Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-03-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last sale: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop a full market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand was good to very good and quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Average quality calves sold on good demand, much like last week. Most cattle were long weaned from 45-100 days. Market activity was active to very active this week. Ranchers and order buyers were both very active as they bid on offerings today. Weigh up cows sold with good demand. Demand for slaughter cows was very good. Packers opted to send all cows to immediate harvest this week as supplies remain tight. Slaughter cows sold sharply higher on breaking and boning cows, lean cows sold 2.00-6.00 higher. Very few feeding cows were seen last week to develop a full market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold sharply higher. Young cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on good demand again this week. This class sold mostly firm in a narrow comparison. Young cow quality was mostly average to attractive this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $300.26/cwt on 489 head. That ranks 1 of 16 comparable sales and sits −140.17 against this barn's trailing median of $440.43.

Average price

$300.26

489 head · 550 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,651

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$352

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 2

$77.23/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.73

vs MT average

+23.04 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	544	308.56	1,679	324
Medium and Large 1-2	565	288.57	1,630	121
Medium and Large 2	539	284.66	1,536	33
Medium 2	574	231.33	1,328	11thin

One grade step is worth $77.23/cwt here — about $352 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

16 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $468.13, low $352.48, median $440.43 across 16 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale489 hd

300.26

—

MT average3 barns · 549 hd

298.53

+1.73

National average179 barns · 15,589 hd

277.22

+23.04

This barn, trailing median16 sales

440.43

−140.17

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	1,783	145.09	2,587	19
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,490	133.07	1,982	27
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,207	130.46	1,574	55
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,146	119.05	1,365	32

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,125	$2,671	12
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	—	$2,300	1thin

Every lot, as filed

78 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 1-2	550–600	575	285.15/cwt	284.00–286.00	1,640	89
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	630	276.35/cwt	266.00–279.50	1,741	91
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	913	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	1,789	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	763	223.32/cwt	221.00–227.00	1,704	3
Heifers	Medium 2	550–600	574	231.33/cwt	230.00–232.50	1,328	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	643	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,543	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	400	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,140	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	629	291.79/cwt	288.50–294.50	1,835	200
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	537	298.93/cwt	291.00–309.00	1,605	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	688	256.22/cwt	252.50–271.00	1,763	26
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	728	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	2,024	36
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	516	330.69/cwt	330.00–332.00	1,706	40
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	467	348.08/cwt	339.00–355.00	1,626	20
Steers	Large 1	700–750	748	278.00/cwt	278.00–278.00	2,079	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	634	303.30/cwt	302.00–304.00	1,923	17
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	563	282.69/cwt	278.00–287.50	1,592	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	665	274.63/cwt	270.00–277.00	1,826	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	393	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,336	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	409	353.47/cwt	353.00–355.00	1,446	17
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	666	293.19/cwt	290.00–296.00	1,953	15
Steers	Large 1	900–950	910	222.00/cwt	222.00–222.00	2,020	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	579	325.43/cwt	323.50–335.00	1,884	46
Steers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	893	213.27/cwt	207.50–219.00	1,905	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	483	331.57/cwt	313.00–334.00	1,601	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	784	246.78/cwt	242.00–248.00	1,935	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	785	223.00/cwt	223.00–223.00	1,751	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	519	310.95/cwt	305.00–315.00	1,614	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	335	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	1,181	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,287	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	733	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,686	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	310	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	992	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	423	333.31/cwt	330.00–335.00	1,410	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	630	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,764	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	780	214.00/cwt	214.00–214.00	1,669	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	385	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,117	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	800–850	815	216.00/cwt	216.00–216.00	1,760	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	625	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,375	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	490	252.50/cwt	252.50–252.50	1,237	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	900–950	900	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	1,881	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,660	124.11/cwt	123.00–125.00	2,060	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,255	116.26/cwt	114.00–118.00	1,459	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	947	99.65/cwt	99.00–100.00	944	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,111	116.72/cwt	116.00–119.00	1,297	8
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,148	136.91/cwt	131.00–141.00	1,572	14
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,171	128.62/cwt	127.00–134.00	1,506	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,328	130.34/cwt	126.00–133.00	1,731	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,494	131.08/cwt	128.00–135.00	1,958	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,188	122.71/cwt	115.00–124.00	1,458	21
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,381	147.98/cwt	141.00–155.00	2,044	4
Bulls	—	—	1,802	150.74/cwt	148.00–154.00	2,716	7
Bulls	—	—	1,792	143.90/cwt	140.00–146.00	2,579	7
Bulls	—	—	1,690	133.32/cwt	129.00–136.00	2,253	4
Bulls	—Non-Traditional	—	1,955	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	3,148	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	898	206.89/cwt	164.00–226.00	1,858	18
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,029	161.52/cwt	136.00–197.00	1,662	31
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,050	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Fancy	—	1,132	2,750.00/head	2,750.00–2,750.00	2,750	11
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	—	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	618	289.17/cwt	284.00–294.00	1,787	279
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	578	254.97/cwt	247.50–262.50	1,474	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	761	247.72/cwt	247.00–248.00	1,885	36
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Replacement	500–550	538	292.00/cwt	292.00–292.00	1,571	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	700–750	729	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,823	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	950–1000	965	183.00/cwt	183.00–183.00	1,766	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	424	328.63/cwt	319.00–336.00	1,393	36
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	464	294.00/cwt	294.00–294.00	1,364	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	296.97/cwt	290.00–303.00	1,693	154
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	422	350.49/cwt	340.00–355.00	1,479	38
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	823	230.68/cwt	222.00–231.00	1,898	29
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	905	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,901	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	725	252.65/cwt	250.00–264.00	1,832	79
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	372	320.78/cwt	312.50–325.00	1,193	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	740	231.00/cwt	231.00–231.00	1,709	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	860	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	1,901	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	672	272.63/cwt	265.00–285.00	1,832	281
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	319.06/cwt	311.00–330.00	1,662	170
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	537	286.58/cwt	277.00–290.00	1,539	31
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	464	331.60/cwt	327.00–340.50	1,539	40

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 →