Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-05-05
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-05

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: no comparisons on feeder cattle due to limited comparable sales, slaughter cows 3.00 higher, slaughter bulls 8.00 higher. Light 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 $332.78/cwt on 9 head. That ranks 3 of 15 comparable sales and sits −58.98 against this barn's trailing median of $391.76.

Average price

$332.78

9 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,867

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$209

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

$42.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+26.24

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	560	337.50	1,890	8thin
Medium and Large 2	570	295.00	1,682	1thin

One grade step is worth $42.50/cwt here — about $209 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

15 sales

Bulls 500–600 lb: high $449.95, low $312.46, median $391.76 across 15 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 sale9 hd

332.78

—

SC average6 barns · 129 hd

306.54

+26.24

This barn, trailing median15 sales

391.76

−58.98

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	—	High	1,703	177.78	3,028	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,274	149.74	1,908	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,380	140.00	1,932	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,640	139.00	2,280	1thin

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)	1,475	$2,200	1thin
Bulls	N/A	(<2 yrs)	950	$2,250	1thin

Every lot, as filed

46 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	—	—	1,935	195.00/cwt	195.00–195.00	3,773	1
Bulls	—	—	1,657	174.34/cwt	164.00–185.00	2,889	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,640	139.00/cwt	139.00–139.00	2,280	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,380	140.00/cwt	140.00–140.00	1,932	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,247	147.91/cwt	142.00–155.00	1,844	9
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,398	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	2,209	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	570	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,682	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	505	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,465	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	253	387.50/cwt	387.50–387.50	980	2
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	550	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	853	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	432	352.93/cwt	350.00–355.00	1,525	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	481	340.64/cwt	340.00–342.50	1,638	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	513	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,796	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	350	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,400	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	700	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,890	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	337.50/cwt	337.50–337.50	1,890	8
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	563	308.72/cwt	307.50–310.00	1,738	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	500	327.50/cwt	327.50–327.50	1,638	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	360	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,152	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,224	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	280	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,120	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	614	325.99/cwt	325.00–330.00	2,002	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,694	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	2,096	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	950	2,250.00/head	2,250.00–2,250.00	2,250	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,475	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	758	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,122	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	565	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,879	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	390	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,482	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	417	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,387	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	379	381.57/cwt	377.50–390.00	1,446	3
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	473	288.80/cwt	280.00–297.50	1,366	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	335	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	905	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	475	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,211	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	450	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,620	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	690	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,863	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	498	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,693	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	415	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,421	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	373	352.58/cwt	340.00–365.00	1,315	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	488	291.09/cwt	260.00–322.50	1,421	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	315	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	1,252	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Full	650–700	685	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,781	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,713	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	630	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,827	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	650	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,804	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	305	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,052	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 →