Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 29, 2021

401 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 steers $158.91/cwt +17.89 vs last sale · ≈ $599/hd at 377 lb · 18 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $133.49/cwt +4.00 vs last sale · ≈ $760/hd at 569 lb · 17 head
light 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $133.95/cwt +7.79 vs last sale · ≈ $442/hd at 330 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 401 288 298
Feeder cattle 326 241 259
Slaughter cattle 69 47 36
Replacement cattle 6 — 3

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were steady to 3.00 lower, while slaughter bulls were 5.00 to 6.00 higher. Feeder cattle were mostly 6.00 to 8.00 higher. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings of cattle were mostly moderate. Cattle quality was mostly attractive.

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
220–246 233 2 145.00–158.00 $151.14 $352 —
262–296 283 4 150.00–165.00 $156.01 $442 +12.13
306–328 317 5 154.00–169.00 $161.37 $512 +21.37
354–396 377 18 150.00–165.00 $158.91 $599 +17.89
400–448 427 12 136.00–150.00 $144.17 $616 +6.39
508–542 524 3 132.50–141.00 $137.09 $718 +6.48
562–598 588 7 134.00–145.00 $142.27 $837 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–238 224 2 127.50–130.00 $128.67 $288 —
300–346 327 3 120.00–122.50 $120.77 $395 -9.73
366–394 380 2 130.00 $130.00 $494 +2.85
428–448 437 3 125.00–130.00 $128.29 $561 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
244–248 246 3 130.00–140.00 $135.83 $334 +13.15
266–296 thin fleshed 281 2 120.00 $120.00 $337 —
302–348 330 13 129.00–137.50 $133.95 $442 +7.79
354–392 371 10 126.00–138.00 $132.36 $491 +7.94
402–448 424 13 120.00–130.00 $124.17 $526 +0.59
458–498 479 9 117.50–127.50 $121.59 $582 -1.94
512–546 526 9 115.00–124.00 $119.09 $626 +2.98
558–588 575 5 115.00–123.00 $119.07 $685 +4.02
612–642 627 2 118.00–122.00 $119.95 $752 +11.55
668–693 688 10 107.00–116.00 $112.29 $773 +7.62
754–762 758 2 102.00–107.00 $104.51 $792 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–312 306 2 115.00 $115.00 $352 +3.94
354–396 376 3 107.50–110.00 $109.16 $410 —
414–438 428 5 110.00–118.00 $113.72 $487 -0.76
476–480 478 2 100.00 $100.00 $478 -8.96
500–546 516 3 100.00 $100.00 $516 -0.51

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454–498 479 11 134.00–147.50 $139.72 $669 +4.93
502–546 525 11 127.50–140.00 $133.84 $703 +0.19
552–598 569 17 127.50–140.00 $133.49 $760 +4.00
600–638 620 5 125.00–135.00 $127.95 $793 +7.65
650–690 675 7 117.00–124.00 $119.49 $807 +6.53
712–744 729 4 105.00–111.00 $108.75 $793 -0.24
864–872 868 2 102.50–107.50 $104.99 $911 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
506–544 522 6 110.00–120.00 $113.72 $594 +6.13
606–634 622 4 95.00–100.00 $98.75 $614 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–1544 1085 80-85% 25 64.00–71.00 $67.78 $735 —
946–1210 1099 80-85% 5 73.00–74.00 $73.40 $807 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
758–864 808 85-90% 3 68.00–71.00 $69.35 $560 —
824–840 832 85-90% 2 38.00–43.00 $40.52 $337 —
730–970 854 85-90% 9 56.00–63.00 $60.39 $516 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1022–2188 1482 4 83.00–90.00 $87.35 $1,295 —

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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
1060–1154 1107 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
888 888 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 925.00 $925.00 —
Small 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
608 608 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 425.00 $425.00 —

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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.