Cattle Market St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report
St. Onge, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Friday, December 8, 20232,598 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest St. Onge Livestock Auction report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 2,598 | 1,948 | 1,737 |
| Feeder cattle | 2,598 | 1,948 | 1,737 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 387 | 387 | 19 | 346.00 | $346.00 | $1,339 | — |
| 425–442 | 430 | 47 | 307.50–330.00 | $318.17 | $1,368 | -2.17 |
| 458–496 | 476 | 50 | 284.00–307.50 | $299.68 | $1,426 | +0.80 |
| 505–544 | 536 | 191 | 280.00–291.50 | $288.83 | $1,548 | -3.27 |
| 550–595 | 579 | 69 | 260.00–277.00 | $264.16 | $1,529 | +5.80 |
| 621–646 | 628 | 204 | 247.00–264.50 | $258.03 | $1,620 | -2.80 |
| 651–691 | 677 | 106 | 220.00–240.00 | $235.44 | $1,594 | -12.30 |
| 700–744 | 720 | 33 | 205.00–224.00 | $215.50 | $1,552 | -11.91 |
| 762 | 762 | 26 | 208.00 | $208.00 | $1,585 | — |
| 1011 | 1011 | 10 | 182.50 | $182.50 | $1,845 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 309–327 | 321 | 17 | 305.00–317.50 | $309.25 | $993 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | 330 | 15 | 297.50 | $297.50 | $982 | — |
| 366–368 | 367 | 23 | 280.00–295.00 | $287.15 | $1,054 | — |
| 419–446 | 428 | 73 | 265.00–282.00 | $277.05 | $1,186 | +14.25 |
| 458–486 | 479 | 167 | 249.00–278.00 | $272.65 | $1,306 | +23.71 |
| 503–547 | 519 | 157 | 244.00–267.00 | $259.94 | $1,349 | +20.37 |
| 575–579 | 577 | 123 | 235.00–241.50 | $238.67 | $1,377 | +11.05 |
| 613–645 | 637 | 59 | 210.00–226.00 | $218.65 | $1,393 | -6.13 |
| 682–690 | 685 | 26 | 206.00 | $206.00 | $1,411 | -7.00 |
| 720 | 720 | 8 | 201.00 | $201.00 | $1,447 | -11.55 |
| 787 | 787 | 8 | 185.00 | $185.00 | $1,456 | — |
| 903 | 903 | 8 | 182.00 | $182.00 | $1,643 | — |
| 991 | 991 | 5 | 171.00 | $171.00 | $1,695 | — |
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.
Compared to last week: Steer Calves 500 - 550, 8.00 lower; 550 - 600, 8.00 higher; 600 - 700, 8.00 - 10.00 lower. Heifer Calves 450 - 500 sharply higher, on a small test from last week's numbers; 500 - 600lbs 8.00 - 10.00 higher. Moderate to good demand for this offering with a few loads and larger packages. Load lots and fully vaccinated calves brought premium prices, along with quality heifers headed back for breeding. Several of the packages came in fully weaned. Weather in the area continues to be mild for this time of year, creating good weaning conditions, but the futures market is testing the optimism seen earlier in the fall run. Next week's sale on Friday, December 15, will be the last sale of 2023, selling all classes.