The Morning Wire / South Dakota / Wed Oct 28, 2026

South Dakota cattle market

The trading day in one page — Wed, Oct 28

● 5 barns reportedEvery figure as filedNational wire →

← Oct 27Oct 28Oct 29 →

The market in a line

Wed, Oct 28

Choice cutout closed $3.22 lower at $369.00. 5 South Dakota barns reported 181 priced lots.

Feeder steers

South Dakota, week of Oct 26 USDA

Weighted across every reported lot, by weight class. Weekly rather than daily — one day's barns are too thin a base for a state figure. Watch the barn count: a weight class carried by one or two barns is a thin figure, not a market.

Weight	Price	vs prior week	Head	Barns
300-399 lb	589.84/cwt	$15.46 lower	425	6
400-499 lb	522.03/cwt	$2.30 higher	2,578	6
500-599 lb	463.76/cwt	$0.66 lower	5,944	6
600-699 lb	426.55/cwt	$4.22 lower	2,273	6
700-799 lb	380.68/cwt	$12.07 higher	401	4
800-899 lb	351.19/cwt	$3.86 higher	745	5

Barn by barn, 500–599 lb steers

Same day, same class USDA

Every barn that sold at least 20 head of this class on Wed, Oct 28, weighted by head. Spread of $13.05 between the top and bottom of 4 barns. An average moves with the cattle that showed up as much as with the buyers in the seats — a yard with better grade will average higher on the same demand. This is where the money landed, not a verdict on the barn.

Barn	State	Average	Head
St. Onge Livestock	SD	466.74/cwt	226
Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction	SD	464.96/cwt	684
Philip Livestock Auction	SD	464.53/cwt	1,730
Hub City Livestock Auction	SD	453.69/cwt	617

Boxed beef

National · PM close · Oct 28 USDA

Choice $369.00, $3.22 lower. Select $355.25, $3.60 lower. The Choice–Select spread stands at $13.75. 107 loads traded.

Fed cattle

National · Negotiated cash, week to date USDA

11,551 head traded Oct 22–Oct 28.

Region	Basis	Price	Head
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed Delivered	357.12	1,980
Iowa-Minnesota	Dressed FOB	355.00	256
Iowa-Minnesota	Live FOB	224.23	4,381
Nebraska	Dressed Delivered	351.19	3,735
Nebraska	Dressed FOB	353.00	885
Nebraska	Live FOB	224.36	314

At the South Dakota barns

USDA market reporters, as filed USDA

Compared to last week: best test on yearling steers 900 to 949 lbs mostly steady. Best test on yearling heifers 850 to 949 lbs mostly steady with instances up to 4.00 higher on 850 to 899 lbs. Steer and heifer calves not well compared this week.
Hub City Livestock Auction · South Dakota

Compared to last week: Steers and heifers steady to 5.00 lower. Demand was firm on the trailer and truck loads of cattle and weaker on the remainder as the quality was similar to last week's offering. Quality attractive with the majority of stock being exceptionally clean and conditioned.
Sioux Falls Regional Livestock · South Dakota

Compared to last week Feeder Steers 350 to 600 Steady, 600 to 750 Steady to 4.00 higher, Feeder Heifers 450 to 500 4.00 lower, 500 to 600 8.00 to 10.00 higher, 600 to 650 4.00 higher. Very Good Demand in the seats for Several Long Strings, Load Lots, and Packages which sold on an Active Market.
Philip Livestock Auction · South Dakota

Compared to last Wednesday: Steer calves from 450 lbs to 649 lbs were steady to instances of 8.00 lower on a limited test. No comparisons made on heifer calves due to limited numbers. A nice run of black hided calves that were right off the cow and had two rounds of vaccinations.
Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction · South Dakota

Compared to last week's, Wednesday sale: Steers 400-500lbs, 17.00-20.00 higher; 500-650lbs, 7.00 higher. Heifers lightly tested with this weeks smaller sale, trending 10.00 lower. Much smaller sale this week, sold on a moderate market, with fewer buyers and producers in the seats.
St. Onge Livestock · South Dakota

Cows and bulls

National direct, dressed USDA

Class	Price	Direction	Head
Breaker (75% lean)	244.29/cwt	$3.13 higher	558
Boner (85% lean)	251.31/cwt	$2.50 higher	1,757
Cutter (90% lean)	254.76/cwt	$2.00 higher	3,900
Premium White	264.63/cwt	$0.12 lower	1,586
Bull (92% lean)	309.89/cwt	$2.03 lower	428

What published

See every report →

Every USDA report carried this date is listed in the archive.

Source: USDA AMS. Feeder prices and barn comment are South Dakota only; boxed beef, fed cattle and the cow market are national, because those markets are. Every figure is USDA's as filed, and the direction words — higher, lower, steady— follow the arithmetic rather than an opinion. Quoted comment is the work of USDA market reporters, credited to the sale it came from. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of USDA data, not a copy of USDA's document and not endorsed by USDA.