Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2025-05-02
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-02

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $319.67/cwt on 14 head. That ranks 1 of 4 comparable sales and sits −95.69 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$319.67

14 head · 556 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,778

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$283

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

$34.62/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+21.16

vs WV average

−9.67 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	561	324.62	1,820	12thin
Medium and Large 2	530	290.00	1,537	2thin

One grade step is worth $34.62/cwt here — about $283 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

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 sale14 hd

319.67

—

WV average4 barns · 102 hd

298.52

+21.16

National average176 barns · 11,721 hd

329.34

−9.67

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−95.69

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	1,583	184.88	2,927	3thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,682	147.76	2,485	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,250	144.93	1,812	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,007	113.57	1,144	7thin
Heifers	Select	Average	1,148	168.09	1,930	2thin
Steers	Select	Average	1,355	150.00	2,033	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
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,313	$3,087	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,368	$2,660	2thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	950	$2,011	2thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	750	$1,450	1thin
Bred Heifers	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	(<2 yrs)	907	$1,526	3thin
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	750	$1,500	1thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,132	$2,224	6
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,198	$3,332	21
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,110	$2,500	1thin
Heifer Pairs	Open	(<2 yrs)	850	$1,500	1thin

Every lot, as filed

56 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%Return to Feed	—	903	151.50/cwt	130.00–170.00	1,368	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	980	179.35/cwt	160.00–201.00	1,758	2
Steers	Select	—	1,355	150.00/cwt	150.00–150.00	2,033	2
Heifers	Select	—	1,148	168.09/cwt	162.00–175.00	1,930	2
Bulls	—	—	1,180	169.00/cwt	169.00–169.00	1,994	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,345	137.00/cwt	137.00–137.00	1,843	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,132	2,224.21/head	1,800.00–2,700.00	2,224	6
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,245	114.00/cwt	114.00–114.00	1,419	1
Bulls	—	—	1,785	192.82/cwt	190.00–196.00	3,442	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,263	138.35/cwt	137.00–143.00	1,747	17
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	550	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,568	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,182	130.39/cwt	112.50–140.00	1,541	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,368	2,660.28/head	1,975.00–3,250.00	2,660	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,313	3,087.14/head	2,950.00–3,250.00	3,087	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	690	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	1,311	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	750	1,450.00/head	1,450.00–1,450.00	1,450	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	876	257.00/cwt	257.00–257.00	2,251	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	642	318.32/cwt	315.00–320.00	2,044	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	680	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,972	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	510	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,505	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	410	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,005	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	825	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,650	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	315	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,197	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	900–950	900	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,115	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	366	323.20/cwt	310.00–340.00	1,183	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	300–350	310	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	868	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	705	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	1,657	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	425	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,233	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	345	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,139	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,296	151.09/cwt	142.00–157.00	1,958	7
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,635	140.45/cwt	138.00–143.00	2,296	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,713	152.63/cwt	148.00–159.00	2,615	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	885	80.34/cwt	73.00–85.00	711	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,266	3,340.34/head	2,700.00–3,800.00	3,340	14
Heifer Pairs	Medium and Large 2-3	—	850	1,500.00/head	1,500.00–1,500.00	1,500	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,062	3,316.04/head	2,550.00–3,925.00	3,316	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	575	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,926	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	660	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,914	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	273	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	901	2
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	907	1,526.01/head	1,200.00–1,900.00	1,526	3
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	750	1,500.00/head	1,500.00–1,500.00	1,500	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	715	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,716	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	569	321.49/cwt	300.00–325.00	1,829	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,245	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	430	322.00/cwt	322.00–322.00	1,385	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,110	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,365	159.04/cwt	150.00–165.00	2,171	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	950	2,010.53/head	1,800.00–2,200.00	2,011	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	265	354.72/cwt	340.00–360.00	940	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	460	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	1,426	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	470	361.00/cwt	361.00–361.00	1,697	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1000–1050	1,000	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	1,750	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	549	329.00/cwt	329.00–329.00	1,806	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,906	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	378	317.45/cwt	315.00–320.00	1,200	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	525	367.29/cwt	360.00–375.00	1,928	2

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 →