Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, October 30, 2020

6,824 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest St. Onge Livestock Auction report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $158.95/cwt +4.53 vs last sale · ≈ $841/hd at 529 lb · 982 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $146.80/cwt +14.83 vs last sale · ≈ $762/hd at 519 lb · 683 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $168.15/cwt +0.60 vs last sale · ≈ $795/hd at 473 lb · 665 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,824 2,884 5,174
Feeder cattle 6,824 2,884 5,174

Compared to last Friday: Feeder steers were steady to 4.00 higher, while feeder heifers were 1.00 to 6.00 higher. Full loads of calves brought premium prices but the lack of precondition shots still carried a discount on the offerings. Market was moderate to active with the abundance of strings today. There was a firm confidence on the part of the buyers that market conditions are good. Flesh conditions were surprisingly attractive considering the mucky conditions outside. Next sale is Wed Nov 4th, 2020.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
339 339 29 182.00–186.00 $183.79 $623 +2.79
360–394 374 160 165.00–192.50 $183.67 $687 +20.98
402–444 429 332 160.00–184.00 $174.70 $749 +0.76
453–498 473 665 153.50–176.00 $168.15 $795 +0.60
503–549 529 977 149.50–170.25 $159.07 $841 +4.65
549 549 5 135.50 $135.50 $744 -18.92
551–597 572 359 142.00–157.00 $150.17 $859 +2.56
600–641 615 339 134.00–151.00 $145.97 $898 +5.41
651–688 671 150 143.00–148.00 $144.65 $971 +3.73
729 729 26 137.00 $137.00 $999 -12.48
760–787 772 28 128.00–132.00 $130.25 $1,006
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–391 387 43 143.00–157.50 $145.90 $565
428 428 9 141.00 $141.00 $603 -18.00
495 495 82 144.00–144.75 $144.53 $715 -6.26
505 505 24 144.00 $144.00 $727 -3.50
630 630 11 133.00 $133.00 $838

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
329 329 21 157.50 $157.50 $518
353–398 375 141 143.00–154.00 $150.16 $563 -2.64
405–448 426 355 138.00–152.00 $148.65 $633 +1.10
451–484 473 275 130.00–154.00 $143.31 $678 +7.34
500–543 519 676 129.75–153.00 $147.21 $764 +15.24
531 531 7 107.00 $107.00 $568 -24.97
550–598 568 219 126.50–139.00 $135.11 $767 +1.27
604 604 8 122.50 $122.50 $740 -8.33
615–623 619 113 125.00–134.75 $132.59 $821 +1.76
655–687 659 64 129.50–130.50 $129.61 $854 +1.28
732 732 15 135.25 $135.25 $990 +10.56
767 767 6 117.00 $117.00 $897 -8.00
801–839 820 28 132.50–133.50 $133.18 $1,092 +9.68
988 988 6 129.00 $129.00 $1,275 +5.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
336 336 21 144.00 $144.00 $484
358 358 29 143.00 $143.00 $512
410–419 411 47 130.00–138.00 $137.13 $564
450–487 454 74 126.00–130.00 $129.59 $588 -4.91
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060 1060 6 127.00 $127.00 $1,346 +18.50

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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.