Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-08-31
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-31

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

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

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $279.94/cwt on 10 head, down $53.98 from the prior sale. That ranks 1 of 18 comparable sales and sits −72.78 against this barn's trailing median of $352.71.

Average price

$279.94

▼ 53.98 vs prior sale

10 head · 553 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,547

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$416

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

$52.95/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−14.98

vs SC average

−51.58 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	564	292.95	1,652	4thin
Medium and Large 2	551	277.51	1,529	5thin
Medium and Large 3	515	240.00	1,236	1thin

One grade step is worth $52.95/cwt here — about $416 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

18 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $404.13, low $279.94, median $352.71 across 18 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 sale10 hd

279.94

—

SC average6 barns · 156 hd

294.92

−14.98

National average157 barns · 5,611 hd

331.52

−51.58

This barn, trailing median18 sales

352.71

−72.78

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
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,500	150.00	2,250	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,138	144.52	1,645	4thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	926	133.77	1,238	7thin

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	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,000	$1,900	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,220	$3,700	1thin
Stock Cows	Open	(<2 yrs)	1,235	$2,439	1thin

Every lot, as filed

60 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
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	433	330.06/cwt	320.00–340.00	1,429	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	500–550	545	297.50/cwt	285.00–310.00	1,621	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Value Added	650–700	695	242.50/cwt	242.50–242.50	1,685	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	500–550	525	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,628	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,463	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	430	375.85/cwt	375.00–377.50	1,616	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	400–450	420	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,554	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	600–650	616	277.44/cwt	275.00–280.00	1,709	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	277.50/cwt	277.50–277.50	1,998	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	685	272.48/cwt	270.00–275.00	1,866	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	490	318.66/cwt	310.00–327.50	1,561	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	515	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,700	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	722	267.51/cwt	262.50–270.00	1,931	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	608	311.27/cwt	307.50–315.00	1,893	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	650–700	655	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,867	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	338	415.07/cwt	405.00–425.00	1,403	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	263	466.90/cwt	455.00–480.00	1,228	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	392.70/cwt	380.00–395.00	1,708	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	290	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,247	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	985	232.50/cwt	232.50–232.50	2,290	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	435	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,566	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 2	—	1,000	1,900.00/head	1,900.00–1,900.00	1,900	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,235	2,439.00/head	2,439.00–2,439.00	2,439	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,220	3,700.00/head	3,700.00–3,700.00	3,700	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	700–750	730	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,117	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	900	126.31/cwt	124.00–129.00	1,137	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,500	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,250	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,138	144.52/cwt	140.00–148.00	1,645	4
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	936	136.76/cwt	132.00–139.00	1,280	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	261.28/cwt	260.00–262.50	1,502	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	305	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,251	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	450–500	480	322.42/cwt	315.00–330.00	1,548	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	550–600	575	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,668	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	515	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,391	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	385	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,213	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	487	284.74/cwt	270.00–305.00	1,387	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	460	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,403	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	380	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,463	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	470	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,645	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	658	243.62/cwt	232.50–255.00	1,603	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	450–500	485	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,528	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	355	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,278	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	508	309.21/cwt	295.00–320.00	1,571	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	622	270.91/cwt	265.00–282.50	1,685	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	455	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,456	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	530	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,643	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	600	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,080	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	550–600	575	212.50/cwt	212.50–212.50	1,222	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	420	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,554	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	290	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,059	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	405	202.50/cwt	202.50–202.50	820	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	515	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,236	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	400–450	425	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	1,328	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	450–500	470	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,222	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	381	398.03/cwt	390.00–400.00	1,516	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	750–800	751	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,028	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Value Added	550–600	577	287.27/cwt	280.00–300.00	1,658	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	465	385.00/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,790	7
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	600–650	635	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	1,826	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	695	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,599	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 →