Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, September 29, 2023

3,092 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $269.39/cwt -2.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,953/hd at 725 lb · 402 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $238.54/cwt +5.04 vs last sale · ≈ $2,311/hd at 969 lb · 377 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $261.88/cwt ≈ $2,030/hd at 775 lb · 366 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,092 813 1,254
Feeder cattle 3,092 813 1,254

Compared to last week: Yearling Steers, 700 - 900 lbs, 5.00 - 8.00 lower; over 900 lbs, trending higher on a light test from last week's small numbers. Yearling heifers 800 - 900 lbs, 3.00 - 6.00 lower. Spring Calves were still too lightly tested to make a comparison. Good demand for this mostly yearling offering, featuring several loads from one source and lots of large packages. Quality varied but there were lots of attractive cattle, fresh off of green grass to pick from, selling on an active market. The next sale is Oct. 6, a spring calf special, but selling all classes.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
397 397 7 346.00 $346.00 $1,374 +16.96
528 528 38 307.00 $307.00 $1,621 +7.00
550 550 26 295.00 $295.00 $1,622
612–624 615 133 275.50–278.00 $277.37 $1,706
708–743 725 402 259.50–273.50 $269.39 $1,953 -2.03
757–799 775 366 259.00–265.25 $261.88 $2,030
825–847 828 32 252.50–260.50 $259.22 $2,146 -3.28
855–893 874 147 234.50–250.50 $244.83 $2,140 -5.03
904–935 907 66 245.00–247.75 $247.45 $2,244
964–997 969 377 231.00–240.25 $238.54 $2,311 +5.04
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
344 344 6 334.00 $334.00 $1,149
430 430 13 322.00 $322.00 $1,385
536 536 10 280.00 $280.00 $1,501
632 632 18 255.00 $255.00 $1,612
736 736 18 247.50 $247.50 $1,822 -9.50
796 796 65 247.00 $247.00 $1,966 -7.50
820 820 32 250.25 $250.25 $2,052 -4.75
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1067 1067 61 238.50 $238.50 $2,545 +12.50
1227 1227 7 174.00 $174.00 $2,135
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
838 838 19 229.00 $229.00 $1,919

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 30 279.00 $279.00 $1,375
536 536 5 267.00 $267.00 $1,431
637 637 5 263.50 $263.50 $1,678 +4.50
657 657 12 257.50 $257.50 $1,692 -5.00
714–746 737 129 248.50–258.50 $252.66 $1,862 +0.16
756 756 30 252.00 $252.00 $1,905 +0.50
801–841 825 86 238.75–241.50 $239.84 $1,979 -2.66
850–884 865 205 230.00–238.00 $235.53 $2,037 -6.55
904–905 905 12 228.50–236.50 $231.83 $2,098 -6.84
964 964 12 230.50 $230.50 $2,222 -3.31
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007–1036 1022 17 220.00–227.50 $225.13 $2,301
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 6 240.00 $240.00 $840

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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.