Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-05-11
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-11

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

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

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $384.91/cwt on 12 head, up $16.52 from the prior sale (only 17 head in that comparison). That ranks 9 of 13 comparable sales and sits +16.52 against this barn's trailing median of $368.39.

Average price

$384.91

▲ 16.52 vs prior sale

12 head · 532 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,046

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$1,094

per head · Medium and Large 2 over Medium and Large 3

$200.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+26.58

vs SC average

−32.20 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	523	410.00	2,144	3thin
Medium and Large 1	539	397.37	2,141	8thin
Medium and Large 3	500	210.00	1,050	1thin

One grade step is worth $200.00/cwt here — about $1,094 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

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 sale12 hd

384.91

—

SC average5 barns · 91 hd

358.33

+26.58

National average171 barns · 11,385 hd

417.11

−32.20

This barn, trailing median13 sales

368.39

+16.52

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	1,635	217.00	3,548	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	High	1,398	176.03	2,461	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,088	157.45	1,713	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	969	139.03	1,347	3thin

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
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,125	$3,550	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	818	$2,950	2thin

Every lot, as filed

67 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
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	590	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,655	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	270	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	1,202	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	725	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,610	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	455	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,911	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	418	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,797	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,125	3,550.00/head	3,550.00–3,550.00	3,550	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	350–400	360	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,476	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	765	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,180	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	900–950	915	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,745	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	425	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,785	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	325	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	1,495	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	310	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,349	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	490	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,034	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	850–900	855	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,779	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	390	423.29/cwt	420.00–430.00	1,651	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	385	427.50/cwt	425.00–430.00	1,646	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	865	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	2,595	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	370	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,591	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	360	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,422	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	378	295.07/cwt	290.00–300.00	1,115	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	480	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,104	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	800–850	800	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,840	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	200–250	205	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	964	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	200–250	218	464.14/cwt	450.00–480.00	1,012	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	340	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,292	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	330	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,040	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 2	—	645	2,750.00/head	2,750.00–2,750.00	2,750	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	898	133.55/cwt	130.00–137.50	1,199	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,110	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	1,665	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,295	184.00/cwt	184.00–184.00	2,383	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,419	174.43/cwt	169.00–177.00	2,475	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,088	157.45/cwt	157.00–158.00	1,713	2
Bulls	—	—	1,635	217.00/cwt	217.00–217.00	3,548	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	330	368.07/cwt	355.00–380.00	1,215	2
Steers	Medium and Large 3	250–300	290	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,001	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	500–550	525	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,733	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	500	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,050	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	550–600	550	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,403	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	485	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,698	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	483	485.00/cwt	485.00–485.00	2,343	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	370	487.20/cwt	480.00–495.00	1,803	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	400–450	420	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,974	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	453	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,084	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Fancy	350–400	353	527.48/cwt	525.00–530.00	1,862	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	467.60/cwt	450.00–470.00	2,441	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,175	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	613	434.98/cwt	430.00–440.00	2,666	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	585	445.00/cwt	440.00–450.00	2,603	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	517	403.77/cwt	390.00–415.00	2,087	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	550	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,530	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	745	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,533	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	363	476.56/cwt	470.00–480.00	1,730	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	521	460.92/cwt	455.00–475.00	2,401	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	340	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,598	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	478	474.04/cwt	465.00–485.00	2,266	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1	—	990	3,150.00/head	3,150.00–3,150.00	3,150	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	331	513.89/cwt	500.00–530.00	1,701	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	481	423.83/cwt	410.00–430.00	2,039	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	386.69/cwt	380.00–390.00	2,223	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	428	450.23/cwt	440.00–465.00	1,927	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	415	495.00/cwt	495.00–495.00	2,054	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	617	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,160	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	700–750	720	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,232	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	523	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,144	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	453	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,903	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	430	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,763	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	650–700	675	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,430	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 →