Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-08-04
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-08-04

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were sharply higher based on limited comparable sales, slaughter cows were steady, slaughter bulls were 4.00 higher based on limited comparable sales. Moderate offering of average quality cattle with active buyer participation. Light demand for cattle with excessive hair and flesh.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $326.02/cwt on 19 head. That ranks 2 of 13 comparable sales and sits −42.37 against this barn's trailing median of $368.39.

Average price

$326.02

19 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,790

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$145

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

$35.64/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.16

vs SC average

−24.55 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	543	338.25	1,837	12thin
Medium and Large 2	560	308.33	1,727	3thin
Medium and Large 3	559	302.61	1,692	4thin

One grade step is worth $35.64/cwt here — about $145 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 sale19 hd

326.02

—

SC average6 barns · 246 hd

330.18

−4.16

National average149 barns · 9,537 hd

350.57

−24.55

This barn, trailing median13 sales

368.39

−42.37

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	1,317	192.41	2,534	9thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,169	163.81	1,915	21
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Low	1,471	160.79	2,365	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	983	133.05	1,307	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)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	970	$1,950	1thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	840	$1,450	1thin
Stock Cows	Open	(<2 yrs)	715	$1,855	1thin

Every lot, as filed

80 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 1	400–450	446	360.43/cwt	355.00–361.00	1,608	10
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	1,559	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	553	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,853	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	477	364.99/cwt	362.50–372.50	1,741	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	293	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	1,311	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	379	423.22/cwt	420.00–430.00	1,604	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	600	307.50/cwt	307.50–307.50	1,845	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	533	341.40/cwt	335.00–347.50	1,820	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	527	348.62/cwt	342.50–350.00	1,837	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	432	336.79/cwt	330.00–350.00	1,455	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	350–400	358	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	1,262	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	600–650	620	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,046	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	300–350	325	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	1,178	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	330	382.50/cwt	382.50–382.50	1,262	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	600	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,530	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	318	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,193	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	840	1,450.00/head	1,450.00–1,450.00	1,450	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Full	550–600	580	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,740	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	650–700	680	257.50/cwt	257.50–257.50	1,751	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	345	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,104	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	320	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,120	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	415	329.07/cwt	320.00–337.50	1,366	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	688	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,064	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	578	331.72/cwt	330.00–340.00	1,917	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Full	450–500	450	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,564	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	600–650	615	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,707	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	270	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	972	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	550–600	559	302.61/cwt	282.50–310.00	1,692	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	542	317.51/cwt	310.00–320.00	1,721	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	525	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,601	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	285	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,083	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,840	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	330.23/cwt	320.00–345.00	1,585	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	660	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,914	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,090	117.10/cwt	105.00–130.00	1,276	2
Bulls	—	—	1,250	190.60/cwt	177.00–195.00	2,383	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	929	141.02/cwt	135.00–149.00	1,310	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,295	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,943	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,155	165.60/cwt	145.00–179.00	1,913	18
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,198	140.62/cwt	139.00–142.00	1,685	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	438	337.63/cwt	330.00–345.00	1,479	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,506	162.95/cwt	144.00–171.00	2,454	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,360	178.00/cwt	178.00–178.00	2,421	1
Bulls	—	—	945	167.50/cwt	167.50–167.50	1,583	1
Bulls	—	—	1,553	203.74/cwt	201.00–206.00	3,164	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	700–750	716	313.22/cwt	312.50–319.00	2,243	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	468	322.51/cwt	320.00–325.00	1,509	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	515	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,545	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	490	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,617	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	481	322.07/cwt	317.50–335.00	1,549	5
Steers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	688	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	1,840	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	587	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	2,084	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	970	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	900	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	1,823	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	200–250	215	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,075	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	248	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,153	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	432	412.01/cwt	410.00–412.50	1,780	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	233	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,025	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	285	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,154	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Full	300–350	345	417.50/cwt	417.50–417.50	1,440	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	415	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,722	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,901	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	550–600	555	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,748	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	288	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,210	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	537	343.31/cwt	337.50–345.00	1,844	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	482	355.08/cwt	350.00–368.00	1,711	15
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	715	1,855.00/head	1,855.00–1,855.00	1,855	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	900	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	1,377	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Full	350–400	380	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,558	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	537	337.48/cwt	332.50–340.00	1,812	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,825	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	318	441.05/cwt	435.00–445.00	1,403	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	308	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,355	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	359.59/cwt	355.00–365.00	1,881	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	373	376.05/cwt	370.00–380.00	1,403	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	477	358.77/cwt	347.50–362.50	1,711	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	429	361.50/cwt	357.50–370.00	1,551	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	450–500	460	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,691	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	350–400	397	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,459	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,845	3

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 →