Name: Saluda Livestock Exchange livestock auction prices — 2025-05-12
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-12

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week, feeder steers 5.00 higher, feeder heifers 4.00 lower, feeder bulls 6.00 higher, slaughter cows and slaughter bulls 3.00 higher, all based on limited comparable sales. Light offerings of plain to average quality cattle due to wet conditions in the area with active buyer participation.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $309.47/cwt on 38 head. That ranks 1 of 29 comparable sales and sits −58.68 against this barn's trailing median of $368.14.

Average price

$309.47

38 head · 565 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,748

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$129

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 2

$18.73/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−0.00

vs SC average

−30.41 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	568	317.85	1,807	21
Medium and Large 2	561	299.11	1,677	17thin

One grade step is worth $18.73/cwt here — about $129 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

29 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $401.14, low $312.87, median $368.14 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 sale38 hd

309.47

—

SC average6 barns · 114 hd

309.47

−0.00

National average164 barns · 12,891 hd

339.88

−30.41

This barn, trailing median29 sales

368.14

−58.68

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	1,490	179.16	2,670	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,337	167.38	2,238	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,062	149.37	1,587	17
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	912	136.57	1,245	13

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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,095	$2,400	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,113	$1,927	3thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,170	$1,850	1thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,035	$1,700	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	875	$1,638	2thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,253	$2,506	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	816	$1,650	4thin

Every lot, as filed

94 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
Steers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	403	332.58/cwt	320.00–345.00	1,340	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	345	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,173	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	423	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,375	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	720	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,052	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	464	358.80/cwt	350.00–365.00	1,665	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	531	319.01/cwt	305.00–325.00	1,694	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	200	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	700	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	457	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,394	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	693	262.49/cwt	260.00–265.00	1,819	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	563	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,717	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	467	350.89/cwt	342.50–365.00	1,639	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	383	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,226	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	750–800	775	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,131	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	670	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,910	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	335	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,189	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	468	308.51/cwt	295.00–315.00	1,444	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	900	1,375.00/head	1,375.00–1,375.00	1,375	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	611	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,650	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	626	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	1,956	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	258	332.52/cwt	330.00–335.00	858	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	593	297.53/cwt	290.00–300.00	1,764	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	580	323.96/cwt	305.00–335.00	1,879	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	555	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,471	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Full	450–500	485	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,552	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	427	360.76/cwt	350.00–370.00	1,540	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	518	306.61/cwt	290.00–315.00	1,588	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	360	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,404	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	935	1,900.00/head	1,900.00–1,900.00	1,900	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,046	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	418	285.00/cwt	275.00–295.00	1,191	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	435	378.49/cwt	365.00–385.00	1,646	3
Bred Cows	Small 1	—	880	1,300.00/head	1,300.00–1,300.00	1,300	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 2	—	710	1,275.00/head	1,275.00–1,275.00	1,275	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	383	377.75/cwt	365.00–385.00	1,447	4
Bulls	—	—	1,352	178.26/cwt	171.00–187.00	2,410	6
Bulls	—	—	1,448	157.15/cwt	155.00–159.00	2,276	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,038	151.03/cwt	144.00–156.00	1,568	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,076	131.71/cwt	129.00–137.00	1,417	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,337	167.38/cwt	164.00–172.00	2,238	5
Bulls	—	—	1,719	191.51/cwt	190.00–194.00	3,292	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,103	163.30/cwt	158.00–170.00	1,801	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	860	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,256	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	715	149.00/cwt	149.00–149.00	1,065	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 3	—	740	1,600.00/head	1,600.00–1,600.00	1,600	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	225	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	698	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	785	117.79/cwt	106.00–129.00	925	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	935	139.99/cwt	130.00–147.00	1,309	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	425	388.81/cwt	385.00–390.00	1,652	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	313	407.40/cwt	395.00–420.00	1,275	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	850	1,900.00/head	1,900.00–1,900.00	1,900	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	327	436.53/cwt	435.00–440.00	1,427	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	278	299.55/cwt	290.00–310.00	833	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	378	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,323	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	553	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,936	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,960	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	564	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,805	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	353.69/cwt	345.00–355.00	1,998	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	313.54/cwt	310.00–335.00	1,819	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	434	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,584	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,230	2,240.29/head	2,175.00–2,300.00	2,240	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,170	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	273	358.74/cwt	355.00–365.00	979	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	545	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,744	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	673	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,053	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,035	1,700.00/head	1,700.00–1,700.00	1,700	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	—	1,090	1,775.00/head	1,775.00–1,775.00	1,775	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	440	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,320	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	510	327.45/cwt	325.00–330.00	1,670	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	470	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,340	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	466	336.67/cwt	325.00–345.00	1,569	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	550–600	563	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,689	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	450–500	452	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,695	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	880	1,825.00/head	1,825.00–1,825.00	1,825	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	498	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,668	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	330	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	1,469	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	381	407.43/cwt	405.00–410.00	1,552	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	208	479.64/cwt	470.00–490.00	998	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	485	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,576	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	595	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,666	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	300	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,065	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	288	445.13/cwt	440.00–450.00	1,282	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	605	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,966	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,600	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	607	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,912	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	533	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,812	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	368.64/cwt	360.00–380.00	1,530	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	379	376.49/cwt	365.00–385.00	1,427	13
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,335	2,871.35/head	2,375.00–3,325.00	2,871	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,840	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	414.67/cwt	405.00–430.00	1,547	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	533	342.44/cwt	340.00–345.00	1,825	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	358.49/cwt	355.00–365.00	1,868	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,660	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,095	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	1

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 →