Sale reports / West Virginia / Preston Farmers Market / 2026-04-03

Preston Farmers Market

Name: Preston Farmers Market livestock auction prices — 2026-04-03
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-04-03

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Terra Alta, West Virginia · Fri, Apr 3

● Final41 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1876

← Mar 27Apr 3Apr 10 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

118 head

▲ 78 vs last sale 40▲ 4 vs year ago 114 · +3.5%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

8 head

▲ 1 vs last sale 7▲ 1 vs year ago 7 · +14.3%

Replacement Cattle receipts

9 head

▼ 6 vs last sale 15▲ 8 vs year ago 1 · +800.0%

Also sold hereSpecial Graded SaleWed Sep 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Above average attendance for this week's sale. Receipts are up from last week with a significant increase in the Feeder Cattle run. No market test on Feeders due to last week's lighter run but prices followed regional and nationwide trends. Many quality harder fleshed Steers and Heifers coming off a winter-feeding program in good shape for turn out. Trade active throughout, competitive demand on young Cow Calf pairs. Slaughter Cattle slightly higher this week.

Friday April 17th Feeder Calf Special Sale

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $493.27/cwt on 20 head, up $48.56 from the prior sale (only 17 head in that comparison). That ranks 4 of 4 comparable sales and sits +81.01 against this barn's trailing median of $412.26.

Average price

$493.27

▲ 48.56 vs prior sale

20 head · 559 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,759

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$389

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

$55.36/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+17.12

vs WV average

+10.09 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 2	567	502.86	2,850	14thin
Medium 2	538	482.60	2,596	4thin
Medium and Large 1	550	447.50	2,461	2thin

One grade step is worth $55.36/cwt here — about $389 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 sale20 hd

493.27

—

WV average2 barns · 44 hd

476.15

+17.12

National average169 barns · 10,003 hd

483.18

+10.09

This barn, trailing median4 sales

412.26

+81.01

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

4 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $493.27, low $365.19, median $412.26 across 4 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

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	1,813	196.92	3,570	2thin
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,433	170.25	2,439	2thin
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,380	158.90	2,193	3thin
Steers	Select	Low	1,240	172.00	2,133	1thin

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 Stage (4-6 mo)	(<2 yrs)	950	$2,600	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,452	$5,000	1thin
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,313	$4,770	2thin
Heifer Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	900	$4,500	1thin

Every lot

41 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. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.

