Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-05-26
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-26

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: feeder steers 1.50 higher based on limited comparable sales, feeder heifers 0.50 higher, feeder bulls no comparisons due to limited comparable sales, slaughter cows steady, slaughter bulls 2.00 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 $358.99/cwt on 5 head. That ranks 3 of 15 comparable sales and sits −32.77 against this barn's trailing median of $391.76.

Average price

$358.99

5 head · 530 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,903

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$155

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

$33.12/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+21.21

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	529	365.62	1,934	4thin
Medium and Large 2	535	332.50	1,779	1thin

One grade step is worth $33.12/cwt here — about $155 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 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 sale5 hd

358.99

—

SC average5 barns · 56 hd

337.78

+21.21

This barn, trailing median15 sales

391.76

−32.77

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	1,434	179.11	2,568	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,600	172.01	2,752	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,249	162.92	2,035	9thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	966	121.26	1,171	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	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,015	$1,650	2thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	970	$1,750	1thin

Every lot, as filed

50 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	250–300	265	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	974	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	560	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	2,044	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,515	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	645	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,935	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	300–350	314	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,256	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	520	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	1,651	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	470	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,551	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	391	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,632	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	395.96/cwt	387.50–400.00	1,346	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	473	365.99/cwt	360.00–367.50	1,731	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	505	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,894	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	700–750	725	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,921	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	335	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,399	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	410	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,712	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	553	356.23/cwt	352.50–360.00	1,970	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	900	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,350	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,248	173.51/cwt	172.00–175.00	2,165	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	945	129.10/cwt	128.00–132.00	1,220	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,008	105.57/cwt	93.00–117.00	1,064	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,600	172.01/cwt	171.00–173.00	2,752	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,308	161.54/cwt	155.00–166.00	2,113	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	200–250	240	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,092	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	875	1,325.00/head	1,325.00–1,325.00	1,325	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	970	1,750.00/head	1,750.00–1,750.00	1,750	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,155	1,975.00/head	1,975.00–1,975.00	1,975	1
Bulls	—	—	1,273	170.67/cwt	167.00–173.00	2,173	2
Bulls	—	—	1,755	196.00/cwt	196.00–196.00	3,440	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	308	307.56/cwt	305.00–310.00	947	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	665	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	1,613	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	300	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,050	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	283	303.05/cwt	290.00–315.00	858	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	273	402.61/cwt	400.00–405.00	1,099	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,937	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	200–250	245	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	784	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	600	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,770	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	443	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,539	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	315	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,197	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	600–650	630	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,481	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	380	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,406	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	645	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,000	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	394	392.01/cwt	390.00–392.50	1,545	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	535	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,779	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	432	371.16/cwt	370.00–375.00	1,603	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	680	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,632	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	387	335.95/cwt	330.00–347.50	1,300	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,647	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	558	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,730	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	760	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,938	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Full	600–650	630	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,701	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	1,341	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 →