Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-03-10
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-03-10

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: feeder bulls 2.00 higher, feeder steers and heifers no comparisons due to limited sales, slaughter cows steady, slaughter bulls 7.00 higher. Moderate offering of 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 $288.50/cwt on 10 head. That ranks 1 of 14 comparable sales and sits −106.13 against this barn's trailing median of $394.63.

Average price

$288.50

10 head · 539 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,555

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$428

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

$106.25/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−6.36

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	500	335.00	1,675	1thin
Medium and Large 2	543	298.93	1,622	7thin
Medium and Large 3	545	228.75	1,247	2thin

One grade step is worth $106.25/cwt here — about $428 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

14 sales

Bulls 500–600 lb: high $449.95, low $312.46, median $394.63 across 14 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 sale10 hd

288.50

—

SC average6 barns · 57 hd

294.86

−6.36

This barn, trailing median14 sales

394.63

−106.13

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	1,422	160.48	2,282	6thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,855	157.00	2,912	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,142	145.89	1,666	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	924	105.22	972	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
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	960	$2,518	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	615	$1,025	1thin

Every lot, as filed

52 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
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	590	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,623	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	505	272.50/cwt	272.50–272.50	1,376	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	450	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,710	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	425	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,233	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	540	222.50/cwt	222.50–222.50	1,202	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	655	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,736	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,644	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	500	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,625	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	381	321.38/cwt	317.00–327.50	1,224	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	455	303.75/cwt	300.00–307.50	1,382	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 3	—	615	1,025.00/head	1,025.00–1,025.00	1,025	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	243	345.05/cwt	340.00–350.00	838	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	600	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	1,605	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	580	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,726	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	576	269.57/cwt	260.00–277.50	1,553	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	550–600	550	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,293	1
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	620	82.50/cwt	82.50–82.50	512	1
Bulls	—	—	1,103	131.73/cwt	125.00–140.00	1,453	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	940	97.00/cwt	97.00–97.00	912	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	921	106.86/cwt	104.00–110.00	984	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,111	146.36/cwt	132.00–154.00	1,626	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	378	269.77/cwt	265.00–275.00	1,020	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,138	119.92/cwt	113.00–127.00	1,365	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,300	169.51/cwt	168.00–171.00	2,204	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,855	157.00/cwt	157.00–157.00	2,912	1
Bulls	—	—	1,581	174.86/cwt	164.00–181.00	2,765	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,585	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	465	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,279	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	280	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,008	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	350	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,208	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	550–600	560	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	1,358	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	480	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	1,380	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	317	386.58/cwt	375.00–395.00	1,225	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	275	323.73/cwt	322.50–325.00	890	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	960	2,517.71/head	2,300.00–2,700.00	2,518	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	975	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	1,731	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,245	109.50/cwt	96.00–137.50	1,363	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	325	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,333	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	523	271.82/cwt	262.50–277.50	1,422	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	360	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,260	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,215	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	382.11/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,635	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	387	398.04/cwt	390.00–400.00	1,540	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	370	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,480	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	215	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	645	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,675	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,968	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	650–700	663	246.00/cwt	246.00–246.00	1,631	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	377.50/cwt	377.50–377.50	1,699	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,598	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	405	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,387	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	551	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,681	4

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 →