Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2026-05-15
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-15

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $404.82/cwt on 9 head, up $20.88 from the prior sale (only 15 head in that comparison). That ranks 2 of 4 comparable sales and sits −10.54 against this barn's trailing median of $415.36.

Average price

$404.82

▲ 20.88 vs prior sale

9 head · 533 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,156

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$49

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

$36.32/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+7.36

vs WV average

−12.29 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	513	425.00	2,180	4thin
Medium and Large 1-2	548	388.68	2,132	5thin

One grade step is worth $36.32/cwt here — about $49 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 sale9 hd

404.82

—

WV average5 barns · 58 hd

397.46

+7.36

National average171 barns · 11,385 hd

417.11

−12.29

This barn, trailing median4 sales

415.36

−10.54

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	—	High	1,760	210.00	3,696	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,515	171.02	2,590	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,675	144.00	2,412	1thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	High	1,084	141.42	1,533	8thin

Every lot, as filed

34 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	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,675	144.00/cwt	144.00–144.00	2,412	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,515	167.38/cwt	152.00–185.00	2,536	8
Bulls	—	—	1,945	230.00/cwt	230.00–230.00	4,474	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,020	202.00/cwt	202.00–202.00	2,060	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	933	116.57/cwt	100.00–130.00	1,088	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	572	386.09/cwt	350.00–405.00	2,208	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	100–150	125	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	813	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	625	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,000	1
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	478	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,960	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	295	570.00/cwt	570.00–570.00	1,682	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	675	382.50/cwt	370.00–395.00	2,582	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	700–750	745	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,533	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	750	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,475	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	513	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,180	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	400–450	445	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,780	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	513	392.56/cwt	390.00–395.00	2,014	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	645	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,193	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	650–700	675	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,924	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	400–450	405	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,215	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	225	610.00/cwt	610.00–610.00	1,373	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	750–800	773	287.56/cwt	285.00–290.00	2,223	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	500–550	543	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,226	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	450–500	480	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,896	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 3	600–650	600	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	1,500	1
Steers	Medium and Large 4	600–650	600	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	1,200	1
Dairy Steers	Medium 3	600–650	635	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	1,397	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	415	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,411	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	480	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,896	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	100–150	100	1,450.00/head	1,450.00–1,450.00	1,450	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 2	150–200	165	560.00/cwt	560.00–560.00	924	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	150–200	195	650.00/cwt	650.00–650.00	1,268	1
Bulls	—	—	1,575	190.00/cwt	190.00–190.00	2,993	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,513	185.60/cwt	180.00–191.00	2,808	2
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,157	139.25/cwt	120.00–161.00	1,611	5

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 →