Name: Miles City Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2024-10-22
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-10-22

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Steer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher, 500-549 lbs steers sold steady to weak, steer calves 550-599 lbs sold steady to firm. Calves over 600 lbs were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold generally steady. Heifer calves over 500 lbs sold steady to 3.00 higher. Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers sold steady to 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand for calves was mostly good, while demand for yearlings was mostly moderate to good. Demand for light weight calves suitable to run on wheat pasture in the south or out west remains very good. CME Feeder cattle positions added triple digit gains today. Quality this sale was mostly average to attractive on calves and plain to average on yearlings. Market activity was mostly active today with a large buyer pool noticed. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was light to moderate, but stronger than last sale as packer buyers continue to try and buy cows away from feeding buyers. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher on all classes. Feeding cow demand was very good with multiple private ranchers and order buyers buying cows to feed. Private buyers continue to buy slightly lame or slightly blemished cows to put away on feed. Feeding cows sold generally steady on high quality cows suitable to feed to premium white. Thin feeding cows sold steady to weak. Slaughter bulls sold on mostly moderate demand for light offerings. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Weigh up conditions were mostly average this week. Young cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Demand for 3-4 year old cows was higher this week as buyers showed very good demand for cows to rebreed. Quality was mostly average to attractive today. Young cow offerings were heavy this week.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $302.69/cwt on 685 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −183.54 against this barn's trailing median of $486.23.

Average price

$302.69

685 head · 543 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,644

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$192

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

$37.87/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+4.49

vs MT average

+3.65 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	541	304.87	1,650	591
Large 1	554	291.89	1,617	65
Medium and Large 1-2	561	288.30	1,618	21
Medium and Large 2	546	267.00	1,458	8thin

One grade step is worth $37.87/cwt here — about $192 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $512.23, low $440.01, median $486.23 across 13 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 sale685 hd

302.69

—

MT average5 barns · 1,888 hd

298.20

+4.49

National average191 barns · 36,605 hd

299.04

+3.65

This barn, trailing median13 sales

486.23

−183.54

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	1,698	145.66	2,474	57
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,566	130.71	2,046	8thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,371	128.09	1,757	99
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,150	115.84	1,333	306

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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,173	$2,225	16
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,288	$1,757	16
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,333	$1,748	28
Bred Heifers	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	798	$2,441	54
Bred Heifers	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	768	$2,400	8

