Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2025-10-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-10-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made this week due to limited comparable sales. Light 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 $311.11/cwt on 9 head. That ranks 5 of 18 comparable sales and sits −41.60 against this barn's trailing median of $352.71.

Average price

$311.11

9 head · 568 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,768

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$48

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

$37.14/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−6.22

vs SC average

−79.71 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	530	340.00	1,802	2thin
Medium and Large 2	579	302.86	1,754	7thin

One grade step is worth $37.14/cwt here — about $48 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

18 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $279.94, median $352.71 across 18 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

311.11

—

SC average5 barns · 85 hd

317.33

−6.22

National average186 barns · 24,193 hd

390.82

−79.71

This barn, trailing median18 sales

352.71

−41.60

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	1,178	168.03	1,979	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,180	142.81	1,686	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	976	119.19	1,163	4thin

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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	935	$1,900	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,120	$1,863	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	940	$1,700	1thin
Bulls	N/A	(<2 yrs)	1,110	$2,275	1thin

Every lot, as filed

58 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 2	400–450	413	390.61/cwt	382.50–395.00	1,613	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	349.60/cwt	342.50–365.00	1,678	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	388	385.21/cwt	375.00–387.50	1,495	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	360.58/cwt	355.00–385.00	1,550	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	310	412.50/cwt	412.50–412.50	1,279	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	585	340.78/cwt	337.50–347.50	1,994	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	440	340.03/cwt	335.00–342.50	1,496	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	557	362.50/cwt	362.50–362.50	2,019	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	590	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,977	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	530	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,802	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	305	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,235	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,195	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	290	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,218	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	935	1,900.00/head	1,900.00–1,900.00	1,900	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	410	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,558	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	1,603	1
Stock Cows	Small 1	—	600	182.50/cwt	182.50–182.50	1,095	1
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	716	160.36/cwt	152.50–165.00	1,148	5
Stock Cows	Small 3	—	775	118.00/cwt	118.00–118.00	915	1
Stock Cows	Small 3	—	865	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,341	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	290	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,189	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	300–350	318	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,336	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,000	142.00/cwt	142.00–142.00	1,420	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,190	134.07/cwt	118.00–141.00	1,595	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,175	147.81/cwt	142.00–152.00	1,737	7
Bulls	—	—	1,178	168.03/cwt	158.00–178.00	1,979	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	968	111.58/cwt	105.00–121.00	1,080	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	900	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,080	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	—	1,110	2,275.00/head	2,275.00–2,275.00	2,275	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	940	1,700.00/head	1,700.00–1,700.00	1,700	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,045	1,875.00/head	1,875.00–1,875.00	1,875	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	—	970	156.00/cwt	156.00–156.00	1,513	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	400	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,320	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	650–700	670	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,809	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	408	349.91/cwt	335.00–365.00	1,428	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	650	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	2,031	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	600–650	625	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	1,672	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	818	125.85/cwt	120.00–131.00	1,029	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	350	402.50/cwt	402.50–402.50	1,409	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	545	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,826	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	525	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,523	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	326.17/cwt	315.00–327.50	1,924	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	480	310.05/cwt	305.00–315.00	1,488	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	695	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,460	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	617	293.78/cwt	290.00–295.00	1,813	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	487	379.15/cwt	375.00–390.00	1,846	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	235	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	870	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	605	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	1,739	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	430	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,376	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	470	380.05/cwt	375.00–385.00	1,786	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Full	650–700	695	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,599	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	488	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,696	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	489	329.77/cwt	317.50–335.00	1,613	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	350–400	355	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,189	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	367	399.93/cwt	395.00–405.00	1,468	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	585	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,740	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	380	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,615	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	245	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,005	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 →