Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2024-12-09
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-12-09

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week feeder Steers 3.00 higher, feeder Heifers too few to trend, feeder Bulls 9.00 higher. Slaughter cows 2.00 lower. Slaughter Bulls too few to trend. 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 $244.83/cwt on 20 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −123.57 against this barn's trailing median of $368.39.

Average price

$244.83

20 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,343

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$115

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

$23.67/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+7.47

vs SC average

−35.47 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	530	257.67	1,366	3thin
Medium and Large 2	553	243.10	1,344	16thin
Medium and Large 3	535	234.00	1,252	1thin

One grade step is worth $23.67/cwt here — about $115 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

13 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $314.67, median $368.39 across 13 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 sale20 hd

244.83

—

SC average6 barns · 157 hd

237.35

+7.47

National average188 barns · 25,726 hd

280.30

−35.47

This barn, trailing median13 sales

368.39

−123.57

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	1,803	143.67	2,590	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,119	112.85	1,263	43
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,510	112.46	1,698	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	886	78.65	697	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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,038	$1,597	4thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,148	$1,415	4thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	893	$1,275	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	955	$1,250	1thin

Every lot, as filed

68 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
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	523	250.24/cwt	240.00–257.50	1,309	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	415	263.46/cwt	250.00–270.00	1,093	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	475	252.52/cwt	247.50–257.50	1,199	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	276.95/cwt	270.00–282.50	1,039	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,148	1,414.53/head	1,225.00–1,800.00	1,415	4
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,038	1,596.78/head	1,300.00–1,775.00	1,597	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	591	233.91/cwt	225.00–239.00	1,382	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	445	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,046	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	370	253.70/cwt	250.00–257.50	939	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	680	185.00/cwt	185.00–185.00	1,258	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	735	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,470	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	615	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,445	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	521	264.10/cwt	260.00–275.00	1,376	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	535	234.00/cwt	234.00–234.00	1,252	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	517	243.03/cwt	230.00–250.00	1,256	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	449	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,167	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	315	284.33/cwt	282.50–285.00	896	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	453	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,223	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	620	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	1,333	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	284.96/cwt	282.50–287.50	1,225	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	604	258.50/cwt	258.00–260.00	1,561	4
Steers	Medium and Large 3Full	650–700	665	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	931	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,510	112.46/cwt	108.00–117.00	1,698	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,153	102.54/cwt	95.00–108.00	1,182	11
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,107	116.40/cwt	110.00–126.00	1,289	32
Bulls	—	—	1,803	143.67/cwt	143.00–144.00	2,590	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	886	78.65/cwt	70.00–89.00	697	6
Steers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	430	197.50/cwt	197.50–197.50	849	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	673	199.18/cwt	190.00–209.00	1,340	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	480	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,056	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	750–800	785	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,413	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	700–750	740	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	1,443	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	630	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	1,229	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	413	352.57/cwt	350.00–357.50	1,456	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	250	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	913	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	384	349.51/cwt	342.50–362.50	1,342	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	350–400	353	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,324	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	303	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	962	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	413	358.00/cwt	358.00–358.00	1,479	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	513	277.36/cwt	270.00–287.50	1,423	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	272	311.07/cwt	300.00–317.50	846	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	312	367.47/cwt	360.00–370.00	1,147	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	350–400	353	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,306	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	305	377.50/cwt	377.50–377.50	1,151	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	330.76/cwt	325.00–337.50	1,412	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	268	374.95/cwt	370.00–380.00	1,005	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	505	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,439	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	328	362.60/cwt	355.00–365.00	1,189	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	350–400	399	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	1,546	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	563	258.72/cwt	257.50–260.00	1,457	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	523	270.44/cwt	265.00–282.50	1,414	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	461	287.84/cwt	275.00–294.00	1,327	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	893	1,274.86/head	1,225.00–1,325.00	1,275	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Value Added	300–350	310	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,209	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	220	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	836	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	800–850	804	247.00/cwt	247.00–247.00	1,986	25
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,373	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	333	293.95/cwt	285.00–302.50	979	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	574	260.34/cwt	260.00–262.50	1,494	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	319	310.61/cwt	310.00–312.50	991	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	585	248.00/cwt	248.00–248.00	1,451	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	503	262.50/cwt	262.50–262.50	1,320	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	410	275.03/cwt	272.50–277.50	1,128	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	955	1,250.00/head	1,250.00–1,250.00	1,250	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	150–200	195	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	614	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	300–350	335	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,106	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	271.00/cwt	271.00–271.00	1,220	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	363	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,298	2

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 →