Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-02-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-02-16

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons due to limited comparable sales. Light 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 $368.00/cwt on 5 head, down $36.13 from the prior sale (only 12 head in that comparison). That ranks 7 of 14 comparable sales and sits −0.36 against this barn's trailing median of $368.36.

Average price

$368.00

▼ 36.13 vs prior sale

5 head · 561 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,066

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$469

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

$71.66/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+5.72

vs SC average

−61.17 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	569	396.66	2,257	3thin
Medium and Large 2	550	325.00	1,788	2thin

One grade step is worth $71.66/cwt here — about $469 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

14 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $314.67, median $368.36 across 14 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

368.00

—

SC average6 barns · 93 hd

362.27

+5.72

National average184 barns · 15,729 hd

429.17

−61.17

This barn, trailing median14 sales

368.36

−0.36

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	1,545	180.00	2,781	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,593	199.39	3,176	4thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,243	167.73	2,085	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	790	137.75	1,088	2thin

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)	1,115	$2,075	1thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	735	$1,200	1thin

Every lot, as filed

34 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 1	350–400	357	643.84/cwt	600.00–660.00	2,299	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	550–600	580	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	1,305	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	569	396.66/cwt	390.00–400.00	2,257	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	630	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,426	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	930	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,186	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	675	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,194	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	250	640.00/cwt	640.00–640.00	1,600	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	364	522.48/cwt	510.00–530.00	1,902	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	847	322.50/cwt	322.50–322.50	2,732	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3Fleshy	300–350	335	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,156	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,115	2,075.00/head	2,075.00–2,075.00	2,075	1
Bulls	—	—	2,220	214.00/cwt	214.00–214.00	4,751	1
Bulls	—	—	870	146.00/cwt	146.00–146.00	1,270	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,820	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	3,440	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,517	202.85/cwt	200.00–207.00	3,077	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	845	152.50/cwt	152.50–152.50	1,289	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	735	123.00/cwt	123.00–123.00	904	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	250	565.00/cwt	565.00–565.00	1,413	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	405	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,944	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	445	565.00/cwt	565.00–565.00	2,514	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	480	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,064	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	420	566.43/cwt	545.00–590.00	2,379	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,328	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	200–250	245	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	1,397	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	510	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	2,219	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	320	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	2,080	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	940	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,914	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	475	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	2,209	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,243	167.73/cwt	160.00–175.00	2,085	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 3	—	735	1,200.00/head	1,200.00–1,200.00	1,200	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	820	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,255	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	850	237.50/cwt	237.50–237.50	2,019	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	600	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,860	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	550	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,788	2

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 →