Cattle Market Pulse

Miles City Livestock Commission Auction Market Report

Miles City, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, September 26, 2023

997 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $245.11/cwt -11.90 vs last sale · ≈ $1,902/hd at 776 lb · 126 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $236.16/cwt -9.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,937/hd at 820 lb · 69 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $230.64/cwt -5.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,030/hd at 880 lb · 63 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 997 1,332 870
Feeder cattle 809 1,034 631
Slaughter cattle 101 283 218
Replacement cattle 87 15 21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to week: Feeder steers were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers over 700 lbs sold mostly 3.00-6.00 lower. Heifers under 700 lbs were not well compared, however steady to firm undertones were noticed. Demand for yearlings was mostly moderate, however lighter demand was seen later in the day as buyers filled loads and following a sharply lower close on the board of trade. Consignments of spring born calves have been slow to come to market. Some late season rains have helped green up pastures and allowed ranchers to keep cows and calves out on grass. Calves sold on mostly moderate demand for light offerings. Not enough steer or heifer calves were seen this week to develop an accurate market trend. CME positions traded off today as outside equities pressured the market lower. Feeder cattle contracts closed 4.95 lower on the October to close at 253.875 while the November closed at 256.875, 5.825 lower. Market activity was mostly moderate today. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light offerings. Demand for all cows was good today as feeding buyers and packer buyers both were aggressively over limited offerings. Breaking cows were not well compared. Very few cows were purchased to slaughter this week as packers purchased most cows to send to feed. Boning and lean cows sold generally steady in a very narrow comparison. Feeding cows sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady. Feeding bulls sold mostly steady to firm. Weigh up conditions were average to below average as many cows and bulls were pushing some fill today. Young age cows were too lightly tested last week to develop any market trend. Good demand was seen for all offerings.

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
349 unweaned 349 5 342.50 $342.50 $1,195 —
425–449 unweaned 430 37 326.00–340.00 $326.37 $1,403 —
705 705 2 268.00 $268.00 $1,889 —
782 782 3 264.50 $264.50 $2,068 +1.00
800–827 820 21 251.00–258.00 $255.04 $2,091 +0.05
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
571 571 8 276.00 $276.00 $1,576 —
661–683 665 21 270.00–270.50 $270.40 $1,798 —
714 714 9 265.00 $265.00 $1,892 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
287 unweaned 287 3 355.00 $355.00 $1,019 —
309 unweaned 309 14 337.50 $337.50 $1,043 —
723 723 2 252.00 $252.00 $1,822 —
778 778 2 252.00 $252.00 $1,961 —
861–885 865 11 235.50–244.00 $242.42 $2,097 +4.77
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
403 unweaned 403 5 292.00 $292.00 $1,177 —
704 704 5 242.00 $242.00 $1,704 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326 unweaned 326 4 334.00 $334.00 $1,089 —
362–390 unweaned 387 46 307.00–310.00 $307.50 $1,190 —
423 unweaned 423 5 298.00 $298.00 $1,261 —
648 648 62 270.00 $270.00 $1,750 —
660 660 15 269.00 $269.00 $1,775 —
708–725 710 28 255.00–258.00 $256.99 $1,825 -3.25
738–748 743 8 241.00–249.00 $244.97 $1,820 -15.27
768 768 2 237.00 $237.00 $1,820 -20.01
750–799 776 124 240.50–250.00 $245.24 $1,903 -11.77
809–841 820 69 232.00–238.75 $236.16 $1,937 -9.31
850–889 880 63 229.00–233.50 $230.64 $2,030 -5.57
914–915 914 19 228.50–230.75 $229.21 $2,095 —
955–965 957 6 224.75–229.00 $225.46 $2,158 -3.56
980–998 994 6 222.50–223.50 $222.92 $2,216 -6.10
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 unweaned 300 8 305.00 $305.00 $915 —
709–735 721 12 241.00–248.50 $245.97 $1,773 -7.75
750–786 772 23 237.00–239.00 $238.22 $1,839 -9.63
873 873 2 225.00 $225.00 $1,964 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 unweaned 373 6 285.00 $285.00 $1,063 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755 755 3 240.00 $240.00 $1,812 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135 1135 2 187.00 $187.00 $2,122 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–930 878 85-90% 2 66.00–69.00 $67.59 $593 —
855–945 900 85-90% 2 84.00–92.00 $88.20 $794 —
1088 1088 85-90% 6 84.00 $84.00 $914 +15.00
1043–1270 1129 85-90% 11 102.00–109.00 $107.14 $1,210 +18.98
915–1184 1148 85-90% 14 94.00–98.00 $97.64 $1,121 +9.48
1090–1220 1152 85-90% 10 86.00–95.50 $90.06 $1,037 -7.92
1127–1253 1174 85-90% 10 111.00–113.00 $111.48 $1,309 +13.50
1128–1290 1189 85-90% 4 99.00–107.00 $102.59 $1,220 +4.61
1230 1230 85-90% 1 109.50 $109.50 $1,347 +29.67
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330 1330 80-85% 1 92.50 $92.50 $1,230 -17.67
1270–1453 1384 80-85% 6 107.00–112.50 $110.87 $1,534 —
1315–1463 1414 80-85% 3 116.00–116.50 $116.34 $1,645 —
1358–1545 1420 80-85% 3 99.00–104.00 $102.19 $1,451 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1485 1485 75-80% 1 112.50 $112.50 $1,671 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1113 1082 3 103.50–105.00 $104.53 $1,131 —
1300–1760 1474 7 113.00–119.00 $115.70 $1,705 —
1330–1895 1608 7 106.50–113.50 $108.85 $1,750 +8.76
1440–1945 1680 5 102.00–111.50 $107.10 $1,799 —
1710 1710 1 113.00 $113.00 $1,932 +1.14

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
814–1050 892 (<2 yrs)Open 46 140.00–190.00 $162.54 $1,450
1001–1585 1100 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 10 111.50–125.00 $122.02 $1,342
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
870 870 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 109.00 $109.00 $948
895–935 908 (<2 yrs)Open 3 125.00–148.00 $140.11 $1,272
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
885 885 (<2 yrs)Open 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,106

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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.