Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2025-04-25
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-04-25

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $296.94/cwt on 8 head. That ranks 1 of 4 comparable sales and sits −118.43 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$296.94

8 head · 566 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,682

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$102

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Large 1

$22.38/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+8.04

vs WV average

−33.01 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	555	310.00	1,721	2thin
Medium 1	585	302.50	1,770	2thin
Large 1	563	287.62	1,619	4thin

One grade step is worth $22.38/cwt here — about $102 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 sale8 hd

296.94

—

WV average6 barns · 125 hd

288.90

+8.04

National average175 barns · 11,256 hd

329.95

−33.01

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−118.43

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	1,795	164.00	2,944	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,457	152.38	2,220	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,000	118.10	1,181	6thin

Every lot, as filed

36 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	Lean 85-90%	—	1,140	139.86/cwt	135.00–144.00	1,594	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	850	75.00/cwt	75.00–75.00	638	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,465	150.65/cwt	144.00–158.00	2,207	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,415	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	2,278	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	604	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,933	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	575	352.48/cwt	350.00–355.00	2,027	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	555	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,721	2
Steers	Small and Medium 1	400–450	420	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,218	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	685	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,918	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	700	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,960	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	433	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,494	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	527	368.51/cwt	362.50–369.00	1,942	13
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	375	344.87/cwt	340.00–350.00	1,293	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	495	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,485	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	250–300	290	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,073	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,710	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	1,999	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,883	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	600–650	615	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,845	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	445	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	1,769	2
Heifers	Large 2	700–750	700	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,750	1
Heifers	Large 1	550–600	577	290.16/cwt	285.00–300.00	1,674	3
Heifers	Medium 1	950–1000	970	215.00/cwt	215.00–215.00	2,086	1
Heifers	Medium 1	850–900	853	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,133	2
Heifers	Medium 1	400–450	400	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,280	1
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	585	302.50/cwt	302.50–302.50	1,770	2
Bulls	Large 1	850–900	850	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	2,040	2
Heifers	Large 1	650–700	660	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,848	1
Bulls	Large 1	600–650	625	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,719	1
Bulls	Large 1	900–950	915	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	2,196	1
Heifers	Large 1	500–550	520	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	1,456	1
Heifers	Large 1	700–750	715	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,038	1
Bulls	—	—	1,795	164.00/cwt	164.00–164.00	2,944	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	940	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,645	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	965	89.44/cwt	82.00–96.00	863	2
Bulls	Large 1	500–550	540	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,404	1

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 →