Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2024-03-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-03-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week all classes of feeder cattle unevenly steady, slaughter cows 3.00 higher, slaughter bulls steady. Moderate offering of average quality cattle with active buyer participation.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $236.38/cwt on 35 head. That ranks 1 of 18 comparable sales and sits −116.34 against this barn's trailing median of $352.71.

Average price

$236.38

35 head · 530 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,252

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$218

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

$37.63/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−6.50

vs SC average

−30.49 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	535	260.00	1,391	2thin
Medium and Large 2	531	242.13	1,285	21
Medium and Large 3	528	222.38	1,173	12thin

One grade step is worth $37.63/cwt here — about $218 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 200–300 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

18 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $279.94, median $352.71 across 18 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 sale35 hd

236.38

—

SC average5 barns · 144 hd

242.88

−6.50

National average161 barns · 9,489 hd

266.87

−30.49

This barn, trailing median18 sales

352.71

−116.34

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	—	Low	1,337	145.70	1,948	17
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,459	136.22	1,988	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,199	132.05	1,583	54
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,097	112.78	1,237	25

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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,118	$1,676	6
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	956	$1,301	8
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	989	$1,273	5
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	960	$1,224	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	875	$1,075	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	835	$1,010	1thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,505	$2,400	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	905	$1,918	16
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	970	$1,475	3thin
Stock Cows	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	885	$110	1thin

Every lot, as filed

105 lots · USDA AMS · Saluda Stockyards - 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,071	121.83/cwt	116.00–131.00	1,305	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,109	108.52/cwt	93.00–114.00	1,203	17
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,306	147.16/cwt	143.00–156.00	1,922	9
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,580	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	1,943	1
Bred Cows	Small 1	—	885	1,241.95/head	1,150.00–1,325.00	1,242	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 1	—	915	1,275.00/head	1,275.00–1,275.00	1,275	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 1	—	660	1,200.00/head	1,200.00–1,200.00	1,200	1
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	885	110.00/head	110.00–110.00	110	1
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	720	925.00/head	925.00–925.00	925	1
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	850	108.00/cwt	108.00–108.00	918	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,080	1,550.00/head	1,550.00–1,550.00	1,550	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,118	1,675.65/head	1,525.00–1,825.00	1,676	6
Stock Cows	Small 1	—	755	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	891	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 1	—	708	1,761.06/head	1,550.00–1,875.00	1,761	3
Bred Cows	Small 1	—	835	1,010.00/head	1,010.00–1,010.00	1,010	1
Bred Cows	Small 1	—	875	1,075.00/head	1,075.00–1,075.00	1,075	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	550	275.00/cwt	270.00–280.00	1,513	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	338.47/cwt	320.00–342.50	1,262	7
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	413	332.85/cwt	320.00–340.00	1,375	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,497	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,150	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,564	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,110	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,388	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	250–300	280	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	882	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	238	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	762	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	505	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,288	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	410	336.19/cwt	330.00–340.00	1,378	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	374	301.02/cwt	285.00–310.00	1,126	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	350	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	823	1
Bulls	—	—	1,080	132.85/cwt	130.00–135.00	1,435	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	275	300.00/cwt	290.00–315.00	825	9
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,270	1,575.00/head	1,575.00–1,575.00	1,575	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	250–300	290	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,015	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	282	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	987	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	227	299.41/cwt	295.00–310.00	680	3
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,015	112.06/cwt	105.00–117.00	1,137	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,207	132.15/cwt	121.00–141.00	1,595	38
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,429	139.52/cwt	137.00–141.00	1,994	4
Bulls	—	—	1,942	167.92/cwt	166.00–170.00	3,261	3
Bulls	—	—	1,278	145.44/cwt	136.00–157.00	1,859	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	640	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,440	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	550–600	570	236.68/cwt	230.00–245.00	1,349	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	550–600	562	229.23/cwt	225.00–232.50	1,288	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,505	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	675	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,451	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	250–300	268	292.01/cwt	285.00–300.00	783	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	455	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,229	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	422	297.71/cwt	275.00–305.00	1,256	18
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	275	226.59/cwt	215.00–240.00	623	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	320	235.63/cwt	225.00–245.00	754	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	227	295.13/cwt	275.00–305.00	670	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	1,015	1,110.00/head	1,110.00–1,110.00	1,110	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	675	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,519	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	1,060	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,102	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	485	230.43/cwt	222.50–235.00	1,118	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	600–650	635	233.54/cwt	225.00–245.00	1,483	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	422	231.66/cwt	230.00–235.00	978	3
Steers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	535	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,445	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	516	220.09/cwt	210.00–230.00	1,136	9
Steers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	345	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,018	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	328	302.91/cwt	285.00–310.00	994	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	472	279.50/cwt	265.00–295.00	1,319	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	323	265.89/cwt	250.00–275.00	859	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	305	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	991	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	1,090	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	1,123	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	720	224.90/cwt	220.00–230.00	1,619	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	295	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,003	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	381	335.98/cwt	335.00–340.00	1,280	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	970	1,377.32/head	1,325.00–1,425.00	1,377	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,002	2,141.85/head	2,100.00–2,175.00	2,142	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	361	280.05/cwt	270.00–285.00	1,011	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	474	260.68/cwt	260.00–265.00	1,236	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	333	289.98/cwt	285.00–295.00	966	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,135	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	705	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	1,428	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	418	304.49/cwt	285.00–325.00	1,273	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	573	274.80/cwt	260.00–290.00	1,575	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	660	235.82/cwt	230.00–242.50	1,556	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	473	294.75/cwt	290.00–305.00	1,394	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	963	1,788.90/head	1,725.00–1,875.00	1,789	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	960	1,224.48/head	1,200.00–1,250.00	1,224	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	321	319.86/cwt	315.00–330.00	1,027	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	925	119.00/cwt	119.00–119.00	1,101	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	960	1,275.08/head	1,060.00–1,400.00	1,275	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	370	321.58/cwt	315.00–330.00	1,190	10
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	845	123.46/cwt	120.00–129.00	1,043	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	526	285.79/cwt	275.00–300.00	1,503	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	426	256.62/cwt	225.00–270.00	1,093	17
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,030	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	290	259.91/cwt	255.00–265.00	754	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	966	2,028.28/head	1,760.00–2,400.00	2,028	7
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	975	112.00/cwt	112.00–112.00	1,092	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	515	243.30/cwt	235.00–245.00	1,253	15
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	531	288.23/cwt	280.00–290.00	1,531	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	225	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	630	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	426	300.10/cwt	285.00–310.00	1,278	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	465	297.06/cwt	285.00–315.00	1,381	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	600	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,530	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	378	262.73/cwt	250.00–275.00	993	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 3Fleshy	400–450	425	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	999	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	570	239.20/cwt	235.00–245.00	1,363	6
Steers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	618	252.41/cwt	245.00–260.00	1,560	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	624	226.10/cwt	220.00–235.00	1,411	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	460	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,173	6
Steers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	665	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,663	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 3	—	965	1,200.00/head	1,200.00–1,200.00	1,200	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 →