Cattle Market Pulse

Miles City Livestock Commission Auction Market Report

Miles City, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 25, 2022

1,114 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $175.92/cwt +5.49 vs last sale · ≈ $837/hd at 476 lb · 126 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $200.75/cwt +3.89 vs last sale · ≈ $1,020/hd at 508 lb · 88 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $205.82/cwt -5.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,006/hd at 489 lb · 83 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,114 3,371 1,906
Feeder cattle 899 1,902 1,505
Slaughter cattle 149 549 220
Replacement cattle 66 920 181

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were scarcely tested today, no trend is available. Steer calves under 650 lbs sold steady to weak, steers over 650 lbs were too lightly tested last week to trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Heifer calves under 450 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed. Heifer calves 450-549 lbs sold mostly 5.00 higher. Heifers over 550 lbs sold steady to 5.00 lower. Quality this week was plain to average, which would be similar to lower than last week. Demand for light weight cattle was lower this week as fewer cattle and lower quality was seen. Demand for grass cattle remains good to very good. Some weaned backgrounded cattle are starting to show some flesh as most have been weaned 60-90+ days. Market activity this week was moderate to active. More buyers were on hand this sale compared to last week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light offerings. Packer buyers purchased most of the cow offering for immediate harvest this week. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher on lean cows, boning cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Breaking cows were scarcely tested. Feeding cows were too lightly tested to trend, however steady to firm undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 1.00-2.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Quality this week was plain to average.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
371–380 376 19 207.00–209.00 $207.83 $781 -6.51
414–425 420 36 208.50–210.00 $209.38 $879 -2.06
465–494 489 83 199.00–208.50 $205.82 $1,006 -5.55
506 thin fleshed 506 45 205.50 $205.50 $1,040 —
500–516 510 43 194.00–200.00 $195.78 $998 -2.26
550–563 559 38 190.00–193.00 $191.44 $1,070 -0.56
605–649 635 40 175.00–190.50 $179.54 $1,140 -2.17
674–687 679 53 168.00–169.00 $168.62 $1,145 +9.75
703 703 7 167.00 $167.00 $1,174 +13.00
800–806 803 7 150.00 $150.00 $1,204 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
439 439 4 204.50 $204.50 $898 +4.15
458 458 21 195.00–203.00 $202.24 $926 +8.42
512 512 55 190.50 $190.50 $975 +8.51
576–582 578 11 170.00–183.00 $178.89 $1,034 +3.23
623 623 3 168.00 $168.00 $1,047 —
660 660 2 166.00 $166.00 $1,096 +13.50
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1163 1163 4 101.00 $101.00 $1,175 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
429–435 432 20 166.00–173.50 $169.40 $732 -11.14
450–498 476 126 170.50–184.50 $175.92 $837 +5.49
531 531 45 171.00 $171.00 $908 +4.75
550–590 575 58 156.00–170.00 $160.07 $920 -4.65
616–623 618 8 151.00–151.50 $151.13 $934 +0.13
671 671 10 140.00 $140.00 $939 ±0.00
835 835 19 131.50 $131.50 $1,098 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
374 374 13 161.00 $161.00 $602 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
442 442 12 164.00 $164.00 $725 -4.34

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
498 498 7 161.00 $161.00 $802 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910 910 85-90% 1 49.00 $49.00 $446 +17.00
955–990 973 85-90% 2 52.50–57.50 $54.96 $535 +4.96
1098–1280 1168 85-90% 18 54.00–59.00 $55.89 $653 -10.61
1095–1211 1185 85-90% 19 45.00–53.50 $52.24 $619 -2.42
1180–1280 1230 85-90% 2 61.00 $61.00 $750 —
1165–1299 1277 85-90% 6 55.50–58.00 $57.62 $736 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1328–1535 1402 80-85% 4 58.50–62.00 $59.93 $840 +1.85
1405 1405 80-85% 1 55.00 $55.00 $773 -3.08
1358–1675 1435 80-85% 30 56.00–66.00 $62.07 $891 +9.08
1440–1645 1543 80-85% 2 54.00–55.00 $54.53 $841 -6.61

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1545–1595 1570 2 73.00–83.00 $78.08 $1,226 —
1425–1850 1639 9 83.00–88.00 $85.25 $1,397 +7.89
1555–1830 1693 2 84.50–88.00 $86.11 $1,458 —
1935–2070 1987 3 91.00–92.50 $91.52 $1,819 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
644–690 thin fleshed 650 (<2 yrs)Open 8 81.00–84.00 $81.40 $529
915–1165 976 (<2 yrs)Open 8 84.50–85.50 $85.11 $831
915–1340 1114 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 21 58.50–75.00 $68.66 $765
1125 thin fleshed 1125 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 51.50 $51.50 $579
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
790 790 (<2 yrs)Open 1 78.00 $78.00 $616

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Reading this report

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.