Every lot, as filed

95 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	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	544	294.88/cwt	285.00–298.25	1,604	51
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	560	271.75/cwt	271.00–272.00	1,522	48
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,173	2,225.00/head	2,225.00–2,225.00	2,225	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	604	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,480	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	473	301.01/cwt	288.00–310.00	1,424	288
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	272	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,000	6
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	400–450	430	332.00/cwt	332.00–332.00	1,428	11
Steers	Large 1Unweaned	600–650	645	272.00/cwt	272.00–272.00	1,754	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	280	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,162	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	377	404.14/cwt	386.00–435.00	1,524	241
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	419	322.31/cwt	313.00–334.00	1,350	167
Heifers	Medium 2	400–450	400	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	940	3
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	400–450	448	303.00/cwt	303.00–303.00	1,357	11
Steers	Medium 1Unweaned	350–400	362	368.00/cwt	368.00–368.00	1,332	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	267	442.34/cwt	420.00–450.00	1,181	23
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	240	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	996	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	798	2,441.12/head	2,400.00–2,500.00	2,441	54
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	922	178.96/cwt	150.00–189.00	1,650	20
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	500–550	542	267.60/cwt	249.00–273.50	1,450	20
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	350–400	384	342.54/cwt	337.50–356.00	1,315	149
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	—	1,352	1,783.37/head	1,550.00–1,900.00	1,783	24
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	420	367.63/cwt	350.00–382.50	1,544	278
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	200–250	242	463.24/cwt	460.00–470.00	1,121	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	332	362.29/cwt	350.00–380.00	1,203	120
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	478	331.61/cwt	315.50–348.75	1,585	604
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	412	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,318	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	920	234.09/cwt	230.50–234.50	2,154	19
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	805	237.72/cwt	236.50–239.50	1,914	36
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	887	230.31/cwt	227.50–232.50	2,043	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	526	309.73/cwt	303.00–325.75	1,629	386
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	385	306.38/cwt	305.00–312.50	1,180	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	778	246.50/cwt	246.50–246.50	1,918	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	422	302.85/cwt	291.00–311.00	1,278	22
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,288	1,757.43/head	1,735.00–1,975.00	1,757	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	717	258.00/cwt	258.00–258.00	1,850	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	795	235.70/cwt	235.00–236.50	1,874	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	531	267.23/cwt	267.00–269.00	1,419	25
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	800–850	814	245.50/cwt	245.50–245.50	1,998	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	—	815	147.50/cwt	147.50–147.50	1,202	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	975	156.12/cwt	142.00–187.50	1,522	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	200–250	220	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	853	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	350–400	373	363.42/cwt	337.50–387.50	1,356	56
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	528	302.00/cwt	302.00–302.00	1,595	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	860	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,935	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	339	324.25/cwt	320.00–340.00	1,099	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	250–300	294	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,220	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,220	1,535.00/head	1,535.00–1,535.00	1,535	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	467	289.92/cwt	284.00–294.00	1,354	18
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,084	85.56/cwt	81.00–90.00	927	9
Bulls	—	—	1,817	152.79/cwt	147.00–161.00	2,776	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,530	126.33/cwt	125.00–128.00	1,933	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,470	129.00/cwt	129.00–129.00	1,896	1
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,397	140.87/cwt	138.00–143.50	1,968	3
Bulls	—	—	1,668	142.77/cwt	131.00–146.00	2,381	37
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,361	135.52/cwt	134.00–136.00	1,844	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,471	123.22/cwt	114.00–126.25	1,813	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	—	1,563	134.40/cwt	129.00–136.00	2,101	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	952	84.65/cwt	84.00–86.00	806	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	833	96.77/cwt	92.00–102.00	806	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,142	121.30/cwt	114.00–128.00	1,385	101
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,172	111.97/cwt	101.00–117.00	1,312	73
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,365	129.34/cwt	123.00–132.00	1,765	75
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,390	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,682	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,166	112.33/cwt	110.00–117.00	1,310	16
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,650	121.00/cwt	121.00–121.00	1,997	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,123	103.09/cwt	92.00–109.00	1,158	45
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	450–500	472	285.43/cwt	267.50–289.50	1,347	32
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	550–600	557	252.00/cwt	252.00–252.00	1,404	21
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	907	173.34/cwt	170.00–174.00	1,572	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,133	124.57/cwt	123.00–126.00	1,411	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,351	110.18/cwt	105.00–112.00	1,489	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,195	130.04/cwt	129.00–137.00	1,554	54
Heifers	Large 1Unweaned	400–450	425	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,296	2
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	988	163.00/cwt	163.00–163.00	1,610	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	974	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	2,192	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	675	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,755	14
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	900	210.44/cwt	157.50–216.00	1,894	160
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1	—	768	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	973	185.69/cwt	139.00–196.00	1,807	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	329	424.52/cwt	411.00–431.50	1,397	127
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	450–500	478	308.32/cwt	292.50–311.00	1,474	45
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	624	281.40/cwt	274.00–285.50	1,756	144
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	719	244.00/cwt	244.00–244.00	1,754	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	522	284.12/cwt	271.00–299.00	1,483	318
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	250–300	268	388.35/cwt	382.50–392.50	1,041	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	570	295.73/cwt	289.00–312.00	1,686	205
Heifers	Medium 1	650–700	680	253.32/cwt	250.00–256.00	1,723	9
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	550–600	586	278.03/cwt	274.00–281.00	1,629	12
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	600–650	649	251.00/cwt	251.00–251.00	1,629	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	300–350	334	395.00/cwt	385.00–407.50	1,319	41
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	546	267.00/cwt	267.00–267.00	1,458	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	400–450	429	340.48/cwt	337.00–343.00	1,461	73
Steers	Large 1	550–600	591	281.00/cwt	281.00–281.00	1,661	14
Heifers	Medium 1	600–650	608	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,611	27
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	577	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,558	14

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 →