Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-02-23
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-02-23

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made this week due to limited comparable sales. Moderate to active buyer participation on average quality cattle.

Weight class

Bulls · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb bulls averaged $405.03/cwt on 16 head, up $13.27 from the prior sale (only 11 head in that comparison). That ranks 9 of 14 comparable sales and sits +10.40 against this barn's trailing median of $394.63.

Average price

$405.03

▲ 13.27 vs prior sale

16 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,224

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$176

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

$55.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+3.41

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	517	435.00	2,247	3thin
Medium and Large 2	559	401.40	2,242	11thin
Medium and Large 3	545	380.00	2,071	2thin

One grade step is worth $55.00/cwt here — about $176 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

14 sales

Bulls 500–600 lb: high $449.95, low $312.46, median $394.63 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 sale16 hd

405.03

—

SC average6 barns · 109 hd

401.62

+3.41

This barn, trailing median14 sales

394.63

+10.40

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	1,645	201.78	3,320	7thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,328	173.61	2,306	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,093	165.32	1,807	4thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,010	142.07	1,435	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)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	785	$1,848	2thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	605	$1,025	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,070	$2,300	1thin

Every lot, as filed

47 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	650–700	690	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	2,312	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	431	467.82/cwt	460.00–485.00	2,016	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	527	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,240	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	270	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	1,512	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	385	550.52/cwt	530.00–570.00	2,120	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	410	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,681	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	620	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,170	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,107	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	550	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,200	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	350–400	363	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	2,360	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	479	443.18/cwt	430.00–450.00	2,123	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	543	337.56/cwt	325.00–350.00	1,833	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	528	383.38/cwt	380.00–385.00	2,024	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	460	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,300	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	430	465.06/cwt	455.00–470.00	2,000	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	379	486.26/cwt	485.00–487.50	1,843	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	374	521.76/cwt	500.00–545.00	1,951	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	485	389.95/cwt	385.00–395.00	1,891	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	345	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,570	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	380	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	2,204	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,173	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	432	531.45/cwt	520.00–540.00	2,296	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	500	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	2,275	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	334	618.93/cwt	570.00–635.00	2,067	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	460	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,978	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	250–300	297	675.00/cwt	675.00–675.00	2,005	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,077	152.76/cwt	147.00–158.00	1,645	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	810	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	891	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,328	173.61/cwt	171.00–177.00	2,306	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,093	165.32/cwt	164.00–168.00	1,807	4
Bulls	—	—	1,392	198.36/cwt	195.00–203.00	2,761	3
Bulls	—	—	1,995	177.00/cwt	177.00–177.00	3,531	1
Bulls	—	—	1,782	213.45/cwt	210.00–216.00	3,804	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	785	1,847.77/head	1,800.00–1,900.00	1,848	2
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	605	1,025.00/head	1,025.00–1,025.00	1,025	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	1,070	2,300.00/head	2,300.00–2,300.00	2,300	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	533	424.02/cwt	420.00–425.00	2,260	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	795	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,544	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	470	481.52/cwt	475.00–490.00	2,263	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	364.84/cwt	355.00–375.00	2,280	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	580	382.55/cwt	380.00–385.00	2,219	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	850–900	890	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	2,559	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	325	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,560	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	780	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,379	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	303	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	1,697	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	442	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,166	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	545	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,071	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 →