Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, October 18, 2024

8,726 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $318.52/cwt +1.48 vs last sale · ≈ $1,695/hd at 532 lb · 921 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $345.46/cwt +7.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,613/hd at 467 lb · 623 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $291.38/cwt +10.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,504/hd at 516 lb · 604 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,726 5,169 8,343
Feeder cattle 8,726 5,169 8,343

Compared to last week: Steer Calves 400-450lbs, 10.00 higher; 450-500, 5.00 higher; 500-550, mostly steady; 550-700lbs, 3.00-5.00 lower. Heifer Calves, 400-550lbs, 15.00 higher; 550-600lbs, 5.00 lower; 600-650, 12.00 higher. Very good demand for a large offering of packages and load lots. Most of the calves were fresh off the cows, most with spring and fall vaccinations. Black hided with full vaccinations brought premium prices. The market was active with the majority of the regular buyers back in the bleachers, along with some new faces. Rain finally made a showing over night, with much needed snow in some areas fighting wildfires. There are two Feeder Calf sales next week, Wednesday, Oct. 23 and Friday, Oct. 25

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337–338 337 20 362.00–388.00 $378.88 $1,277 -1.12
359–387 365 99 388.00–414.00 $397.76 $1,452 +0.33
403–448 430 484 356.00–405.00 $369.21 $1,588 -0.90
453–496 467 623 324.00–360.00 $345.46 $1,613 +7.78
506–544 532 921 305.00–330.00 $318.52 $1,695 +31.52
552–599 570 585 281.00–317.00 $306.99 $1,750 +5.31
608–641 616 270 272.00–300.00 $293.58 $1,808 +2.77
656–698 666 102 267.00–296.50 $287.34 $1,914 -3.46
798 798 5 254.00 $254.00 $2,027 -9.00
872–888 881 12 243.00–251.50 $248.00 $2,185
972–987 984 31 233.00–235.50 $234.94 $2,312
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 6 307.00 $307.00 $967
394 394 42 355.00 $355.00 $1,399
441–445 444 19 343.00–350.00 $345.20 $1,533 -0.84
489–495 491 74 314.00–322.50 $314.95 $1,546 -1.72
586 586 9 273.00 $273.00 $1,600
611 611 73 291.00 $291.00 $1,778
728 728 26 253.00 $253.00 $1,842
755 755 35 267.50 $267.50 $2,020
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 18 224.00 $224.00 $2,419

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337–349 341 31 325.00–333.00 $329.39 $1,123 -25.61
366–396 378 176 325.00–358.00 $346.25 $1,309 -8.11
402–449 431 473 316.00–352.50 $328.03 $1,414 +6.87
450–487 464 236 297.00–325.00 $314.49 $1,459 +14.69
472–474 thin fleshed 473 33 278.00–285.00 $281.60 $1,332
504–549 516 604 270.00–310.00 $291.38 $1,504 +10.24
550–597 565 171 257.50–282.00 $277.67 $1,569 +1.68
601–622 608 164 267.00–274.50 $272.04 $1,654 +13.93
660–685 673 90 261.00–265.50 $264.81 $1,782
735–737 736 19 252.00–254.00 $253.47 $1,866 +2.19
770 770 13 253.00 $253.00 $1,948 +5.97
817 817 14 238.00 $238.00 $1,944 -2.89
850–854 851 19 239.50–240.50 $240.24 $2,044
908 908 12 230.00 $230.00 $2,088 +0.77
961–988 972 19 221.50–228.50 $223.86 $2,176
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 9 265.00 $265.00 $1,023
402–439 407 47 305.00–311.00 $310.17 $1,262
482–496 486 99 271.00–281.00 $280.02 $1,361 +13.66
683 683 5 253.00 $253.00 $1,728
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007 1007 25 223.50 $223.50 $2,251 +1.50

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
543 543 13 242.50 $242.50 $1,317
679 679 8 230.00 $230.00 $1,562

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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.