Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-05-19
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-19

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: No comparisons due to limited comparable sales. 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 $305.47/cwt on 8 head. That ranks 1 of 13 comparable sales and sits −62.92 against this barn's trailing median of $368.39.

Average price

$305.47

8 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,676

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$139

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

$16.70/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−5.19

vs SC average

−28.79 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	560	318.00	1,781	2thin
Medium and Large 2	545	301.30	1,642	6thin

One grade step is worth $16.70/cwt here — about $139 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 sale8 hd

305.47

—

SC average6 barns · 117 hd

310.66

−5.19

National average158 barns · 12,726 hd

334.26

−28.79

This barn, trailing median13 sales

368.39

−62.92

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	1,406	171.27	2,408	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,058	147.38	1,560	12
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	976	132.82	1,296	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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,085	$1,675	1thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,140	$1,975	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,100	$2,400	1thin

Every lot, as filed

62 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 1Fleshy	600–650	643	292.50/cwt	292.50–292.50	1,881	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	408	372.50/cwt	372.50–372.50	1,520	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	300–350	347	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	1,379	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,688	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	310	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,411	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	350–400	366	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,354	5
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	685	157.50/cwt	157.50–157.50	1,079	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	443	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,517	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	318.00/cwt	318.00–318.00	1,781	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	698	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,850	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	545	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,948	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	364.99/cwt	362.50–367.50	1,909	8
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	645	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	774	1
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	665	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	998	1
Bulls	—	—	1,410	159.00/cwt	159.00–159.00	2,242	1
Bulls	—	—	1,640	191.00/cwt	191.00–191.00	3,132	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,120	152.84/cwt	140.00–163.00	1,712	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,010	123.72/cwt	121.00–126.00	1,250	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	959	137.37/cwt	133.00–140.00	1,317	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,015	133.42/cwt	126.00–145.00	1,354	4
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,100	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,085	1,675.00/head	1,675.00–1,675.00	1,675	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	880	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,540	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,140	1,975.00/head	1,975.00–1,975.00	1,975	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	800	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,320	1
Bulls	—	—	1,327	168.79/cwt	158.00–181.00	2,240	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	315	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,071	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	485	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,504	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	440	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,573	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	250–300	260	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	858	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	305	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,327	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	405	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,661	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	493	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,676	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	500	297.50/cwt	290.00–305.00	1,488	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	700–750	720	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,728	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	477	316.64/cwt	310.00–320.00	1,510	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	595	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,785	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	605	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,573	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	478	321.23/cwt	317.50–332.50	1,535	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	435	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,370	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	385	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,040	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	335	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,005	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	525	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,746	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	430	346.91/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,492	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	570	301.56/cwt	295.00–310.00	1,719	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	520	301.03/cwt	290.00–307.50	1,565	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	440	339.23/cwt	337.50–350.00	1,493	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	440	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,650	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	486	347.52/cwt	335.00–357.50	1,689	6
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	475	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,686	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	650–700	670	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,809	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	353	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,236	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	425	373.10/cwt	360.00–380.00	1,586	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	625	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,750	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,988	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	286	348.11/cwt	340.00–350.00	996	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	315	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,355	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	390	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,482	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	323.98/cwt	320.00–332.50	1,863	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	630	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,890	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	360	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,386	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	750–800	795	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,908	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 →