Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, January 7, 2022

1,884 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $179.83/cwt +1.79 vs last sale · ≈ $863/hd at 480 lb · 141 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $184.62/cwt ≈ $947/hd at 513 lb · 137 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $163.89/cwt ≈ $1,190/hd at 726 lb · 135 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,884 2,203 3,070
Feeder cattle 1,884 2,203 3,070

Compared to two weeks ago: Steers under 400 lbs did not have a meaningful comparison, but were trending up. Steers 400 lbs to 500 lbs sold 9.00 higher. No meaningful comparison in weights over 500 lbs, but also trending up. Feeder heifers 400 lbs to 500 lbs sold steady to 1.00 higher. There was no meaningful comparison in the other weights, but higher overtones were noted. Nice offering for this first feeder special in 2022 of mostly preconditioned and weaned calves that sold on a very active market with lots of buyer participation. Next sale is January 14.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
359–394 378 16 200.00–219.00 $208.40 $788 +5.28
410 410 19 214.00 $214.00 $877 +9.75
423 423 8 171.50 $171.50 $725 -32.75
487–496 491 126 209.00–210.00 $209.56 $1,029 +9.51
504–536 513 137 180.00–198.00 $184.62 $947 —
556–595 579 119 176.50–185.50 $181.99 $1,054 —
614–630 623 13 144.50–160.50 $151.78 $946 —
633 633 48 178.00 $178.00 $1,127 —
660–669 664 64 169.75–172.00 $170.61 $1,133 —
700–744 726 135 156.00–166.25 $163.89 $1,190 —
760–775 773 33 150.50–160.50 $159.31 $1,231 +1.31
820–844 835 110 160.50–162.25 $161.58 $1,349 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
441 441 11 198.00 $198.00 $873 —
559 559 6 170.50 $170.50 $953 —
687 687 8 158.50 $158.50 $1,089 -1.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337 337 7 179.50 $179.50 $605 +5.50
369–370 370 13 170.00–174.00 $171.54 $635 -3.46
424–436 431 84 171.00–180.50 $178.04 $767 -1.79
457–495 480 141 173.00–182.00 $179.83 $863 +1.79
503–533 519 34 163.00–170.50 $168.04 $872 —
561–598 572 46 155.00–168.50 $162.56 $930 +12.56
608–647 632 90 141.50–152.00 $148.40 $938 +5.40
660–693 672 35 153.50–154.00 $153.69 $1,033 —
723 723 7 144.50 $144.50 $1,045 +4.19
919 919 7 135.00 $135.00 $1,241 —
1000 1000 9 134.50 $134.50 $1,345 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
433 433 8 166.50 $166.50 $721 —
495 495 4 164.00 $164.00 $812 —
614 614 8 135.00 $135.00 $829 -4.00
942 thin fleshed 942 8 102.00 $102.00 $961 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930 930 5 110.00 $110.00 $1,023 —

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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.