Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, October 6, 2023

3,042 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 $314.85/cwt +7.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,659/hd at 527 lb · 258 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $323.27/cwt ≈ $1,571/hd at 486 lb · 136 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $346.49/cwt ≈ $1,504/hd at 434 lb · 135 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,042 3,092 2,861
Feeder cattle 3,042 3,092 2,861

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Lighter weight steers were too lightly tested from last week to develop a trend. 750 - 850 lb steers were10.00 lower; 850 - 900 lbs steady, and Yearling Steers over 1000 lbs, 8.00 lower. Most weights of heifers have not been tested yet, however the 700 - 900 lbs were mostly steady. Mostly good demand for both yearlings and spring calves, with branding and fall vaccinated calves bringing premium prices. Quality was mostly average to attractive. The market was moderate to good, with most of the regular calf buyers showing up for this early fall calf sale. Next weeks Spring Calf Sale on Oct. 13 will begin at 9, with weigh up selling the following day. 6500 yearlings and calves expected.

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
371–380 376 34 361.00–366.00 $363.53 $1,367 +17.53
402–447 434 135 320.00–360.00 $346.49 $1,504 —
450–498 486 136 315.00–350.00 $323.27 $1,571 —
514–544 527 258 297.00–337.00 $314.85 $1,659 +7.85
562–571 567 62 280.00–292.00 $286.05 $1,622 -8.95
651–691 672 69 261.00–267.50 $264.10 $1,775 —
704–734 719 34 254.50–273.00 $262.56 $1,888 -6.83
771–796 792 34 243.50–253.25 $251.57 $1,992 -10.31
826–848 843 113 245.50–247.50 $246.18 $2,075 -13.04
852–894 864 60 234.50–245.50 $241.76 $2,089 -3.07
905–939 933 42 230.00–236.00 $234.89 $2,192 -12.56
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1027–1032 1027 114 228.00–231.00 $230.53 $2,368 —
1055 1055 55 227.75 $227.75 $2,403 -10.75
1130–1145 1137 114 215.25–217.25 $216.33 $2,460 —
1208–1245 1232 14 186.00–206.00 $199.00 $2,452 +25.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
436 436 11 287.50 $287.50 $1,254 -34.50
481–497 487 64 270.00–312.00 $296.59 $1,444 —
502–549 536 45 272.00–290.00 $282.26 $1,513 +2.26

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
319–329 327 20 292.00–300.00 $298.05 $975 —
359 359 10 306.00 $306.00 $1,099 —
400–446 421 99 270.00–287.00 $278.98 $1,175 —
467–494 489 39 261.00–269.50 $267.07 $1,306 -11.93
514–543 522 110 263.50–269.50 $267.12 $1,394 +0.12
554–592 574 31 257.50–263.00 $260.07 $1,493 —
614–637 632 50 252.00–263.50 $258.36 $1,633 -5.14
717–739 728 100 245.00–256.00 $249.92 $1,819 -2.74
789 789 6 231.00 $231.00 $1,823 -21.00
800–824 817 64 239.50–240.00 $239.61 $1,958 -0.23
846 846 8 220.50 $220.50 $1,865 -19.34
853–898 885 20 226.00–231.00 $227.38 $2,012 -8.15
900–945 922 75 221.50–224.50 $222.88 $2,055 -8.95
955–977 969 14 221.50–225.00 $222.73 $2,158 -7.77
1057–1069 1064 26 215.50–216.75 $216.27 $2,301 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1053–1081 1067 46 202.00–203.00 $202.36 $2,159 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895 895 13 222.00 $222.00 $1,987 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
797 797 9 214.00 $214.00 $1,706 —

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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.