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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 13, 2021

405 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $128.50/cwt +2.53 vs last sale · ≈ $672/hd at 523 lb · 17 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $133.39/cwt +6.27 vs last sale · ≈ $634/hd at 475 lb · 14 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.38/cwt +12.66 vs last sale · ≈ $534/hd at 419 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 405 620 419
Feeder cattle 297 514 374
Slaughter cattle 92 93 45
Replacement cattle 16 13 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 4.00 to 6.00 higher. There were too few comparable feeder steers to establish an adequate market comparison; heifers were mostly 11.00 to 13.00 higher; while feeder bulls were mostly 2.00 to 3.00 higher, some 6.00 to 7.00 higher. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were mostly 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
218–248 234 3 140.00 $140.00 $328 +4.77
286–296 290 3 149.00–152.00 $150.68 $437 -0.81
308–344 328 3 150.00–152.00 $150.96 $495 +10.33
352–398 369 12 135.00–150.00 $141.68 $523 +6.96
408–432 420 2 130.00 $130.00 $546 +5.66
408–442 431 4 139.00–155.00 $144.30 $622 +8.66
460–490 477 3 135.00–141.00 $137.95 $658 +5.45
624 624 4 122.00 $122.00 $761 -2.76
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–322 315 2 120.00 $120.00 $378 -2.57
358–390 373 3 115.00–119.00 $117.28 $437 +1.49
402–448 423 5 114.00–127.00 $120.30 $509 +3.27
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
436–440 438 2 106.00–107.00 $106.50 $466 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
214–248 234 5 122.00–140.00 $129.11 $302 —
272–294 280 5 125.00–141.00 $134.27 $376 +2.13
326–332 329 2 135.00–137.00 $135.99 $447 +6.72
360–396 373 9 120.00–136.00 $129.38 $483 +7.78
404–444 419 12 120.00–134.00 $127.38 $534 +12.66
452–490 478 5 118.00–127.00 $124.75 $596 +11.12
524 fancy 524 2 141.00 $141.00 $739 —
506–546 526 5 114.00–122.00 $119.96 $631 +14.80
564–594 582 12 106.00–112.00 $111.02 $646 +0.04
608–612 609 3 106.00–111.00 $108.66 $662 +12.32
656–690 671 5 100.00–112.00 $107.76 $723 +2.76
756–762 759 2 89.00–95.00 $91.99 $698 +2.22
1274 1274 2 84.00 $84.00 $1,070 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
266–272 269 2 105.00–112.00 $108.46 $292 —
426–446 436 2 100.00–113.00 $106.35 $464 +12.06
460–492 474 3 94.00–104.00 $100.54 $477 -0.57
562–590 574 4 86.00–99.00 $91.07 $523 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452–498 475 14 124.00–141.00 $133.39 $634 +6.27
500–536 523 17 121.00–138.00 $128.50 $672 +2.53
550–598 574 6 116.00–130.00 $122.90 $705 +2.00
610–644 623 8 109.00–119.00 $113.71 $708 -0.60
652–692 674 6 106.00–116.00 $111.48 $751 —
702–746 726 4 100.00–108.00 $103.21 $749 +7.87
762–790 776 2 103.00 $103.00 $799 +10.04
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
449 449 3 114.00 $114.00 $512 —
452–456 455 3 105.00–120.00 $114.99 $523 +6.23
512–536 524 2 98.00–111.00 $104.65 $548 -9.68
568–596 583 3 97.50–107.00 $101.57 $592 -8.43
650–676 659 3 97.00–104.00 $99.63 $657 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
912–1406 1135 80-85% 28 60.00–69.00 $64.94 $737 —
934–1398 1214 80-85% 6 70.00–74.00 $71.69 $870 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
852–1040 918 85-90% 5 40.00–45.00 $44.02 $404 -11.11
720–1200 991 85-90% 14 49.00–59.00 $54.58 $541 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1586 1420 75-80% 6 58.00–65.00 $62.09 $882 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1032 1032 1 69.00 $69.00 $712 —
1100–2288 1544 6 85.00–95.00 $91.18 $1,408 —
1698–1944 1808 3 102.00–107.00 $104.28 $1,885 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
958 958 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 800.00 $800.00 —
898–1248 1073 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 2 950.00–1,300.00 $1,153.54 —
1172 1172 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,575.00 $1,575.00 —
974–1326 1200 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 5 800.00–1,250.00 $1,100.51 —
1036–1328 1211 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 1,400.00–1,500.00 $1,453.22 —
1456 1456 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
800 800 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 450.00 $450.00 -339.87
828 828 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 550.00 $550.00 -175.00
844 844 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 1 850.00 $850.00 +125.00

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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.