Name: Saluda Stockyards livestock auction prices — 2026-09-14
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-09-14

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

No comparisons made due to limited comparable sales. Light buyer participation on a limited supply of average quality cattle.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $309.90/cwt on 22 head, up $8.00 from the prior sale. That ranks 4 of 18 comparable sales and sits −42.81 against this barn's trailing median of $352.71.

Average price

$309.90

▲ 8.00 vs prior sale

22 head · 556 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,723

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$78

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 2

$10.76/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−2.94

vs SC average

−44.41 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	570	320.00	1,824	1thin
Medium and Large 3	525	310.00	1,628	5thin
Medium and Large 2	565	309.24	1,746	16thin

One grade step is worth $10.76/cwt here — about $78 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

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 sale22 hd

309.90

—

SC average6 barns · 120 hd

312.84

−2.94

National average171 barns · 9,246 hd

354.31

−44.41

This barn, trailing median18 sales

352.71

−42.81

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	1,630	189.00	3,081	1thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,277	148.68	1,899	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,134	138.02	1,565	7thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,020	127.53	1,301	6thin

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)	Young (2-4 yrs)	960	$2,450	1thin
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,140	$2,000	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	970	$3,000	1thin
Stock Cows	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	875	$1,336	2thin

Every lot, as filed

63 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	550–600	582	306.31/cwt	255.00–320.00	1,783	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	400–450	435	347.50/cwt	347.50–347.50	1,512	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,162	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	565	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	1,300	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	485	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,455	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	368	388.37/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,429	6
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	350–400	368	378.42/cwt	375.00–380.00	1,393	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,351	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	290	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,247	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	533	325.02/cwt	320.00–330.00	1,732	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	550–600	595	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,488	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	300–350	333	424.81/cwt	420.00–430.00	1,415	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	500–550	545	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,690	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	466	387.48/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,806	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	510	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,836	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	630	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,079	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	570	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,824	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,843	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	320	413.57/cwt	400.00–430.00	1,323	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	426	389.89/cwt	380.00–415.00	1,661	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	350–400	372	430.04/cwt	420.00–440.00	1,600	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	200–250	230	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	989	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	417	383.20/cwt	380.00–390.00	1,598	3
Stock Cows	Small 2	—	830	1,411.00/head	1,411.00–1,411.00	1,411	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	2,070	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2Fleshy	450–500	490	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,519	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	283	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,132	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	488	344.97/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,683	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	524	326.95/cwt	320.00–330.00	1,713	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	428	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,541	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2Value Added	650–700	675	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,126	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	427	362.95/cwt	355.00–370.00	1,550	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	535	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,873	1
Steers	Medium and Large 3	350–400	390	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,287	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	678	298.30/cwt	295.00–300.00	2,022	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	475	370.16/cwt	365.00–375.00	1,758	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	485	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	1,237	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	605	313.80/cwt	312.50–320.00	1,898	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	500–550	525	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,628	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	250–300	290	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,059	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	350–400	390	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,287	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	785	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,237	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	432	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,642	3
Steers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	580	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,914	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,140	2,000.00/head	2,000.00–2,000.00	2,000	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	720	295.00/cwt	290.00–300.00	2,124	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	364.94/cwt	360.00–375.00	1,905	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	580	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,972	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	600	312.50/cwt	310.00–315.00	1,875	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	660	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,947	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	600–650	635	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,842	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	690	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	2,174	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	460	381.37/cwt	377.50–390.00	1,754	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	605	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,815	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Small 2	—	970	3,000.00/head	3,000.00–3,000.00	3,000	1
Stock Cows	Small 3	—	920	1,260.00/head	1,260.00–1,260.00	1,260	1
Bred Cows	Small 2	—	960	2,450.00/head	2,450.00–2,450.00	2,450	1
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,178	141.47/cwt	137.00–147.00	1,667	4
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,675	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	2,973	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,134	138.02/cwt	134.00–140.00	1,565	7
Bulls	—	—	1,630	189.00/cwt	189.00–189.00	3,081	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	873	115.16/cwt	112.00–118.00	1,005	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,094	133.71/cwt	130.00–137.00	1,463	4

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 →