Name: Saluda Livestock Exchange livestock auction prices — 2025-03-03
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-03-03

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made this week on feeder steers and feeder bulls due to limited comparable sales, feeder heifers 8.00 higher. Slaughter cows 7.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady. Moderate offerings of plain to average quality cattle with active buyer participation.

Weight class

Bulls · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb bulls averaged $311.06/cwt on 14 head. That ranks 2 of 29 comparable sales and sits −85.47 against this barn's trailing median of $396.53.

Average price

$311.06

14 head · 527 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,640

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$470

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 3

$107.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+24.46

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	516	357.50	1,845	4thin
Medium and Large 2	529	297.20	1,574	9thin
Medium and Large 3	550	250.00	1,375	1thin

One grade step is worth $107.50/cwt here — about $470 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

29 sales

Bulls 500–600 lb: high $456.37, low $307.28, median $396.53 across 29 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale14 hd

311.06

—

SC average6 barns · 51 hd

286.60

+24.46

This barn, trailing median29 sales

396.53

−85.47

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Average	1,745	174.05	3,036	14
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,348	152.88	2,061	32
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,145	149.93	1,717	63
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,026	131.82	1,352	6thin

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,164	$1,815	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,205	$1,775	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	959	$1,567	3thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	999	$1,475	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,002	$2,270	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	884	$2,114	5

Every lot, as filed

99 lots · USDA AMS · Saluda Livestock Exchange - Saluda, SC

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	450	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	990	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	913	1,312.19/head	1,300.00–1,325.00	1,312	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	920	1,400.00/head	1,400.00–1,400.00	1,400	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	818	2,158.94/head	1,825.00–2,475.00	2,159	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	818	2,038.30/head	2,000.00–2,075.00	2,038	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	379	285.07/cwt	265.00–295.00	1,080	8
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	875	1,600.00/head	1,600.00–1,600.00	1,600	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	368	371.83/cwt	350.00–385.00	1,368	15
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	472	366.85/cwt	355.00–375.00	1,732	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	326	375.24/cwt	360.00–385.00	1,223	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	250–300	278	375.23/cwt	355.00–390.00	1,043	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	470	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,481	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	420	350.66/cwt	330.00–365.00	1,473	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	520	302.12/cwt	290.00–320.00	1,571	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	525	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,365	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	428	267.81/cwt	260.00–275.00	1,146	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	324	285.80/cwt	275.00–295.00	926	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	496	320.06/cwt	300.00–325.00	1,587	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	275	284.82/cwt	280.00–290.00	783	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	228	297.66/cwt	280.00–310.00	679	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	253.23/cwt	245.00–257.50	1,456	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	585	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,667	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	468	267.29/cwt	250.00–275.00	1,251	8
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	995	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,353	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	795	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,988	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	700–750	700	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,610	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	585	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,609	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	400	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,280	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	200	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	750	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	395	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,007	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	235	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	764	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 3	—	635	1,325.00/head	1,325.00–1,325.00	1,325	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	795	136.74/cwt	120.00–155.00	1,087	6
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	725	2,100.00/head	2,100.00–2,100.00	2,100	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	285	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	784	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	600–650	600	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,650	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	462	283.11/cwt	275.00–295.00	1,308	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	550–600	550	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,375	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,218	174.33/cwt	169.00–180.00	2,123	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	975	120.13/cwt	119.00–121.00	1,171	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,051	137.66/cwt	128.00–152.00	1,447	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,355	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,491	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,202	164.21/cwt	161.00–170.00	1,974	10
Bulls	—	—	1,717	171.34/cwt	163.00–182.00	2,942	5
Bulls	—	—	1,402	144.17/cwt	133.00–151.00	2,021	3
Bulls	—	—	1,939	191.24/cwt	186.00–197.00	3,708	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,130	147.95/cwt	131.00–158.00	1,672	52
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,357	151.45/cwt	134.00–164.00	2,055	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	695	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,251	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	750–800	780	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,677	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	408	298.41/cwt	285.00–310.00	1,218	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	250–300	288	328.29/cwt	325.00–335.00	945	3
Steers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	600	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,500	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	325	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	813	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	383	407.25/cwt	395.00–420.00	1,560	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,205	1,775.00/head	1,775.00–1,775.00	1,775	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,164	1,814.73/head	1,600.00–2,175.00	1,815	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,205	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	978	1,651.21/head	1,625.00–1,675.00	1,651	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	350–400	355	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,207	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	505	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,742	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	518	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,917	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	2,003	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	411	391.70/cwt	370.00–395.00	1,610	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	462	366.34/cwt	350.00–375.00	1,692	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	215	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	849	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	325	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,251	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	775	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	2,054	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	203	335.06/cwt	330.00–340.00	680	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	470	289.50/cwt	285.00–292.50	1,361	17
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	600–650	620	260.00/cwt	250.00–265.00	1,612	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	383	396.21/cwt	395.00–400.00	1,517	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	750–800	793	207.51/cwt	205.00–210.00	1,646	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	650–700	665	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,463	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	300–350	300	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,035	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	350–400	375	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,238	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	540	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,539	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	235	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	987	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	950	139.24/cwt	133.00–149.00	1,323	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,170	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,425	2,825.00/head	2,825.00–2,825.00	2,825	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,295	2,575.00/head	2,575.00–2,575.00	2,575	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,285	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	1,915	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	688	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,617	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	324	393.09/cwt	390.00–400.00	1,274	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	422	385.27/cwt	375.00–395.00	1,626	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	510	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,632	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	644	304.00/cwt	304.00–304.00	1,958	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	323	328.63/cwt	310.00–337.50	1,061	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	374	316.66/cwt	300.00–330.00	1,184	21
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	274	419.82/cwt	410.00–445.00	1,150	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	783	232.50/cwt	232.50–232.50	1,820	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	273	322.81/cwt	315.00–340.00	881	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	514	283.10/cwt	275.00–292.50	1,455	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	735	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,635	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,813	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,554	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	635	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,524	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	304.80/cwt	290.00–320.00	1,280	12

How this sale compares

South Carolina weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every South Carolina auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

South Carolina feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →