Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 29, 2021

469 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Powell Livestock Market report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $140.86/cwt +7.29 vs last sale · ≈ $797/hd at 566 lb · 33 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $139.34/cwt -4.87 vs last sale · ≈ $592/hd at 425 lb · 26 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $129.11/cwt -3.36 vs last sale · ≈ $680/hd at 527 lb · 24 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 469 510 188
Feeder cattle 423 459 165
Slaughter cattle 43 48 23
Replacement cattle 3 3 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, boning type slaughter cows were 2.00 to 3.00 lower, while breaking type slaughter cows were 5.00 to 6.00 higher and slaughter bulls were 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder cattle were mostly 1.00 to 5.00 lower. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were moderate. Cattle quality was average.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
208–232 222 3 131.00–150.00 $144.07 $320 -3.57
300–348 329 4 148.00–155.00 $152.01 $500 -10.03
351–398 373 10 135.00–154.00 $143.78 $536 -6.29
402–448 425 26 133.00–149.00 $139.34 $592 -4.87
543 thin fleshed 543 7 129.00 $129.00 $700 —
562–598 566 33 129.50–142.50 $140.86 $797 +7.29
604–642 630 8 126.00–134.00 $129.03 $813 -3.30
674 674 4 129.00 $129.00 $869 -2.33
716–736 724 3 113.00–116.00 $114.33 $828 -5.13
801 801 3 115.00 $115.00 $921 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–242 231 3 125.00–126.00 $125.65 $290 +5.51
302–332 320 14 120.00–130.00 $126.24 $404 +2.51
408–444 421 7 115.00–129.00 $119.91 $505 -3.76

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
168–188 181 3 130.00–135.00 $132.92 $241 —
264–294 281 10 128.00–145.00 $137.00 $385 +5.45
380–398 391 4 124.00–128.00 $126.23 $494 +1.03
400–446 425 10 120.00–128.00 $125.06 $532 +1.45
451–496 474 13 120.00–131.00 $126.18 $598 +1.56
462–496 474 3 115.00–116.00 $115.33 $547 -9.29
500–536 516 10 114.00–123.00 $119.11 $615 -1.20
550–598 570 13 110.00–120.00 $113.58 $647 -1.11
606–644 625 4 105.00–113.00 $108.01 $675 -2.05
650–686 668 4 104.00–114.00 $109.05 $728 -6.54
708–723 719 4 90.00–101.00 $96.54 $694 -3.79
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354–384 370 12 100.00–116.00 $112.55 $416 +3.39
400–434 422 6 100.00–117.00 $109.33 $461 +1.11
454–498 472 3 108.00–115.00 $110.90 $523 +7.20

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454–492 477 20 129.00–142.00 $138.74 $662 -2.93
500–546 527 24 125.00–137.00 $129.11 $680 -3.36
554–598 571 12 120.00–132.00 $127.44 $728 -2.67
602–638 622 8 119.00–129.00 $124.51 $774 +2.43
662–694 685 4 112.00–118.00 $113.76 $779 +0.08
710–742 730 4 102.00–110.00 $106.48 $777 -1.83
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–494 476 6 113.00–126.00 $118.67 $565 —
626–648 639 3 98.00–100.00 $98.68 $631 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–980 945 80-85% 2 70.00–75.00 $72.41 $684 —
854–1190 1027 80-85% 11 59.00–65.00 $62.05 $637 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1076–1170 1123 75-80% 2 48.00–50.00 $49.04 $551 —
1212–1522 1377 75-80% 5 55.00–63.00 $59.37 $818 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
818 818 85-90% 1 62.00 $62.00 $507 —
802–1222 969 85-90% 5 53.00–55.00 $54.41 $527 +0.60

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1086–1562 1324 2 60.00–70.00 $64.10 $849 —
1116–2330 1667 6 84.00–90.00 $87.78 $1,463 —
2000 2000 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,880 —

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1002–1102 1052 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 925.00–1,150.00 $1,032.15 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
958 958 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 650.00 $650.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.