Cattle Market Pulse

Miles City Livestock Commission Auction Market Report

Miles City, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 7, 2023

1,626 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $212.02/cwt +24.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,211/hd at 571 lb · 165 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $207.24/cwt +21.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,384/hd at 668 lb · 123 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $215.65/cwt +13.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,326/hd at 615 lb · 120 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,626 2,269 1,175
Feeder cattle 1,440 1,842 642
Slaughter cattle 157 322 288
Replacement cattle 29 105 245

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Trade activity and demand were good. Feeder steers under 450 lbs traded 23.00 to 24.00 higher, while those weighing between 450-600 lbs traded steady to 10.00 higher. Steers over 600 lbs traded 13.00 to 22.00 higher. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs traded 3.00 to 8.00 higher and heifers over 550 lbs traded 21.00 to 23.00 higher. Average dress slaughter cows traded 4.75 to 9.50 higher, while average dress slaughter bulls had no previous comparison. Feeding cows traded 6.75 to 11.25 higher. The next available report will be Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

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
343 343 2 300.00 $300.00 $1,029 —
373 373 5 297.50 $297.50 $1,110 +24.63
405–433 428 40 270.00–289.00 $275.05 $1,177 +23.73
463–491 482 63 230.00–244.00 $236.42 $1,140 +0.43
515–548 524 77 227.50–240.00 $235.10 $1,232 +10.92
555–592 586 65 216.00–222.50 $216.85 $1,271 +0.77
602–617 615 120 207.00–216.50 $215.65 $1,326 +13.38
650–670 668 123 200.00–208.75 $207.24 $1,384 +21.91
737 737 11 194.50 $194.50 $1,433 +13.87
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 3 267.50 $267.50 $915 —
400–439 423 33 250.00–265.00 $253.19 $1,071 +13.19
450–496 481 44 216.00–228.00 $219.13 $1,054 +4.48
535–547 545 12 212.50–216.50 $214.46 $1,169 +3.73
560–598 586 33 202.00–214.00 $211.70 $1,241 —
615–645 634 46 190.50–200.00 $196.06 $1,243 +11.06
655–680 664 6 185.00–190.00 $187.65 $1,246 +13.18
745 745 17 176.50–177.00 $176.56 $1,315 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 4 252.50 $252.50 $962 —
410–443 433 8 220.00–236.00 $227.93 $987 —
544 544 4 205.00 $205.00 $1,115 —
585 585 4 195.00 $195.00 $1,141 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–497 496 20 209.00–220.00 $210.08 $1,042 +3.47
508–533 519 46 206.50–214.50 $210.93 $1,095 +8.36
567–569 fancy 569 55 213.00–219.00 $218.67 $1,244 —
563–584 572 110 204.00–211.50 $208.70 $1,194 +21.23
624–633 629 87 185.00–195.50 $195.07 $1,227 +22.82
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
361–388 373 31 204.00–211.50 $208.36 $777 +4.36
406–437 425 66 200.00–210.00 $206.13 $876 +17.56
469–499 481 36 195.00–204.00 $198.41 $954 +9.95
526–548 545 92 185.00–203.00 $195.52 $1,066 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
343 343 4 207.00 $207.00 $710 —
494 494 4 191.00 $191.00 $944 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–511 511 7 174.00 $174.00 $889 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–445 424 5 196.00–199.00 $197.74 $838 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1287 1287 80-85% 5 72.00 $72.00 $927 —
1245–1472 1357 80-85% 31 79.00–85.50 $80.86 $1,097 +6.45
1275–1470 1364 80-85% 5 67.50–75.00 $70.66 $964 -3.75
1245–1587 1435 80-85% 27 80.25–88.00 $81.91 $1,175 +6.78
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1120 1102 85-90% 3 78.00–81.00 $79.35 $874 +20.38
1120–1130 1125 85-90% 2 83.50–84.00 $83.75 $942 +24.78
940–1298 1157 85-90% 9 63.00–69.00 $66.79 $773 -6.24
855–1234 1185 85-90% 26 71.00–79.00 $76.83 $910 +3.80
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1631 1631 75-80% 7 81.50 $81.50 $1,329 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990 990 1 123.00 $123.00 $1,218 —
1017–1240 1049 7 95.00 $95.00 $997 —
1150–1328 1273 6 100.50–105.00 $101.56 $1,293 +13.19
1270–2040 1680 16 79.00–99.50 $91.47 $1,537 +5.98
1670–2050 1893 6 101.00–107.50 $103.02 $1,950 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
973 973 (<2 yrs)Open 2 104.00 $104.00 $1,012
982–1220 1055 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 14 91.00–98.50 $96.14 $1,014

↑ Back to top

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.