South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange market report — August 22, 2026

Moorefield, WV · Saturday sale · USDA report published 08/24/2026 · Sale days

Head sold

252

Last week 87 (+165)
Last year —

5-wt steers (500–599 lb)

$427.50 /cwt

$2,351 per head · 15 hd
vs last week —

7-wt steers (700–799 lb)

— /cwt

None sold in this weight at the latest sale

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***
USDA Market News reporter, August 22, 2026

Feeder steers — Aug 22

Steers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. No sale last week to compare. Last year = sale of Aug 13. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	No. 2 $/cwt
400–499 lb	11	477 lb	$418.77	$1,997	—	—	—
500–599 lb	15	550 lb	$427.50	$2,351	—	—	—
600–699 lb	4	625 lb	$363.50†	$2,272	—	—	$295.00 (1 hd)†
700–799 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$301.25 (4 hd)†
800–899 lb	—	—	—	—	—	—	$285.00 (1 hd)†

Feeder heifers — Aug 22

Heifers, Medium and Large frame, No. 1 and 1–2 muscle, regular lots, head-weighted by 100-lb band. No sale last week to compare. Last year = sale of Aug 13. No. 2 = lighter-muscled cattle, a separate grade line in the USDA report. These are kept out of the main price. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price.
Weight	Head	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	vs last week	vs last year	No. 2 $/cwt
300–399 lb	8	359 lb	$402.50	$1,445	—	—	—
400–499 lb	11	467 lb	$385.00	$1,798	—	—	—
500–599 lb	7	549 lb	$367.86	$2,021	—	+82.86	$340.00 (4 hd)†

Slaughter cows — Sep 26

Grade	Dressing	Head	Avg wt	Avg $/cwt	Range $/cwt
Boner 80-85%	High	1	1,300 lb	$160.00	$160.00–$160.00
Boner 80-85%	Average	15	1,438 lb	$140.84	$126.00–$150.00
Lean 85-90%	Average	10	1,320 lb	$131.02	$121.00–$147.00
Lean 85-90%	Low	2	1,108 lb	$78.13	$70.00–$85.00

Price trends

Steers 500–599 lb Steady

Latest (week of August 17, 2026): $427.50/cwt
4-week average: $448.75
13-week average: $448.19
4-week vs 13-week: +0.1%

52-wk low $325.00high $524.00

Sales in 4 of the last 13 weeks.

Steers 700–799 lb Falling

Latest (week of July 20, 2026): $345.00/cwt
4-week average: $345.00
13-week average: $361.22
4-week vs 13-week: −4.5%

52-wk low $325.00high $391.65

Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.

Heifers 500–599 lb Falling

Latest (week of August 17, 2026): $367.86/cwt
4-week average: $367.86
13-week average: $381.17
4-week vs 13-week: −3.5%

52-wk low $230.00high $415.65

Sales in 3 of the last 13 weeks.

Direction compares the 4-week average with the 13-week average: Rising +1% or more, Steady within ±1%, Easing −1% to −3%, Falling −3% or more. Weekly prices are head-weighted averages of Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 feeder cattle, regular lots.

The label describes recent prices; it is not a forecast. In our backtest of every barn since 2019 (about 35,000 barn-weeks), barns labeled Falling went on to beat other barns' average move over the next 13 weeks 61% of the time, and barns labeled Rising trailed it 56% of the time.

Last 52 weeks

Weekly average $/cwt4-week average

Price history since 2019

Weekly average $/cwt

When to sell: the seasonal pattern

5-weight steers

For 500–599 lb steers, prices since 2019 ran highest against their yearly average in Aug and Dec and lowest in Nov and Sep.

Each month's head-weighted average price compared with the centered 12-month average around it, then averaged across years. Past patterns are not a forecast.
Month	vs year avg	Years above	Years
Jan	—	—	2
Feb	—	—	2
Mar	—	—	1
Apr	—	—	2
May	—	—	2
Jun	—	—	2
Jul	—	—	2
Aug	+0.1%	67%	3
Sep	−5.7%	0%	3
Oct	−3.2%	25%	4
Nov	−13.9%	0%	3
Dec	−1.8%	67%	3

7-weight steers

Not enough history yet for a seasonal pattern.

Recent sales

Last 13 weeks. † Based on fewer than 5 head; treat as a rough price. Download the weekly history as CSV.
Sale	Head sold	Steers 500–599 $/cwt	Steers 700–799 $/cwt	Heifers 500–599 $/cwt
Sat Sep 26	182	—	—	—
Sat Sep 12	226	—	—	—
Sat Aug 22	252	$427.50	—	$367.86
Sat Aug 8	268	$470.00†	—	—
Sat Jul 25	293	$397.00	$345.00	$360.00
Sat Jul 11	97	—	—	—
Sat Jun 27	263	—	—	—
Sat Jun 13	629	$498.27	$391.65	$415.65
Sat May 23	162	—	$347.00†	$406.66

Special and graded sales

The last 12 months of this barn's special and graded sales, $/cwt, Medium and Large No. 1 and 1–2 regular lots (value-added lots where a sale has only those). A sale counts in the weekly trend only when it is a regular feeder sale: a plain special where feeder steers and heifers are most of the head. Graded, replacement, cow-and-pair, preconditioned and Holstein sales stay out.
Sale	Type	Head	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799	Heifers 500–599	In trend
Oct 24, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,415	$405.10	$336.35	$343.62	No
Oct 17, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,363	$410.00	$330.60	$342.00	No
Oct 10, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	2,809	$377.85	$329.55	$326.48	No
Oct 3, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,279	$408.62	$328.90	$352.02	No
Sep 19, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	923	$387.61	$321.78	$330.00	No
Apr 25, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	304	$480.00	$393.15	—	No
Apr 18, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,105	$527.73	$379.42	$416.54	No
Apr 11, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	1,923	$505.57	$416.57	$419.79	No
Apr 4, 2026	Special Graded Salegraded	598	$475.75	$392.01	$392.12	No
Nov 1, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	175	—	$320.00	$330.00	No
Oct 25, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	496	$417.13	$341.50	$349.67	No
Oct 18, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	949	$413.53	$328.75	—	No
Oct 11, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	2,295	$409.64	$344.39	$346.46	No
Oct 4, 2025	Special Graded Salegraded	1,600	$405.19	$340.00	$344.25	No

Nearby barns this week

Straight-line distance between towns. Barns tagged unweaned show unweaned-calf prices. Every West Virginia sale this week.
Barn	Distance	Sale	Steers 500–599	Steers 700–799
Preston Farmers Market, Terra Alta	41 mi	Oct 23	$375.00†	$310.00†
Buckhannon Stockyards Livestock Auction, Buckhannon	68 mi	Oct 21	$371.73	—
Weston Livestock Marketing, Weston	81 mi	Oct 17	$387.58	$315.03†
Jackson County Regional Livestock Market, Ripley	149 mi	Oct 17	$394.97	—

Sale days

Sale	Latest report	Head	Sales in 52 weeks	USDA report
Saturday	September 26, 2026	182	33	AMS_1878
Special Graded Sale graded	October 24, 2026	1,415	14	AMS_1886

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, “South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange - Moorefield, WV” (AMS_1878); “South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange Special Graded Sale - Moorefield, WV” (AMS_1886). See something wrong? Report a correction. Feeder prices are Medium and Large frame No. 1 and 1–2 cattle, $/cwt, grouped into 100-lb bands by average weight and weighted by head count. Value-added, unweaned and No. 2 lots are shown in their own columns; other lot types (fancy, fleshy, thin-fleshed, spayed, replacement) are left out. $/head = $/cwt × average weight ÷ 100.