Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, October 20, 2023

8,343 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $275.18/cwt -0.70 vs last sale · ≈ $1,442/hd at 524 lb · 928 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $306.12/cwt -9.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,619/hd at 529 lb · 924 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $283.86/cwt -15.21 vs last sale · ≈ $1,624/hd at 572 lb · 833 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,343 4,960 6,180
Feeder cattle 8,343 4,960 6,180

Compared to last week: Steers 400 -450 lbs, 8.00 lower; 450 - 500 lbs, 20.00 lower; 500 - 550 lbs, mostly steady; 550 - 600 lbs, 15.00 lower; 600 - 700 lbs, 7.00 - 10.00 lower. Heifers 400 - 500 lbs, 8.00 to 10.00 higher; 500 - 550 lbs, mostly steady; 550 - 600 lbs, 16.00 lower. Prices varied depending on hide color and vaccinations for this offering of mostly spring calves fresh off the cows. A few loads and lots of large packages sold on good demand. Conditioning was mixed, but there were lots of quality calves for buyers to chose from.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341–349 343 26 325.00–357.50 $348.60 $1,196 -45.26
352–394 376 35 350.00–395.00 $365.88 $1,376 -1.99
400–448 432 271 330.00–375.00 $350.25 $1,513 -3.83
450–497 481 520 307.00–350.00 $327.23 $1,574 -22.17
500–548 529 924 285.00–324.00 $306.12 $1,619 -9.36
550–597 572 833 267.50–300.00 $283.86 $1,624 -15.21
605–648 623 407 263.50–279.50 $270.04 $1,682 -8.70
658–696 675 102 263.50–270.00 $265.27 $1,791 -9.91
744 744 20 258.00 $258.00 $1,920 +7.00
802–846 837 74 245.00–247.50 $246.59 $2,064
910 910 8 239.50 $239.50 $2,179 +3.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
444 444 10 285.00 $285.00 $1,265
455–495 479 44 281.00–310.00 $305.78 $1,465 -14.66
534–546 542 30 261.00–273.50 $269.39 $1,460 +34.39
567–590 571 89 266.00–305.75 $298.99 $1,707 +18.97
667–670 669 15 258.00–260.00 $259.34 $1,735
774 774 14 232.50 $232.50 $1,800
802–840 824 30 245.00–245.50 $245.21 $2,021
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323 323 18 120.00 $120.00 $388
412 412 27 120.50 $120.50 $496

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
312–315 313 13 300.00–327.50 $312.76 $979 -4.87
351–398 365 41 310.00–327.50 $321.57 $1,174 +9.85
407–449 428 353 260.00–323.00 $301.96 $1,292 +3.16
454–498 486 474 269.00–295.00 $279.03 $1,356 +0.60
500–547 524 928 254.00–299.75 $275.18 $1,442 -0.70
553–599 568 363 252.00–275.00 $267.83 $1,521 -16.79
601–641 615 197 251.00–263.00 $257.87 $1,586 +3.87
652–689 676 105 220.00–246.50 $241.09 $1,630
703–710 705 72 222.00–248.25 $244.41 $1,723 -1.08
750–776 772 61 223.00–239.00 $237.08 $1,830 -7.14
801–831 809 158 237.50–242.50 $241.03 $1,950 +6.08
860–863 862 42 233.00–234.00 $233.76 $2,015 +3.26
917–928 921 20 223.00–225.00 $223.95 $2,063 -1.55
951 951 5 229.50 $229.50 $2,183
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 11 200.00 $200.00 $886 -42.50
476–490 486 23 250.00–261.00 $254.39 $1,236
540 540 19 251.00 $251.00 $1,355
705–722 718 23 229.00–236.50 $234.58 $1,684
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 43 125.00 $125.00 $450
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1021–1022 1022 14 214.00–218.50 $216.89 $2,217

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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.