Cattle Market Pulse

Low Country Livestock Exchange Market Report

Darlington, South Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, January 21, 2025

164 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Low Country Livestock Exchange report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 164 280 249
Feeder cattle 95 168 151
Slaughter cattle 14 43 39
Replacement cattle 7 4 14

Market comments — USDA reporter

No comparisons made this week on feeder cattle due to limited comparable sales. Slaughter cows 4.00 higher based on limited comparable sales, slaughter bulls too few to trend. Light offerings of average quality cattle with active buyer participation.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,372 —
545 545 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,472 —
610 610 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,647 +15.00
660 660 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,683 +22.58
700 700 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,645 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–340 335 2 390.00–395.00 $392.54 $1,315 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 300.00 $300.00 $870 +28.96
310 310 1 270.00 $270.00 $837 —
360–390 378 3 270.00–275.00 $271.72 $1,027 +35.35
422–435 425 4 270.00–272.50 $271.86 $1,155 -4.18
510–520 514 4 245.00–260.00 $252.52 $1,298 +20.87
540 540 2 225.00 $225.00 $1,215 -6.65
630 630 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,449 +15.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 340.00 $340.00 $850 +22.94
360–395 374 7 302.50–330.00 $318.76 $1,192 +17.97
420 420 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,218 -2.89
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 250.00 $250.00 $975 +56.17
440 440 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,144 —
490 490 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,225 +30.00
525 525 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,050 +8.83
590 590 1 207.50 $207.50 $1,224 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 —— 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,275 -16.33
440 440 —— 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,320 -13.71
455–491 481 —— 7 297.50–310.00 $303.14 $1,458 -6.89
535 535 —— 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,391 +20.00
570 570 —— 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,525 +47.50
630 630 —— 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,575 +26.62
670 670 —— 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,608 —
885 885 (<2 yrs)N/A 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,682 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,170 +40.13
460 460 1 292.50 $292.50 $1,346 —
558 558 4 245.00 $245.00 $1,367 +10.00
645 645 2 245.00 $245.00 $1,580 —
655 655 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,474 —
705 705 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,586 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,059 -8.87
300–342 322 7 380.00–412.50 $389.09 $1,253 +28.96

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1240 1040 80-85% 5 125.00–140.00 $131.00 $1,362 —
1295 1295 80-85% 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,878 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1085 980 85-90% 3 119.00–130.00 $124.68 $1,222 +2.55
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200 1200 75-80% 1 133.00 $133.00 $1,596 —
1370–1535 1453 75-80% 2 146.00–150.00 $147.89 $2,149 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215 1215 1 141.00 $141.00 $1,713 —
2080 2080 1 170.00 $170.00 $3,536 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1235 1235 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,667
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
990 990 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,386
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
825 825 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 103.00 $103.00 $850
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
785 785 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 90.00 $90.00 $706
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
740 740 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 80.00 $80.00 $592

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1020 1020 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00

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Barrows & Gilts

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
115–192 169 16 60.00–102.50 $89.05 $150 +14.99
235–250 243 5 55.00–80.00 $68.97 $168 —

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Boars

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345–385 370 3 5.00–7.50 $6.21 $23 —
600–645 623 2 5.00 $5.00 $31 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
30 30 1 130.00 $130.00 —
40 40 1 135.00 $135.00 —
70 70 1 160.00 $160.00 +22.50
90 90 1 210.00 $210.00 +72.50
100 100 1 175.00 $175.00 +25.00

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Kids

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
10 10 3 30.00 $30.00 —
20 20 1 60.00 $60.00 —
30 30 1 107.50 $107.50 —
30 30 2 30.00–35.00 $32.50 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
50 50 2 140.00–185.00 $162.50 —
80 80 1 180.00 $180.00 —

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Sows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 1 67.50 $67.50 $371 —

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Wether Kids

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
20 20 1 52.50 $52.50 —

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Wethers

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
40 40 1 140.00 $140.00 —
50 50 2 150.00 $150.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.