Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, November 17, 2023

5,224 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 $282.27/cwt +8.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,600/hd at 567 lb · 727 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $268.71/cwt +11.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,424/hd at 530 lb · 380 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $292.85/cwt +6.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,537/hd at 525 lb · 328 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,224 7,148 4,619
Feeder cattle 5,224 7,148 4,619

Compared to last week: Steer calves 400 - 450lbs, 18.00 higher; 450 - 500lbs, 8.00 higher; 500 - 550lbs, steady to 2.00 higher; 550 - 600lbs, 9.00 higher; 600 - 650lbs, steady to 2.00 higher; 650 - 700lbs, 14.00 higher. Heifer calves 350 - 450lbs, 4.00 lower; 450 - 500lbs, mostly steady; 500 - 550lbs, 6.00 higher; 550 - 600lbs, 12.00 higher. Demand was moderate to good for this offering of mostly vaccinated calves, carrying light to moderate flesh, coming right off the cows. There's still a lot of quality calves coming through for buyers to make full loads out of, but market activity is fluctuating with recent Futures activity. The next Feeder Calf sale will be December 1.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
266–296 276 56 327.50–350.00 $338.99 $936
307–342 322 41 332.50–360.00 $342.63 $1,103 +18.42
364–379 367 160 315.00–342.00 $335.19 $1,230 -10.86
401–447 422 218 322.00–365.00 $350.43 $1,479 +27.95
452–496 473 281 299.00–340.00 $312.75 $1,479 +0.93
501–547 525 328 273.00–308.00 $292.85 $1,537 +6.19
550–597 567 727 260.00–298.50 $282.27 $1,600 +8.10
605–648 623 283 245.00–268.00 $261.76 $1,631 +3.65
652–662 654 75 248.00–264.50 $260.76 $1,705 +16.96
714–731 728 87 235.00–251.00 $248.11 $1,806 +0.06
962 962 5 207.00 $207.00 $1,991
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
338 338 22 327.50 $327.50 $1,107
367 367 12 225.00 $225.00 $826
407–442 422 21 320.00–328.00 $324.41 $1,369 +46.93
471–482 480 103 284.00–291.00 $288.12 $1,383 +14.03
540 540 14 250.00 $250.00 $1,350 -14.80
550–570 561 54 247.00–265.00 $256.78 $1,441 +16.18
698 698 10 226.50 $226.50 $1,581
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 26 210.00 $210.00 $882

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 32 315.00 $315.00 $756
250 250 13 290.00 $290.00 $725
327–331 328 58 281.00–312.50 $291.87 $957 +15.66
357–394 384 64 260.00–288.00 $280.08 $1,076 -7.41
400–449 437 144 257.00–287.00 $271.36 $1,186 -12.65
450–499 477 220 255.00–278.00 $269.29 $1,285 -4.64
501–549 530 380 254.00–277.00 $268.71 $1,424 +11.01
550–579 565 166 253.00–269.00 $258.11 $1,458 +8.42
600–636 619 101 233.00–251.00 $246.29 $1,525 +16.74
703 703 16 201.00 $201.00 $1,413 -7.86
755 755 34 231.00 $231.00 $1,744
819–821 819 22 210.00–215.50 $214.25 $1,755 -1.75
891 891 14 215.00 $215.00 $1,916 +5.40
939 939 6 215.00 $215.00 $2,019 +1.44
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
302 302 27 205.00 $205.00 $619 -41.80
394–397 396 45 205.00 $205.00 $812
402–424 414 24 251.00–262.50 $257.26 $1,065 +27.26
462–487 476 21 190.00–256.00 $228.56 $1,088 -4.91
562–565 564 27 224.00–245.00 $236.47 $1,334 +11.16
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1012 1012 14 197.00 $197.00 $1,994

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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.