Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2025-07-18
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-07-18

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $328.50/cwt on 3 head. That ranks 1 of 4 comparable sales and sits −86.86 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$328.50

3 head · 547 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,796

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$545

per head · Large 1 over Medium and Large 1

$63.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+4.22

vs WV average

−10.24 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Large 1	585	370.50	2,167	1thin
Medium and Large 1	528	307.50	1,622	2thin

One grade step is worth $63.00/cwt here — about $545 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 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 sale3 hd

328.50

—

WV average4 barns · 84 hd

324.28

+4.22

National average151 barns · 8,478 hd

338.74

−10.24

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−86.86

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	1,531	170.20	2,606	5thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,376	151.23	2,081	5thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,176	148.10	1,742	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
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	885	$2,700	1thin

Every lot, as filed

25 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%	—	1,242	143.86/cwt	142.00–146.00	1,787	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,310	153.00/cwt	153.00–153.00	2,004	1
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,100	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	1,815	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,070	125.00/cwt	125.00–125.00	1,338	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	500–550	505	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,591	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	400–450	410	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,251	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	800–850	810	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,620	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	375	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,406	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	435	315.00/cwt	315.00–315.00	1,370	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	875	255.00/cwt	255.00–255.00	2,231	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	460	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,679	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	520	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,898	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	382	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,547	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	485	349.51/cwt	340.00–352.50	1,695	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	360	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,422	2
Heifers	Large 1	550–600	585	370.50/cwt	370.50–370.50	2,167	1
Heifers	Large 2	650–700	672	312.50/cwt	312.50–312.50	2,100	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium 1-2	—	885	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	523	317.53/cwt	310.00–322.50	1,661	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	345	402.50/cwt	402.50–402.50	1,389	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	550	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,650	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	950	179.00/cwt	179.00–179.00	1,701	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,376	151.23/cwt	140.00–162.00	2,081	5
Bulls	—	—	1,775	192.00/cwt	183.00–196.00	3,408	3
Bulls	—Light Weight	—	1,230	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,353	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 →