Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2024-08-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2024-08-16

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $239.26/cwt on 12 head. That ranks 1 of 4 comparable sales and sits −176.11 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$239.26

12 head · 551 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,319

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$315

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

$56.68/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−4.38

vs WV average

−12.68 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	551	248.68	1,371	9thin
Medium 1	553	220.50	1,218	2thin
Medium 2	550	192.00	1,056	1thin

One grade step is worth $56.68/cwt here — about $315 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 600–700 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

4 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $426.30, low $383.94, median $415.36 across 4 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

239.26

—

WV average5 barns · 90 hd

243.63

−4.38

National average159 barns · 7,784 hd

251.94

−12.68

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−176.11

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	1,370	152.03	2,083	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,565	145.00	2,269	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,279	144.90	1,853	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,132	134.24	1,519	13

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	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,660	$2,200	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,245	$1,650	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,133	$2,496	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,200	$2,400	1thin

Every lot, as filed

28 lots · USDA AMS · Preston Farmers Market - Terra Alta, WV

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	Boner 80-85%	—	1,528	152.00/cwt	151.00–153.00	2,323	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,243	143.89/cwt	137.00–148.00	1,789	14
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,005	114.00/cwt	114.00–114.00	1,146	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,113	143.33/cwt	140.00–151.00	1,595	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,205	131.43/cwt	127.00–139.00	1,584	5
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,565	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	2,269	1
Bulls	—	—	1,370	152.03/cwt	143.00–160.00	2,083	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,150	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,125	2,493.33/head	2,400.00–2,600.00	2,493	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,660	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,245	1,650.00/head	1,650.00–1,650.00	1,650	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,200	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	1
Heifers	Large 1	700–750	728	211.25/cwt	210.00–212.50	1,538	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	611	233.97/cwt	228.00–240.00	1,430	8
Heifers	Medium 1	500–550	510	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,122	1
Heifers	Medium 1	200–250	245	225.00/cwt	225.00–225.00	551	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	595	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,309	1
Heifers	Medium 2	550–600	550	192.00/cwt	192.00–192.00	1,056	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	480	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	960	1
Steers	Large 2	700–750	705	180.00/cwt	180.00–180.00	1,269	1
Heifers	Large 1	450–500	485	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	994	1
Heifers	Medium 2	600–650	615	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,076	1
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	595	221.00/cwt	221.00–221.00	1,315	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	547	249.51/cwt	242.00–252.00	1,365	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	585	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	1,416	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	473	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,183	2
Bulls	Medium 2	600–650	630	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,103	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	523	236.72/cwt	235.00–245.00	1,238	6

How this sale compares

West Virginia weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every West Virginia auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

West Virginia feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →