Name: South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange livestock auction prices — 2026-08-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Sheep Flock dispersal 13 ewes with lambs avg $390 per ewe; 46 exposed ewes avg $250/head

Hay sale 3x3x8 square bales avg $80.00 per bale; 4X4 bales range from $35-$70 per bale; 4X5 round bales range from $55-$78 per bale; small square bales 2nd cut lose bales $5.25 per bale

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $366.67/cwt on 3 head, up $9.92 from the prior sale. That ranks 3 of 5 comparable sales and sits −27.74 against this barn's trailing median of $394.41.

Average price

$366.67

▲ 9.92 vs prior sale

3 head · 557 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,042

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$121

per head · Medium 1 over Medium 2

$10.00/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−5.28

vs WV average

−7.36 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium 1	563	370.00	2,083	2thin
Medium 2	545	360.00	1,962	1thin

One grade step is worth $10.00/cwt here — about $121 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 700–800 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

5 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $410.80, low $354.66, median $394.41 across 5 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

366.67

—

WV average2 barns · 59 hd

371.95

−5.28

National average160 barns · 6,700 hd

374.03

−7.36

This barn, trailing median5 sales

394.41

−27.74

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
Bullocks	—	Average	1,675	210.00	3,518	2thin
Bulls	—	Low	1,659	201.45	3,343	10
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	Average	1,501	200.00	3,002	3thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,447	164.33	2,377	33
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,696	153.25	2,599	2thin
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,199	139.88	1,677	22
Heifers	Choice	Average	1,292	221.77	2,865	9thin
Steers	Choice	Average	1,473	227.99	3,358	13
Steers	Choice and Prime	Average	1,511	227.00	3,430	5thin

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	1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo)	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,241	$2,388	5
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,290	$2,250	1thin
Bulls	N/A	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,550	$4,400	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,145	$2,900	1thin

Every lot, as filed

60 lots · USDA AMS · South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange - Moorefield, 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%	—	965	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,062	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Natural	—	1,329	154.92/cwt	142.00–165.00	2,059	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,466	155.23/cwt	130.00–180.00	2,276	21
Steers	Medium 1	600–650	623	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,430	4
Heifers	Medium 2	450–500	462	394.22/cwt	355.00–415.00	1,821	3
Steers	Medium 2	500–550	525	356.29/cwt	315.00–400.00	1,871	2
Bulls	Medium 2	300–350	345	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,415	3
Heifers	Medium 2	600–650	620	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,984	1
Bulls	Medium 3	850–900	865	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,817	1
Bulls	Medium 3Thin Fleshed	350–400	365	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,606	2
Heifers	Medium 2	700–750	715	240.00/cwt	240.00–240.00	1,716	1
Steers	Medium 2	700–750	745	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,533	1
Steers	Medium 2	450–500	480	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,920	1
Heifers	Medium 2Thin Fleshed	300–350	345	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,380	3
Heifers	Medium 3	600–650	625	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	1,813	1
Steers	Medium 2	400–450	415	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,764	1
Heifers	Medium 1-2	400–450	423	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,819	4
Heifers	Medium 1-2	900–950	931	250.00/cwt	250.00–250.00	2,328	7
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	563	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,083	2
Heifers	Medium 2	500–550	545	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,962	1
Heifers	Medium 2	350–400	378	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,512	4
Steers	Medium 1	700–750	705	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,468	1
Steers	Medium 1	400–450	422	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,983	3
Steers	Medium 1	550–600	594	399.85/cwt	310.00–425.00	2,375	10
Heifers	Medium 1	450–500	457	431.86/cwt	425.00–445.00	1,974	3
Bulls	Medium 2	500–550	515	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,931	2
Bulls	Medium 2	600–650	600	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,920	1
Steers	Medium 1	1000–1050	1,000	235.00/cwt	235.00–235.00	2,350	1
Steers	Medium 1	650–700	698	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,443	2
Heifers	Medium 1	350–400	355	355.00/cwt	355.00–355.00	1,260	1
Heifers	Medium 1	750–800	795	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,186	1
Steers	Medium 1	450–500	450	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,868	1
Steers	Medium 1	500–550	510	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,295	1
Bulls	Medium 1	350–400	392	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,666	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	451	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,939	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	528	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	2,482	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,241	2,388.20/head	2,250.00–2,500.00	2,388	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,550	4,400.00/head	4,400.00–4,400.00	4,400	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	—	1,290	2,250.00/head	2,250.00–2,250.00	2,250	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,145	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	1
Cows	Premium White 65-75%	—	1,501	200.00/cwt	200.00–200.00	3,002	3
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	930	145.00/cwt	145.00–145.00	1,349	1
Steers	Choice and Prime	—	1,511	227.00/cwt	227.00–227.00	3,430	5
Steers	Choice	—	1,473	227.99/cwt	223.00–229.00	3,358	13
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,263	140.25/cwt	115.00–161.00	1,771	13
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,696	153.25/cwt	145.00–162.00	2,599	2
Heifers	Choice	—	1,292	221.77/cwt	215.00–225.00	2,865	9
Cows	Lean 85-90%Natural	—	1,151	142.72/cwt	132.00–159.00	1,643	7
Cows	Boner 80-85%Non-Traditional	—	1,477	205.04/cwt	200.00–210.00	3,028	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,461	181.65/cwt	174.00–190.00	2,654	2
Bulls	—	—	1,558	132.79/cwt	110.00–150.00	2,069	2
Bullocks	—	—	1,675	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	3,518	2
Bulls	—	—	1,676	224.85/cwt	207.00–250.00	3,768	7
Bulls	—	—	1,745	175.00/cwt	175.00–175.00	3,054	1
Bulls	Large 1	500–550	545	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,316	2
Bulls	Medium 1	500–550	545	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,344	1
Bulls	Medium 1	300–350	310	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	1,116	1
Heifers	Medium 1	600–650	640	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	2,112	2
Heifers	Medium 1	400–450	430	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,763	1
Heifers	Medium 1	700–750	705	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,186	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 →