Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, October 27, 2023

3,265 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $282.49/cwt -1.37 vs last sale · ≈ $1,624/hd at 575 lb · 556 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $275.46/cwt +0.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,438/hd at 522 lb · 417 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $275.24/cwt +5.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,706/hd at 620 lb · 332 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,265 8,343 6,892
Feeder cattle 3,265 8,343 6,892

Compared to last week: Steer Calves 450 to 650lbs, 5.00 - 8.00 lower; over 650lbs, mostly steady. Heifers 450 - 600lbs were mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Heifers over 650lbs were 5.00 lower. Consigner numbers were down for this sale because of road conditions and weather, but demand remained good for this nice offering of calves. The next special spring calf sale will be Wednesday, November 1, with 4500 expected.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 7 373.00 $373.00 $1,272 +24.40
395 395 7 347.00 $347.00 $1,371 -18.88
420–447 431 39 321.00–346.00 $336.36 $1,450 -13.89
450–498 475 241 311.00–339.00 $323.94 $1,539 -3.29
503–544 528 278 284.00–311.00 $298.29 $1,575 -7.83
555–597 575 556 257.00–294.50 $282.49 $1,624 -1.37
605–646 620 332 256.00–283.75 $275.24 $1,706 +5.20
657–676 662 88 242.00–269.50 $264.14 $1,749 -1.13
755–797 790 41 220.00–243.25 $239.46 $1,892
895 895 46 237.50 $237.50 $2,126
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 5 312.50 $312.50 $1,222
457–495 466 22 266.00–314.00 $292.80 $1,364 -12.98
576 576 7 253.00 $253.00 $1,457 -45.99
602–609 606 17 226.00–255.00 $243.14 $1,473

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 7 327.50 $327.50 $1,130 +14.74
363–394 378 33 288.00–305.00 $300.40 $1,136 -21.17
405–434 413 63 278.00–299.00 $290.76 $1,201 -11.20
451–498 474 252 269.00–310.00 $281.64 $1,335 +2.61
501–549 522 417 259.00–299.00 $275.46 $1,438 +0.28
556–593 571 140 250.00–273.00 $265.30 $1,515 -2.53
608–649 618 73 237.00–260.00 $252.38 $1,560 -5.49
673–678 677 25 224.00–236.00 $226.39 $1,533 -14.70
726 726 12 217.00 $217.00 $1,575 -27.41
974 974 9 217.00 $217.00 $2,114 -12.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409 409 5 271.00 $271.00 $1,108 +71.00
451–483 463 13 262.00–263.00 $262.40 $1,215 +8.01
500 500 6 259.00 $259.00 $1,295

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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.