Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-05-04
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-04

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made due to limited comparable sales. Moderate to active buyer participation on a light offering of average quality cattle.

Weight class

Bulls · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb bulls averaged $421.67/cwt on 6 head, down $22.37 from the prior sale (only 10 head in that comparison). That ranks 11 of 14 comparable sales and sits +27.04 against this barn's trailing median of $394.63.

Average price

$421.67

▼ 22.37 vs prior sale

6 head · 549 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,316

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$294

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

$63.34/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+9.28

vs SC average

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	535	448.34	2,400	3thin
Medium and Large 2	595	415.00	2,469	1thin
Medium and Large 3	547	385.00	2,106	2thin

One grade step is worth $63.34/cwt here — about $294 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 sale6 hd

421.67

—

SC average6 barns · 87 hd

412.39

+9.28

This barn, trailing median14 sales

394.63

+27.04

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	1,860	210.92	3,923	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,479	178.98	2,647	12
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,217	171.49	2,088	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,063	150.00	1,594	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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	933	$2,184	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,170	$3,425	2thin
Stock Cows	Open	(<2 yrs)	1,265	$2,435	1thin
Stock Cows	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	930	$1,692	1thin

Every lot, as filed

57 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 2Fleshy	250–300	265	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	1,259	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	329	576.38/cwt	560.00–585.00	1,896	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	368	453.26/cwt	450.00–460.00	1,668	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	460	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,208	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	740	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,257	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	515	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,215	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	420	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,974	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,825	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,688	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	400–450	420	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,827	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	350–400	380	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,653	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	615	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,030	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	355	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,740	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,300	3,150.00/head	3,150.00–3,150.00	3,150	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	396	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,940	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	330	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,485	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	280	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,078	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	325	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,170	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	550–600	575	374.91/cwt	370.00–380.00	2,156	2
Stock Cows	Small 1	—	930	1,692.00/head	1,692.00–1,692.00	1,692	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 1	—	1,040	3,700.00/head	3,700.00–3,700.00	3,700	1
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	845	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,267	178.31/cwt	178.00–179.00	2,259	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	975	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,414	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,150	155.00/cwt	155.00–155.00	1,783	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,410	176.37/cwt	175.00–177.50	2,487	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,548	181.60/cwt	180.00–184.00	2,811	6
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,162	171.74/cwt	168.00–175.00	1,996	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	595	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,469	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	547	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	2,106	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	468	379.81/cwt	375.00–385.00	1,778	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	210	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	966	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,260	164.25/cwt	164.00–165.00	2,070	3
Bulls	—	—	1,860	210.92/cwt	205.00–218.00	3,923	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	483	472.04/cwt	460.00–495.00	2,280	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	250–300	275	530.00/cwt	530.00–530.00	1,458	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	450	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,115	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	600–650	625	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	3,000	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	540	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,052	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	411	474.85/cwt	450.00–485.00	1,952	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,003	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	300–350	343	504.96/cwt	500.00–510.00	1,732	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,020	2,167.50/head	2,167.50–2,167.50	2,168	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,265	2,435.00/head	2,435.00–2,435.00	2,435	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	575.00/cwt	575.00–575.00	1,955	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	343	465.04/cwt	460.00–470.00	1,595	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	518	452.51/cwt	450.00–455.00	2,344	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	510	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	2,040	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	525	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,415	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,175	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	650	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,470	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,508	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	495.12/cwt	490.00–500.00	2,129	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	527.19/cwt	510.00–540.00	1,977	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	590	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,803	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	295	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,387	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	420	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,806	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 →