Name: South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange livestock auction prices — 2026-08-22
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-08-22

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Hay sales: 4X4 1st cutting round bales range from $70-$72.50 per bale; 4X5 1st cutting round bales $70-$75. 3x3x8 large squares 1st cutting $75

*See Board sale results*

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $427.50/cwt on 15 head, up $16.81 from the prior sale (only 16 head in that comparison). That ranks 2 of 3 comparable sales and sits +0.00 against this barn's trailing median of $427.50.

Average price

$427.50

▲ 16.81 vs prior sale

15 head · 550 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,351

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

+51.47

vs WV average

+30.72 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1-2	550	427.50	2,351	15thin

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

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

3 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $497.19, low $410.69, median $427.50 across 3 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 sale15 hd

427.50

—

WV average4 barns · 85 hd

376.03

+51.47

National average147 barns · 5,729 hd

396.78

+30.72

This barn, trailing median3 sales

427.50

+0.00

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	1,683	181.74	3,059	8thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,520	144.26	2,193	26
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Average	1,240	101.57	1,260	8thin

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	2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo)	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,350	$1,850	1thin
Bred Heifers	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	760	$2,500	1thin
Bulls	N/A	(<2 yrs)	775	$1,850	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,358	$3,333	3thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,315	$3,225	4thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,440	$2,600	1thin

Every lot, as filed

51 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%	—	1,287	113.57/cwt	91.00–132.00	1,462	5
Bulls	Large 2	600–650	645	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	1,774	1
Bulls	Large 1	500–550	530	337.50/cwt	337.50–337.50	1,789	1
Heifers	Medium 1	550–600	573	366.38/cwt	330.00–400.00	2,099	2
Bulls	Medium 1	250–300	270	470.00/cwt	470.00–470.00	1,269	1
Bulls	Medium 1	—	775	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	1
Steers	Large 2	850–900	850	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,423	1
Steers	Large 2	750–800	785	275.00/cwt	275.00–275.00	2,159	1
Steers	Large 2	600–650	620	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	1,829	1
Steers	Medium 2	700–750	745	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	2,123	1
Steers	Medium 3	600–650	645	300.00/cwt	300.00–300.00	1,935	1
Heifers	Medium 2	300–350	340	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,292	1
Steers	Medium 1	650–700	690	360.00/cwt	360.00–360.00	2,484	1
Bulls	Medium 1	350–400	350	435.00/cwt	435.00–435.00	1,523	4
Bulls	Medium 1	650–700	680	327.97/cwt	320.00–345.00	2,230	3
Heifers	Medium 2	450–500	450	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	1,373	1
Bulls	Medium 2	300–350	305	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,373	1
Steers	Medium 1	700–750	735	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,573	1
Heifers	Medium 1	750–800	765	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,219	1
Steers	Medium 2	350–400	365	455.00/cwt	455.00–455.00	1,661	1
Heifers	Medium 2	900–950	925	220.00/cwt	220.00–220.00	2,035	1
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,350	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	1
Bred Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	—	760	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,060	2,900.00/head	2,900.00–2,900.00	2,900	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 2	—	1,300	3,100.00/head	3,100.00–3,100.00	3,100	1
Heifers	Medium 2	500–550	520	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,547	1
Steers	Medium 2	450–500	490	330.00/cwt	330.00–330.00	1,617	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	467	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,798	11
Steers	Medium and Large 2	750–800	752	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,331	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	595	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	2,023	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	549	381.00/cwt	381.00–381.00	2,092	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,360	3,400.00/head	3,400.00–3,400.00	3,400	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,440	2,600.00/head	2,600.00–2,600.00	2,600	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,413	3,200.00/head	3,200.00–3,200.00	3,200	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	478	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	1,984	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	359	402.50/cwt	402.50–402.50	1,445	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	550	335.00/cwt	335.00–335.00	1,843	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	423	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	1,893	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	558	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,316	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	550	427.50/cwt	427.50–427.50	2,351	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	625	363.50/cwt	363.50–363.50	2,272	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	497	408.00/cwt	408.00–408.00	2,028	8
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,375	3,600.00/head	3,600.00–3,600.00	3,600	1
Cow-Calf Pairs	Medium and Large 1-2	—	1,415	3,500.00/head	3,500.00–3,500.00	3,500	1
Cows	Boner 80-85%Natural	—	1,579	144.64/cwt	131.00–161.00	2,284	13
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,540	138.80/cwt	121.00–153.00	2,138	11
Cows	Lean 85-90%Natural	—	1,460	110.00/cwt	110.00–110.00	1,606	1
Bulls	—	—	1,725	190.56/cwt	161.00–227.00	3,287	7
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,013	67.37/cwt	50.00–85.00	682	2
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,028	171.79/cwt	150.00–195.00	1,766	2
Bulls	—	—	1,390	120.00/cwt	120.00–120.00	1,668	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 →