Cattle Market Pulse

Miles City Livestock Commission Auction Market Report

Miles City, Montana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 2, 2024

745 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $299.26/cwt +1.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,601/hd at 535 lb · 61 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $320.49/cwt -8.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,362/hd at 425 lb · 57 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $309.07/cwt +15.07 vs last sale · ≈ $1,471/hd at 476 lb · 44 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 745 2,234 499
Feeder cattle 410 2,024 245
Slaughter cattle 149 142 99
Replacement cattle 186 68 155

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle sold mostly steady with a lower undertone. Demand for feeders was moderate. Quality today was mostly average. Demand for cattle suitable to run on grass was good. Market activity today was mostly active. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed good to moderate demand for all cows. Slaughter cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on breaking and boning cows, and lean cows sold mostly steady. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Young age cows were 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Demand from feeding and rebreed cow buyers were good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435–438 437 4 334.00–336.00 $335.00 $1,464 +1.69
455–499 485 11 305.00–327.00 $318.26 $1,544 -13.31
522 522 5 300.00 $300.00 $1,566 —
585–591 590 18 297.00–308.00 $306.79 $1,810 —
600–638 631 11 284.00–290.00 $285.04 $1,799 —
691 691 9 272.00 $272.00 $1,880 -2.63
770 770 7 246.00 $246.00 $1,894 -0.78
831 831 4 227.00 $227.00 $1,886 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–470 454 15 300.00–305.00 $301.34 $1,368 —
585 585 4 277.00 $277.00 $1,620 -5.69
677 677 3 258.00 $258.00 $1,747 —
756 756 4 234.00 $234.00 $1,769 +11.00
840 840 2 212.00 $212.00 $1,781 —
856 856 7 227.00 $227.00 $1,943 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401 401 4 346.00 $346.00 $1,387 -7.47
507–522 516 15 325.00–329.00 $326.57 $1,685 -4.12

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335–348 339 20 287.50–330.00 $315.50 $1,070 —
415–445 425 57 311.00–325.00 $320.49 $1,362 -8.14
452–495 476 44 300.00–325.00 $309.07 $1,471 +15.07
508–549 535 61 293.00–301.00 $299.26 $1,601 +0.33
556–560 557 5 273.00–281.00 $279.39 $1,556 -5.76
655–695 668 8 239.00–244.00 $240.15 $1,604 -16.07
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
368–370 369 4 310.00–330.00 $320.03 $1,181 +30.03
504–510 505 5 270.00–285.00 $281.97 $1,424 -4.61

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1345 1248 80-85% 2 119.00–121.00 $119.92 $1,497 —
1230–1370 1283 80-85% 3 138.00–143.00 $141.22 $1,812 +24.96
1230–1370 1300 80-85% 2 138.00–140.00 $138.95 $1,806 +8.61
1245–1425 1325 80-85% 5 135.00–138.00 $136.20 $1,805 +5.86
1295–1365 1330 80-85% 2 120.00–126.00 $123.08 $1,637 -7.26
1135–1625 1384 80-85% 12 129.00–138.00 $134.46 $1,861 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1300 1163 85-90% 2 123.00–127.00 $124.76 $1,451 +2.05
1005–1275 1182 85-90% 3 105.00–112.00 $108.58 $1,283 -14.13
1135–1400 1202 85-90% 6 111.00–121.00 $117.48 $1,412 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1750 1466 75-80% 7 127.00–137.00 $131.62 $1,930 +0.54
1465–1500 1483 75-80% 2 136.00–137.00 $136.51 $2,024 +5.43

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1535–1725 1643 5 141.00–153.00 $147.17 $2,418 —
1540–1925 1697 3 128.00–137.00 $133.82 $2,271 —
1785–1920 1823 6 158.00–169.00 $161.93 $2,952 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
798–1055 861 (<2 yrs)Open 63 195.00–240.00 $225.29 $1,940
900–1100 1055 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 37 123.00–213.00 $152.70 $1,611

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1193 1193 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 20 2,700.00 $2,700.00
1385 1385 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 16 2,100.00 $2,100.00
1450 1450 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,350.00 $2,350.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1092 1092 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 11 2,400.00 $2,400.00

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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.