Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2026-05-01
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-01

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $477.03/cwt on 6 head, down $16.24 from the prior sale. That ranks 2 of 2 comparable sales and sits +8.04 against this barn's trailing median of $468.99.

Average price

$477.03

▼ 16.24 vs prior sale

6 head · 520 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,481

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$338

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

$44.43/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+1.86

vs WV average

−3.99 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	524	484.43	2,538	5thin
Medium and Large 2	500	440.00	2,200	1thin

One grade step is worth $44.43/cwt here — about $338 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.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale6 hd

477.03

—

WV average3 barns · 37 hd

475.16

+1.86

National average169 barns · 10,621 hd

481.02

−3.99

This barn, trailing median2 sales

468.99

+8.04

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	1,920	200.00	3,840	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,222	171.60	2,098	11
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,695	163.82	2,777	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,073	128.73	1,381	12

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)	1,285	$3,280	4thin
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,065	$2,800	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,105	$2,800	1thin
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,330	$2,685	10
Bred Cows	1st Stage (1-3 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,488	$2,406	2thin
Bred Heifers	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	900	$2,200	1thin
Bred Heifers	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	1,000	$1,950	1thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	952	$2,514	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,443	$4,428	17
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,243	$3,600	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,095	$3,348	6
Stock Cows	Open	(<2 yrs)	975	$3,350	5

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
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2-3	—	1,050	2,997.62/head	2,950.00–3,050.00	2,998	3
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2-3	—	1,150	3,547.83/head	3,500.00–3,600.00	3,548	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	952	2,514.19/head	2,200.00–2,800.00	2,514	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	600	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,580	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	250–300	268	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	1,742	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	650–700	650	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	1,690	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	676	338.60/cwt	335.00–345.00	2,289	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	800	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,720	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	518	354.83/cwt	350.00–360.00	1,838	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,503	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	504.35/cwt	475.00–508.00	2,406	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	540	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,836	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	495	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,906	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	363	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,488	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,665	4
Steers	Medium and Large 2	400–450	405	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,539	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	655	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,686	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	524	484.43/cwt	470.00–490.00	2,538	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	397	535.00/cwt	535.00–535.00	2,124	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	600–650	638	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,616	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	643	345.02/cwt	340.00–350.00	2,218	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	350–400	395	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,738	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	500	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,200	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	590	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,124	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	500–550	522	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	2,297	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	500–550	540	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,214	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	564	431.64/cwt	430.00–435.00	2,434	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,488	2,405.88/head	2,300.00–2,500.00	2,406	2
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,650	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	2,888	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,200	3,600.00/head	3,600.00–3,600.00	3,600	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,065	2,800.00/head	2,800.00–2,800.00	2,800	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,285	3,279.91/head	2,650.00–4,100.00	3,280	4
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,000	1,950.00/head	1,950.00–1,950.00	1,950	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,349	4,205.37/head	3,100.00–5,000.00	4,205	8
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,345	130.00/cwt	130.00–130.00	1,749	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,105	2,800.00/head	2,800.00–2,800.00	2,800	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	970	205.00/cwt	205.00–205.00	1,989	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	975	3,350.00/head	3,300.00–3,550.00	3,350	5
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,330	2,684.81/head	1,600.00–3,750.00	2,685	10
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2-3	—	1,000	3,500.00/head	3,500.00–3,500.00	3,500	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,527	4,625.71/head	3,950.00–5,225.00	4,626	9
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,530	3,700.00/head	3,700.00–3,700.00	3,700	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	900	2,200.00/head	2,200.00–2,200.00	2,200	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,256	160.76/cwt	145.00–185.00	2,019	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,120	4,000.00/head	4,000.00–4,000.00	4,000	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,249	159.40/cwt	147.00–169.00	1,991	6
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,695	163.82/cwt	159.00–168.00	2,777	2
Bulls	—	—	1,920	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	3,840	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	695	80.00/cwt	80.00–80.00	556	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,083	204.83/cwt	200.00–210.00	2,218	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,262	173.85/cwt	170.00–179.00	2,194	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,096	135.11/cwt	123.00–145.00	1,481	8
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,030	156.95/cwt	151.00–162.00	1,617	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,350	70.00/cwt	70.00–70.00	945	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	450–500	450	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	2,250	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,431	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 →