Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, January 21, 2022

3,679 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $185.88/cwt +13.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,139/hd at 613 lb · 520 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $191.81/cwt +9.82 vs last sale · ≈ $1,128/hd at 588 lb · 331 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $169.31/cwt +6.75 vs last sale · ≈ $970/hd at 573 lb · 299 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,679 1,884 3,119
Feeder cattle 3,679 1,884 3,119

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Feeder steers 400 lbs to 500 lbs sold 5.00 lower on a light test, 500 lbs to 600 lbs sold 10.00 higher, 600 lbs and up sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Feeder heifers 400 lbs to 500 lbs sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher, 500 lbs to 600 lbs sold 7.00 higher, 600 to 650 sold 20.00 higher, 650 lbs to 700 lbs sold steady on a light test. Several load lots in today’s offering. Demand was good and buyers were active for this nice offering of feeder steers and feeder heifers, with lots of weaned up and preconditioned animals. The next sale is January 28, and is a bred cow special, selling all classes.

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
363–393 380 18 211.00–219.00 $214.40 $815 +6.00
435–445 441 33 200.00–209.00 $206.65 $911 +35.15
453–499 476 90 195.00–207.50 $200.80 $956 -8.76
500–537 520 179 175.00–204.50 $192.89 $1,003 +8.27
550–598 588 331 171.00–197.00 $191.81 $1,128 +9.82
601–633 613 520 173.00–191.50 $185.88 $1,139 +34.10
651–696 668 119 160.00–174.00 $172.01 $1,149 +1.40
701–744 734 232 157.00–168.00 $165.36 $1,214 +1.47
750 750 75 167.75 $167.75 $1,258 +8.44
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
477 477 34 170.50 $170.50 $813 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
303 303 5 178.00 $178.00 $539 -1.50
393–396 394 35 183.00–191.00 $186.90 $736 +15.36
408–445 421 97 179.00–195.50 $189.52 $798 +11.48
456–491 472 72 172.50–193.00 $184.59 $871 +4.76
509–548 527 204 149.00–177.50 $168.55 $888 +0.51
550–587 573 299 159.00–175.50 $169.31 $970 +6.75
601–632 616 160 144.50–172.25 $168.52 $1,038 +20.12
688–691 689 56 145.50–151.25 $148.68 $1,024 -5.01
700–733 706 63 143.50–151.50 $150.63 $1,063 +6.13
822 822 5 140.50 $140.50 $1,155 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
459–493 469 27 158.00–161.00 $158.93 $745 -5.07
571 571 5 155.50 $155.50 $888 —

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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.