Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-04-23
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-04-23

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested either this week or last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. A couple consignments of replacement quality heifers were seen this week. Demand was mostly good for these offerings. CME positions pushed higher again today following last weeks cattle on feed and in anticipation of tomorrows cold storage reports. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was mostly moderate to good, however demand for slaughter cows was mostly lighter this week as packers pushed to buy cows mostly to feed. Breaking slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend, boning cows sold steady to 2.00 lower, lean cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 lower. Demand for feeding cows was good today as several private feeders and packer buyers both pushed to own offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 lower, as fewer buyers were actively participating in buying bulls. Weigh up conditions were mixed today with both empty and full offerings noticed. Young cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Demand for these offerings was good to very good. Demand for 3-4 year old cows was very good this week as several larger consignments of one iron home-raised cows of this age was seen. Most of these offerings were wet bagged cows which lost calves this week. Most of these offerings were purchased to rebreed this week. Young cow quality was mostly average to very attractive this week.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $285.62/cwt on 74 head. That ranks 1 of 16 comparable sales and sits −154.81 against this barn's trailing median of $440.43.

Average price

$285.62

74 head · 542 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,549

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$192

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$17.35/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−5.82

vs MT average

+15.43 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	561	296.35	1,663	12thin
Medium and Large 1-2	543	285.00	1,547	47
Medium 1	527	279.00	1,470	15thin

One grade step is worth $17.35/cwt here — about $192 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale74 hd

285.62

—

MT average3 barns · 663 hd

291.45

−5.82

National average178 barns · 11,596 hd

270.19

+15.43

This barn, trailing median16 sales

440.43

−154.81

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	1,676	137.71	2,309	38
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,640	135.00	2,214	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,361	131.19	1,785	61
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,167	118.37	1,382	34

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 Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,411	$2,500	4thin

Every lot, as filed

57 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	919	219.50/cwt	219.50–219.50	2,017	7
Steers	Medium 1	400–450	418	338.00/cwt	338.00–338.00	1,413	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	1,855	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	580	262.00/cwt	262.00–262.00	1,520	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	541	286.02/cwt	281.00–289.50	1,547	45
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	341	335.16/cwt	325.00–342.50	1,143	28
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	652	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	1,493	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	859	209.00/cwt	209.00–209.00	1,795	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	375	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	1,228	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	750–800	792	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,980	49
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	446	338.00/cwt	336.00–339.00	1,507	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	529	321.45/cwt	320.00–326.00	1,700	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	708	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,876	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	420	308.13/cwt	302.50–314.00	1,294	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	292.00/cwt	292.00–292.00	1,299	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	535	333.69/cwt	330.00–334.00	1,785	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	874	224.91/cwt	224.50–227.00	1,966	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	456	367.07/cwt	341.00–370.00	1,674	113
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	321	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,156	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	561	296.35/cwt	294.00–298.00	1,663	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	654	260.50/cwt	260.50–260.50	1,704	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,725	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	481	296.84/cwt	287.00–303.00	1,428	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	607	277.63/cwt	277.00–284.00	1,685	22
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	527	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,470	15
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	150–200	175	231.00/head	231.00–231.00	231	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	595	269.00/cwt	269.00–269.00	1,601	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	607	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,669	3
Bulls	—	—	1,498	121.23/cwt	116.00–129.00	1,816	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,640	135.00/cwt	135.00–135.00	2,214	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,471	135.22/cwt	135.00–136.00	1,989	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,372	120.84/cwt	115.00–125.00	1,658	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,340	131.81/cwt	129.00–137.00	1,766	42
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,388	125.31/cwt	123.00–127.00	1,739	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,133	85.21/cwt	84.00–86.50	965	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,129	109.74/cwt	104.00–119.00	1,239	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,219	126.61/cwt	121.00–132.00	1,543	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,100	117.38/cwt	114.00–121.00	1,291	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	965	79.00/cwt	79.00–79.00	762	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,443	131.52/cwt	128.00–136.00	1,898	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,265	127.04/cwt	125.00–129.00	1,607	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,293	140.89/cwt	140.00–142.00	1,822	2
Bulls	—	—	1,951	150.47/cwt	147.00–157.00	2,936	12
Bulls	—	—	1,760	141.72/cwt	135.00–145.00	2,494	12
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,365	126.00/cwt	126.00–126.00	1,720	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,175	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,674	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,306	121.72/cwt	113.00–130.00	1,590	7
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,411	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,033	173.98/cwt	130.00–202.00	1,797	122
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,113	133.60/cwt	122.00–141.00	1,487	5
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,036	130.39/cwt	119.00–157.50	1,351	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	805	191.70/cwt	185.00–199.00	1,543	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,003	185.43/cwt	165.00–204.00	1,860	112
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	1,059	241.00/cwt	241.00–241.00	2,552	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	451	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,443	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Replacement	600–650	646	276.00/cwt	276.00–276.00	1,783	61
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	823	212.87/cwt	212.00–215.50	1,752	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 →