Cattle Market Pulse

Miles City Livestock Commission Auction Market Report

Miles City, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 24, 2021

2,487 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Miles City Livestock Commission Auction report →

light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $217.08/cwt +32.08 vs last sale · ≈ $914/hd at 421 lb · 296 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $198.99/cwt +18.99 vs last sale · ≈ $651/hd at 327 lb · 292 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $183.11/cwt ≈ $775/hd at 423 lb · 188 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,487 1,017 720
Feeder cattle 2,099 642 442
Slaughter cattle 286 293 165
Replacement cattle 102 82 113

Compared to last week: Yearling steers were all too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold mostly 15.00-20.00 higher. All other steer calves were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend. Yearling heifers sold unevenly steady in a narrow comparison. The best test for heifer calves was for calves under 400 lbs which sold mostly 10.00-15.00 higher. All other heifer calves were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Calf quality this week was mostly attractive with many long strings of freshly weaned calves on offer. Yearlings were of average to attractive quality with most offerings in light flesh. Outside of one load lot of steers, yearlings were mostly offered in small packages. Demand for both calves and yearlings was good to very good. Market activity was mostly active this week. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for light offerings. Cows sold three different ways as buyers purchased them to feed, slaughter, and return to the country to test for breds. Packers showed mostly light to moderate demand for slaughter cows. Slaughter cows sold generally steady to firm on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend. Feeding cows sold steady to firm. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 1.00-2.00 lower on a lower quality offering. Both cow and bulls were of plain to average quality this week. Most were fresh off range and have been out breeding or have had a calf on them all summer. Cow and bull yields are starting to see seasonal lows. Demand for replacement cows was mostly good as buyers purchased cows to both rebreed or in hopes that they are bred for spring calves. This class of cows were too lightly tested both this week and last to develop any market trend.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
276–281 unweaned 279 74 232.00–235.00 $232.49 $649 —
310–334 unweaned 327 113 222.00–227.00 $223.59 $731 —
369–380 unweaned 373 90 213.00–223.00 $221.33 $826 —
401–437 unweaned 421 296 206.00–222.00 $217.08 $914 —
490 unweaned 490 6 185.00 $185.00 $906 —
659 659 22 174.00 $174.00 $1,147 +8.00
718–737 724 104 172.00–175.50 $174.94 $1,267 +14.13
755 755 4 164.00 $164.00 $1,238 —
818 818 3 162.00 $162.00 $1,325 +4.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
267 unweaned 267 6 226.00 $226.00 $603 —
357 unweaned 357 21 202.00 $202.00 $721 —
428 unweaned 428 46 196.50 $196.50 $841 —
673–699 689 13 163.50–167.00 $164.81 $1,136 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 15 207.00 $207.00 $789 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
625 625 15 174.50 $174.50 $1,091 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 unweaned 265 29 202.50 $202.50 $537 —
302–345 unweaned 327 292 187.50–203.00 $198.99 $651 —
378–393 unweaned 388 145 184.50–185.00 $184.65 $716 —
408–424 unweaned 423 188 180.50–183.50 $183.11 $775 —
480 unweaned 480 5 171.00 $171.00 $821 —
643 643 13 159.00 $159.00 $1,022 —
673–685 681 19 156.00–157.00 $156.36 $1,065 —
704–742 715 32 152.75–157.00 $155.14 $1,109 —
750–793 777 97 149.75–155.00 $152.10 $1,182 +5.85
805–835 807 19 147.00–148.00 $147.95 $1,194 +2.84
873–892 881 12 141.00–147.50 $143.74 $1,266 -1.09
931–937 934 12 139.00–140.50 $139.87 $1,306 +2.05
935 935 6 134.50 $134.50 $1,258 -3.32
951–994 961 29 135.50–140.50 $138.11 $1,327 -0.69
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
411 411 38 177.50 $177.50 $730 —
703–730 713 15 144.00–151.50 $145.02 $1,034 —
998 998 2 124.00 $124.00 $1,238 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
605–606 606 12 150.50–151.00 $150.75 $914 —
664 664 21 154.50 $154.50 $1,026 —
717 717 21 151.00 $151.00 $1,083 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
744 744 28 149.50 $149.50 $1,112 —
853 853 10 142.00 $142.00 $1,211 —
1028 1028 3 132.50 $132.50 $1,362 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
878 878 3 104.00 $104.00 $913 —

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330–1550 1379 80-85% 7 55.00–61.50 $57.85 $798 -1.10
1311–1542 1419 80-85% 49 62.00–68.00 $64.45 $915 —
1388–1449 1435 80-85% 13 61.50–63.50 $62.19 $892 —
1440–1657 1471 80-85% 21 69.50–70.00 $69.92 $1,029 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–924 923 85-90% 6 44.00–47.50 $46.92 $433 —
965 965 85-90% 1 41.00 $41.00 $396 —
1000–1280 1140 85-90% 2 42.00–45.50 $43.54 $496 -9.67
1000–1253 1165 85-90% 22 50.50–56.50 $53.94 $628 -4.96
965–1350 1219 85-90% 22 52.00–61.00 $56.14 $684 —
1245 1245 85-90% 1 62.00 $62.00 $772 —
1200–1295 1248 85-90% 2 60.00–60.50 $60.26 $752 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1613–1750 1682 75-80% 4 67.00–67.50 $67.26 $1,131 —
1818 1818 75-80% 3 65.50 $65.50 $1,191 —

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155 1155 1 78.50 $78.50 $907 —
1340–2110 1728 59 66.00–81.50 $77.70 $1,343 —
1588–2250 1810 34 82.00–87.50 $84.11 $1,522 —
1880 1880 1 88.00 $88.00 $1,654 —
1910–1916 1914 6 83.00–83.50 $83.08 $1,590 —
2125 2125 1 83.00 $83.00 $1,764 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
808–1150 929 (<2 yrs)Open 24 70.00–91.00 $80.95 $752
919–1430 1172 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 35 63.00–83.00 $70.08 $821
1270–1371 1349 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 22 60.50–65.50 $64.46 $870

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1187 1187 Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 7 61.50 $61.50 $730

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What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.