Cattle Market Pulse

St. Onge Livestock Auction Market Report

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

Sale of Friday, January 31, 2025

1,570 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $304.58/cwt +26.50 vs last sale · ≈ $2,035/hd at 668 lb · 129 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $326.76/cwt +13.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,869/hd at 572 lb · 124 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $345.65/cwt +22.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,808/hd at 523 lb · 99 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,570 3,251 0
Feeder cattle 1,570 3,251 0

Compared to two weeks ago: Steer Calves 500-550lbs, 14.00 higher; 550-600, 3.00 higher; 600-700, mostly steady. Heifer Calves 450-550, sharply higher; 550-650, 12.00 to 14.00 higher; 650-700, sharply higher. Steers sold on mostly good demand, with heifers selling on good demand. Packages of quality, bangs vaccinated heifers brought top dollar today, with buyers likely taking them back to a breeding program. There were quite a few colored calves today, along with a number of clean up calves. Most were showing quite a bit of tag from the recent moisture and warm weather. No Sale next week with Black Hill Stock Show in Rapid. The next Feeder Calf and Replacement Heifer sale will be February 14.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 16 427.50 $427.50 $1,667 -68.50
407–449 437 46 385.00–415.00 $398.20 $1,740 +2.77
458–459 459 17 400.00–420.00 $408.22 $1,874 +45.65
502–541 522 74 358.50–386.00 $371.06 $1,937 +15.05
554–592 578 84 329.00–357.00 $347.66 $2,009 +5.40
600–625 609 42 338.00–348.00 $345.79 $2,106 +5.87
659–696 680 53 309.50–316.00 $313.21 $2,130 +37.71
707 707 10 291.00 $291.00 $2,057 -2.76
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 5 380.00 $380.00 $1,729
555 555 5 330.00 $330.00 $1,832 +23.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 6 362.50 $362.50 $1,399 -20.27
402–445 433 24 350.00–375.00 $357.03 $1,546 +8.58
458–488 473 65 355.00–370.00 $361.66 $1,711 +30.10
511–543 523 99 340.00–348.00 $345.65 $1,808 +22.71
553–592 572 124 312.00–339.00 $326.76 $1,869 +13.79
619–644 632 88 297.00–315.00 $308.16 $1,948 +9.16
655–683 668 129 290.00–316.00 $304.58 $2,035 +26.50
724–728 725 18 276.50–280.00 $277.48 $2,012 +28.20
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 421 23 316.00 $316.00 $1,330
472–475 474 30 320.00–333.00 $323.45 $1,533
552–590 580 33 305.00–306.50 $306.11 $1,775

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
754 754 5 271.00 $271.00 $2,043

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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.