes. A large portion of the cow offering was purchased to feed again this week. High quality feeding cows, suitable to feed to premium white sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Thin feeding or turn out cows sold 1.00 to 3.00 lower. Many thin low dressing or very low dressing cows continue to be seen. A large buyer pool continues to be seen, especially for thin cows. Slaughter bulls sold 5.00-8.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average today. Temperatures warmed into the upper 50's and low 60's and most cows and bulls were tanked up as a result. Young age cows sold on mostly good demand this week. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. This class of cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00 higher, with a larger buyer pool noticed for this class.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $255.88/cwt on 538 head.

Average price

$255.88

538 head · 506 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,295

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$756

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 2

$127.49/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+12.26

vs MT average

What quality paid 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	514	259.99	1,336	402
Medium and Large 1-2	466	255.41	1,191	88
Medium 1	556	239.77	1,332	26
Medium and Large 2	409	220.30	901	15thin
Large 1	681	185.00	1,260	4thin
Medium 2	438	132.50	580	3thin

One grade step is worth $127.49/cwt here — about $756 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 sale538 hd

255.88

—

MT average5 barns · 2,635 hd

243.63

+12.26

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	1,652	100.78	1,665	38
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,642	87.50	1,436	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,352	86.94	1,175	217
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,152	73.69	849	561

Every lot, as filed

87 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	—	448	259.00/cwt	259.00–259.00	1,160	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	382	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	1,079	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	363	294.30/cwt	286.00–311.00	1,068	50
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	401	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	852	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	278	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	723	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	339	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,025	8
Steers	Large 1	—	567	262.00/cwt	262.00–262.00	1,486	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	426	305.46/cwt	303.00–313.00	1,301	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	315	333.91/cwt	327.50–337.50	1,052	14
Heifers	Medium 2Unweaned	—	438	132.50/cwt	132.50–132.50	580	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	604	211.00/cwt	211.00–211.00	1,274	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	515	249.51/cwt	241.00–258.00	1,285	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	580	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	1,491	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	474	282.31/cwt	270.00–292.00	1,338	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	375	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	1,241	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	490	263.78/cwt	260.00–268.00	1,293	74
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	533	285.03/cwt	275.00–291.00	1,519	96
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	427	327.37/cwt	318.00–331.00	1,398	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	680	241.56/cwt	231.00–242.50	1,643	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	604	249.00/cwt	249.00–249.00	1,504	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	623	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,539	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	545	266.80/cwt	265.00–272.00	1,454	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	460	323.99/cwt	315.00–325.00	1,490	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	—	310	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,062	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	611	254.00/cwt	254.00–254.00	1,552	72
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	469	309.84/cwt	298.50–328.00	1,453	83
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	364	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	1,156	7
Steers	Medium 1	—	446	307.00/cwt	307.00–307.00	1,369	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	563	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	1,365	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	605	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,494	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	560	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,372	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	523	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,381	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	570	261.35/cwt	250.00–265.00	1,490	34
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	445	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,380	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	528	281.91/cwt	275.00–284.00	1,488	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	482	287.90/cwt	282.00–292.00	1,388	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	368	343.80/cwt	330.00–357.50	1,265	34
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	383	306.28/cwt	302.00–308.00	1,173	10
Heifers	Medium 1	—	686	212.00/cwt	212.00–212.00	1,454	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Unweaned	—	272	227.50/cwt	227.50–227.50	619	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	—	529	219.50/cwt	219.50–219.50	1,161	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	638	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,180	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	410	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	1,275	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,098	76.54/cwt	74.00–80.00	840	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,109	65.45/cwt	59.00–73.50	726	155
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,360	79.36/cwt	72.00–82.50	1,079	42
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,199	81.95/cwt	76.00–88.00	983	208
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,570	89.00/cwt	89.00–89.00	1,397	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,770	83.50/cwt	83.50–83.50	1,478	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,352	85.77/cwt	83.00–90.50	1,160	120
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,381	77.64/cwt	69.00–82.50	1,072	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	938	61.94/cwt	60.00–64.00	581	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	985	51.00/cwt	51.00–51.00	502	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,435	62.50/cwt	62.50–62.50	897	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,183	55.90/cwt	45.00–59.00	661	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,145	71.77/cwt	62.50–76.00	822	171
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,339	97.75/cwt	97.75–97.75	1,309	49
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,005	58.00/cwt	58.00–58.00	583	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,585	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	1,427	1
Bulls	—	—	1,611	95.78/cwt	80.00–103.50	1,543	10
Bulls	—	—	1,806	105.18/cwt	103.50–110.00	1,900	7
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,603	100.03/cwt	95.00–102.00	1,603	8
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,632	102.72/cwt	102.00–105.50	1,676	13
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	897	144.48/cwt	100.00–161.00	1,296	218
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,020	115.45/cwt	84.50–153.00	1,178	119
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	434	290.69/cwt	286.00–298.00	1,262	40
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	523	241.11/cwt	240.00–242.00	1,261	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	340	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,029	1
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	—	681	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,260	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	—	583	234.33/cwt	226.00–247.00	1,366	56
Heifers	Medium 1Unweaned	—	465	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,232	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	293	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	791	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	813	206.00/cwt	206.00–206.00	1,675	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	583	231.85/cwt	231.00–235.00	1,352	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	593	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,245	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	405	262.50/cwt	262.50–262.50	1,063	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	955	181.00/cwt	181.00–181.00	1,729	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	481	277.59/cwt	277.00–281.00	1,335	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	640	212.28/cwt	212.00–215.50	1,359	33
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	414	293.60/cwt	278.00–302.00	1,216	34
Heifers	Medium 1	—	519	246.00/cwt	246.00–246.00	1,277	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	522	256.31/cwt	249.00–264.00	1,338	32
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	498	253.59/cwt	252.00–255.50	1,263	44
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	—	496	254.31/cwt	252.50–258.00	1,261	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	918	196.25/cwt	194.00–200.00	1,802	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	—	711	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	995	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	767	134.76/cwt	114.00–147.50	1,034	3

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 →