Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2025-05-16
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-05-16

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $335.00/cwt on 2 head. That ranks 1 of 4 comparable sales and sits −80.36 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$335.00

2 head · 528 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,767

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$41

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

$30.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+6.72

vs WV average

−4.88 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	510	350.00	1,785	1thin
Medium and Large 1-2	545	320.00	1,744	1thin

One grade step is worth $30.00/cwt here — about $41 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 sale2 hd

335.00

—

WV average3 barns · 72 hd

328.28

+6.72

National average164 barns · 12,891 hd

339.88

−4.88

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−80.36

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	1,721	168.36	2,897	4thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,392	140.59	1,956	7thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,244	140.31	1,745	8thin

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	All Stages (1-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,405	$2,509	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	975	$2,450	2thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,000	$2,400	1thin

Every lot, as filed

26 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%	—	1,365	170.00/cwt	170.00–170.00	2,321	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	870	136.00/cwt	136.00–136.00	1,183	1
Bulls	—	—	1,721	168.36/cwt	163.00–175.00	2,897	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,396	135.69/cwt	124.00–158.00	1,894	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	545	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,744	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	300–350	345	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,225	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	485	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,601	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	600–650	635	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	1,715	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	650–700	665	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,829	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	510	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,785	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	450–500	480	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	1,176	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	730	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,081	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	718	215.16/cwt	200.00–230.00	1,545	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	250–300	275	420.00/cwt	420.00–420.00	1,155	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,473	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,405	2,508.54/head	2,100.00–2,900.00	2,509	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	650–700	677	265.00/cwt	265.00–265.00	1,794	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	665	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,895	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	772	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,853	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 3	850–900	870	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,784	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	700–750	740	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,924	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,297	140.92/cwt	121.00–158.00	1,828	7
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium 1-2	—	1,000	2,400.00/head	2,400.00–2,400.00	2,400	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	300–350	330	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,287	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	950	2,000.00/head	2,000.00–2,000.00	2,000	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,000	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	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 →