Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

St. Onge, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Fridays

Sale of Saturday, June 20, 2026

6,412 head sold ·Official USDA report · Past reports (127)

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $376.96/cwt ≈ $3,295/hd at 874 lb · 455 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $360.21/cwt ≈ $3,318/hd at 921 lb · 400 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $374.05/cwt +11.17 vs last sale · ≈ $2,876/hd at 769 lb · 355 head
St. Onge, SD 8-weight steers sold at $382/cwt, $3/cwt above the SD average ($379), though $13/cwt under Ft. Pierre, SD ($395). Receipts ran 6,412 head. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,412 2,521 0
Feeder cattle 6,412 2,521 0

The last reported sale was in April, so a market comparison can not be made. Today's sale was packed with contestants and their family and friends, along with a houseful of buyers, for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship, hosted by the Livestock Marketing Association and St. Onge Livestock. With 31 contestants from 20 U.S. States and Canada for the first half, narrowed down to 10 for the second half, it was a fun day for all. Buyers in the seats and on the internet had a very nice offering of calves, yearlings and weigh ups that were sold on a very active market.. There were lots of full loads of calves and yearlings for buyers to choose from with most carrying light to medium flesh and very attractive. Severe drought continues in the area, causing some producers to sell earlier than they likely had planned; however, there was some rain on the radar for the day in some areas, and through the weekend.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 8 547.00 $547.00 $2,462 +7.00
502–517 513 48 497.50–538.00 $528.10 $2,709 +3.10
553–598 584 140 495.00–500.00 $497.16 $2,903 -36.84
607–614 607 99 487.00–493.00 $492.69 $2,991 +18.65
651–691 665 240 440.00–475.50 $465.95 $3,099 +22.70
707–740 724 64 418.00–434.50 $426.06 $3,085 -6.88
757–768 763 108 390.00–414.00 $404.34 $3,085 +4.34
824–842 833 245 377.50–404.00 $392.77 $3,272 +13.57
852–896 874 455 369.50–389.00 $376.96 $3,295
909–940 921 400 351.00–365.50 $360.21 $3,318
959–982 971 176 348.50–356.00 $352.35 $3,421
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 14 476.00 $476.00 $2,356 +18.50
511–549 528 16 449.00–490.00 $471.48 $2,489
555 555 9 490.00 $490.00 $2,720
618–647 640 73 425.00–462.50 $446.82 $2,860
665–690 682 27 420.00–436.00 $430.80 $2,938 +46.80
724 724 29 412.50 $412.50 $2,986
784–788 786 17 364.00–386.00 $373.03 $2,932
800–846 825 261 357.50–386.00 $379.54 $3,131
872–874 872 76 358.00–364.00 $363.05 $3,166
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003–1010 1006 118 349.50–354.00 $351.72 $3,538
1033 1033 47 324.00 $324.00 $3,347
1068 1068 62 331.50 $331.50 $3,540
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584 584 32 444.00 $444.00 $2,593
710 710 18 372.00 $372.00 $2,641

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–489 480 42 504.00–507.50 $504.87 $2,423 +8.58
515–543 528 279 470.00–505.50 $494.98 $2,613 +27.34
599 599 94 454.00 $454.00 $2,719 +3.86
606–645 628 221 423.00–450.00 $436.33 $2,740 +11.50
653 653 43 429.00 $429.00 $2,801 +30.31
759–786 769 355 366.00–383.50 $374.05 $2,876 +3.77
814–840 825 28 351.00–355.00 $352.75 $2,910 +10.25
854 fancy 854 61 368.50 $368.50 $3,147
876 876 68 350.00 $350.00 $3,066
908–932 925 236 340.00–343.00 $341.99 $3,163
955 955 59 335.00 $335.00 $3,199
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
492 492 19 491.00 $491.00 $2,416
512–544 539 106 457.00–460.00 $459.60 $2,477
563 563 9 461.00 $461.00 $2,595 +31.32
625–645 634 155 387.50–430.00 $415.30 $2,633
729 729 7 335.00 $335.00 $2,442
792 792 5 337.50 $337.50 $2,673
895 895 13 312.50 $312.50 $2,797
922 922 27 320.00 $320.00 $2,950

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high 534.00 low 394.25 Sep 2025 Jun 2026

550–599 lb Medium and Large 1 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Apr 10, 2026)