Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-05-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-25

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

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

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $340.02/cwt on 5 head, down $44.89 from the prior sale (only 12 head in that comparison). That ranks 4 of 13 comparable sales and sits −28.37 against this barn's trailing median of $368.39.

Average price

$340.02

▼ 44.89 vs prior sale

5 head · 533 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,814

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$482

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

$99.95/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+8.26

vs SC average

−67.42 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	527	380.00	2,003	3thin
Medium and Large 3	543	280.05	1,521	2thin

One grade step is worth $99.95/cwt here — about $482 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

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 sale5 hd

340.02

—

SC average4 barns · 24 hd

331.76

+8.26

National average128 barns · 4,974 hd

407.44

−67.42

This barn, trailing median13 sales

368.39

−28.37

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	1,085	160.00	1,736	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,245	185.31	2,307	6thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,381	176.96	2,444	4thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	983	130.00	1,278	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
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	850	$3,800	2thin
Stock Cows	Open	(<2 yrs)	1,106	$2,543	4thin

Every lot, as filed

43 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
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	983	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,278	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,381	176.96/cwt	174.00–180.00	2,444	4
Bulls	—	—	1,085	160.00/cwt	160.00–160.00	1,736	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,245	185.31/cwt	183.00–188.00	2,307	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	225	580.00/cwt	580.00–580.00	1,305	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	400	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	1,960	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	480	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,728	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	610	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,952	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	460	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,886	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,135	2,591.94/head	2,530.00–2,622.00	2,592	3
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,020	2,397.00/head	2,397.00–2,397.00	2,397	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	425	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,806	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	600–650	640	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,920	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	335	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,508	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	545	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,126	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	520	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,236	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,387	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	610	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,891	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	850–900	865	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,514	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	390	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,307	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	423	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,734	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	583	405.02/cwt	400.00–410.00	2,361	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	536	411.40/cwt	405.00–425.00	2,205	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	490	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,936	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	527	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	2,003	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	330	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,089	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	380	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,577	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Value Added	450–500	475	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,090	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	510	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	2,015	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	300–350	333	333.00/cwt	320.00–360.00	1,109	3
Steers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	450	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,395	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	495	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,485	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	445	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,580	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	405	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,742	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	710	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,988	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	543	280.05/cwt	270.00–290.00	1,521	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	200–250	245	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	784	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	850	3,800.00/head	3,800.00–3,800.00	3,800	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	427	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,986	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,418	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	460.00/cwt	460.00–460.00	2,070	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	355	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,136	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	550–600	588	262.60/cwt	255.00–270.00	1,544	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 →