Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, January 26, 2024

1,700 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $284.80/cwt +24.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,629/hd at 572 lb · 208 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $300.47/cwt +25.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,559/hd at 519 lb · 159 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $261.63/cwt -1.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,860/hd at 711 lb · 105 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,700 1,029 2,583
Feeder cattle 1,700 1,029 2,583

Compared to last week: Steers 550 - 600lbs, 11.00 higher; 600 - 650lbs, 17.00 higher; 650 - 700lbs, 10.00 higher; 700 - 750, 5.00 higher. Heifers in all comparable weights were trending significantly higher from last weeks smaller sale. Very good demand for a nice offering of quality steers and heifers in both load lots and large packages. Lots of buyers and producers in the seats for today's Feeder Calf and Bred Cow special. Most of todays offering were weaned with spring and fall vaccinations. Frigid temperatures from last week were replaced by much warmer weather, with today's temperature reaching 47. The next sale will be February 9, and will be a Feeder Cattle and Replacement Heifer special.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
369–378 375 37 336.00–350.00 $342.41 $1,284
430 430 17 348.00 $348.00 $1,496 +18.93
453–486 475 62 325.00–359.00 $344.33 $1,636 +16.33
500–537 528 47 297.00–316.00 $311.40 $1,644 -4.30
551–596 569 59 299.00–324.00 $310.29 $1,766 -0.89
606–613 609 70 284.00–299.00 $289.40 $1,762 +16.82
665–692 691 90 267.25–274.00 $267.61 $1,849 +7.61
711–713 711 105 255.00–263.50 $261.63 $1,860 -1.01
808 808 73 246.75 $246.75 $1,994
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
407 407 7 324.00 $324.00 $1,319
465 465 30 306.00 $306.00 $1,423 +23.08
538 538 10 271.00 $271.00 $1,458

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
301–337 319 10 289.00–312.50 $301.41 $961
382 382 17 318.00 $318.00 $1,215 +28.00
401–444 411 59 298.00–327.00 $318.75 $1,310 +28.20
458–489 470 86 292.00–317.00 $308.01 $1,448 +26.01
502–540 519 159 273.00–309.00 $300.47 $1,559 +25.16
555–598 572 208 262.00–291.00 $284.80 $1,629 +24.52
601–627 611 58 275.50–290.00 $283.15 $1,730 +52.49
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
419 419 11 288.00 $288.00 $1,207
539 539 5 246.00 $246.00 $1,326

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
542 542 7 272.50 $272.50 $1,477

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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.