Class	Weight	Grade / description	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Feeder Cattle · Steers17 lots · lightest first
Steers	300–350	Medium and Large 2	330	605.00/cwt	605.00–605.00	1,997	2
Steers	300–350	Medium and Large 1	330	510.00/cwt	510.00–510.00	1,683	2
Steers	350–400	Medium and Large 1	375	526.73/cwt	470.00–585.00	1,975	2
Steers	350–400	Medium and Large 2	387	545.00/cwt	545.00–545.00	2,109	4
Steers	400–450	Medium and Large 2	422	536.64/cwt	530.00–550.00	2,265	3
Steers	400–450	Medium 2	425	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,870	1
Steers	450–500	Medium and Large 1	467	526.23/cwt	510.00–530.00	2,457	8
Steers	500–550	Medium and Large 1	505	480.00/cwt	480.00–480.00	2,424	1
Steers	500–550	Medium and Large 2	525	520.00/cwt	520.00–520.00	2,730	6
Steers	500–550	Medium 2	538	482.60/cwt	460.00–490.00	2,596	4
Steers	550–600	Medium and Large 1	595	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,469	1
Steers	550–600	Medium and Large 2	598	490.00/cwt	490.00–490.00	2,930	8
Steers	600–650	Medium and Large 2	600	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,550	1
Steers	600–650	Medium 2	625	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	2,688	1
Steers	600–650	Medium and Large 1	637	415.00/cwt	415.00–415.00	2,644	6
Steers	650–700	Medium and Large 2	690	397.50/cwt	397.50–397.50	2,743	3
Steers	650–700	Medium and Large 1	690	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	2,691	1
Feeder Cattle · Heifers14 lots · lightest first
Heifers	400–450	Medium and Large 2	430	445.00/cwt	445.00–445.00	1,914	1
Heifers	450–500	Medium and Large 1	459	440.03/cwt	420.00–450.00	2,020	5
Heifers	450–500	Medium and Large 2	465	475.00/cwt	475.00–475.00	2,209	2
Heifers	500–550	Medium and Large 1	505	390.00/cwt	390.00–390.00	1,970	1
Heifers	500–550	Medium 2	510	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	2,091	1
Heifers	500–550	Medium and Large 2	524	446.28/cwt	442.50–450.00	2,339	6
Heifers	550–600	Medium and Large 1	557	389.93/cwt	380.00–395.00	2,172	3
Heifers	550–600	Medium and Large 2	573	387.92/cwt	370.00–395.00	2,223	5
Heifers	600–650	Medium and Large 1	614	360.84/cwt	315.00–387.50	2,216	8
Heifers	600–650	Medium and Large 2	634	403.95/cwt	350.00–455.00	2,561	6
Heifers	650–700	Medium and Large 2	655	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,293	3
Heifers	700–750	Medium and Large 1	710	337.50/cwt	337.50–337.50	2,396	11
Heifers	700–750	Medium and Large 2	740	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	2,368	1
Heifers	700–750	Medium 2	745	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,086	1
Feeder Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	350–400	Medium and Large 1	355	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	1,598	1
Slaughter Cattle · Steers1 lot · lightest first
Steers	—	Select	1,240	172.00/cwt	172.00–172.00	2,133	1
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls1 lot · lightest first
Bulls	—	—	1,813	196.92/cwt	187.50–206.00	3,570	2
Slaughter Cattle · Cows3 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,290	182.50/cwt	182.50–182.50	2,354	1
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,380	158.90/cwt	153.00–166.00	2,193	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,575	158.00/cwt	158.00–158.00	2,489	1
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs2 lots · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,313	4,770.00/head	4,500.00–5,025.00	4,770	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,452	5,000.00/head	5,000.00–5,000.00	5,000	1
Replacement Cattle · Heifer Pairs1 lot · lightest first
Heifer Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	900	4,500.00/head	4,500.00–4,500.00	4,500	1
Replacement Cattle · Bred Heifers1 lot · lightest first
Bred Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1-2	950	2,600.00/head	2,600.00–2,600.00	2,600	1

This sale against other markets

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 →

Preston Farmers Market - Terra Alta, WV

Fri Apr 3, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Charleston, WV (LS-CW)

Feeder CattleReceipts 118Last week 40Year ago 114

Slaughter CattleReceipts 8Last week 7Year ago 7

Replacement CattleReceipts 9Last week 15Year ago 1

Friday April 17th Feeder Calf Special Sale

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	350–400	355	450.00	450.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	450–500	459	420.00–450.00	440.03
1	500–550	505	390.00	390.00
3	550–600	557	380.00–395.00	389.93
8	600–650	614	315.00–387.50	360.84
11	700–750	710	337.50	337.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	430	445.00	445.00
2	450–500	465	475.00	475.00
6	500–550	524	442.50–450.00	446.28
5	550–600	573	370.00–395.00	387.92
6	600–650	634	350.00–455.00	403.95
3	650–700	655	350.00	350.00
1	700–750	740	320.00	320.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	500–550	510	410.00	410.00
1	700–750	745	280.00	280.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	330	605.00	605.00
4	350–400	387	545.00	545.00
3	400–450	422	530.00–550.00	536.64
6	500–550	525	520.00	520.00
8	550–600	598	490.00	490.00
1	600–650	600	425.00	425.00
3	650–700	690	397.50	397.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	300–350	330	510.00	510.00
2	350–400	375	470.00–585.00	526.73
8	450–500	467	510.00–530.00	526.23
1	500–550	505	480.00	480.00
1	550–600	595	415.00	415.00
6	600–650	637	415.00	415.00
1	650–700	690	390.00	390.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium 2$ per cwt · actual wt
1	400–450	425	440.00	440.00
4	500–550	538	460.00–490.00	482.60
1	600–650	625	430.00	430.00

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	—	1,452	5,000.00	5,000.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,313	4,500.00–5,025.00	4,770.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifer Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	—	900	4,500.00	4,500.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	—	950	2,600.00	2,600.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,813	187.50–206.00	196.92

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,380	153.00–166.00	158.90

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,575	158.00	158.00
1	—	1,290	182.50	182.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Select$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,240	172.00	172.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.