Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, January 5, 2024

2,707 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 $288.68/cwt +24.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,669/hd at 578 lb · 425 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $307.97/cwt +19.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,617/hd at 525 lb · 171 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $265.22/cwt +5.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,376/hd at 519 lb · 110 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,707 2,598 2,474
Feeder cattle 2,707 2,598 2,474

No price trend can be made for the first sale of 2024; the last reported sale was 4 weeks ago. Demand was good for this offering with premium prices going to fully vaccinated, weaned, black hided calves. Flesh condition was mixed and also a factor in prices. Winter weather has set in with temperatures slowly becoming more seasonable in the area. Snow fall just before Christmas brought some moisture, but also deteriorated conditions in yards.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
428–436 430 19 326.50–332.50 $328.10 $1,411 +9.93
464–480 470 23 299.00–321.00 $312.82 $1,470 +13.14
508–546 525 171 282.00–317.50 $307.97 $1,617 +19.14
555–599 578 425 266.00–299.00 $288.68 $1,669 +24.52
616–634 621 67 241.00–263.00 $245.72 $1,526 -12.31
671–689 675 24 241.00–245.00 $244.15 $1,648 +8.71
702–733 726 100 238.50–249.50 $246.31 $1,788 +30.81
810 810 7 208.00 $208.00 $1,685
986 986 5 171.00 $171.00 $1,686
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 13 297.50 $297.50 $1,190
460 460 16 280.00 $280.00 $1,288

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 7 276.00 $276.00 $828 -21.50
380 380 24 284.00 $284.00 $1,079 -3.15
422–445 438 76 270.50–284.00 $279.42 $1,224 +2.37
454–487 477 88 268.00–289.00 $278.55 $1,329 +5.90
508–535 519 110 259.00–278.00 $265.22 $1,376 +5.28
551–581 568 104 256.00–264.50 $260.94 $1,482 +22.27
600–623 613 107 224.50–234.00 $230.65 $1,414 +12.00
828 828 7 185.00 $185.00 $1,532
856 856 16 201.00 $201.00 $1,721
946 946 49 199.00 $199.00 $1,883
991 991 10 171.00 $171.00 $1,695 ±0.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 8 245.00 $245.00 $933
806 806 19 161.00 $161.00 $1,298

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
804 804 5 151.00 $151.00 $1,214
867 867 12 142.00 $142.00 $1,231

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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.