Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2026-05-29
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-05-29

Weight class

Bulls · summary 400–500 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

400–500 lb bulls averaged $427.50/cwt on 2 head.

Average price

$427.50

2 head · 458 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,956

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+2.63

vs WV average

What quality paid 400–500 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	458	427.50	1,956	2thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

How it compared 400–500 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale2 hd

427.50

—

WV average4 barns · 34 hd

424.87

+2.63

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	2,185	233.00	5,091	1thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	High	1,313	171.25	2,248	6thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Very Low	1,165	132.43	1,543	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
Bred Heifers	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	(<2 yrs)	985	$1,800	1thin
Bulls	N/A	(<2 yrs)	1,100	$2,500	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,259	$4,555	4thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,130	$3,500	1thin

Every lot, as filed

17 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 1-2	—	1,130	3,500.00/head	3,500.00–3,500.00	3,500	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,259	4,555.31/head	4,200.00–4,800.00	4,555	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,100	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	985	1,800.00/head	1,800.00–1,800.00	1,800	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	255	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,301	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	315	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,607	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,345	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	2,825	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,050	50.00/cwt	50.00–50.00	525	1
Bulls	—	—	2,185	233.00/cwt	233.00–233.00	5,091	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,306	163.50/cwt	151.00–175.00	2,135	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,188	148.92/cwt	139.00–164.00	1,769	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	375	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	1,800	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	420	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,890	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	495	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	2,005	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	200–250	215	564.22/cwt	540.00–575.00	1,213	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	650	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,210	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	460	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,518	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 →