Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 5, 2021

407 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $127.06/cwt -6.43 vs last sale · ≈ $729/hd at 574 lb · 17 head

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $143.51/cwt -0.66 vs last sale · ≈ $608/hd at 424 lb · 14 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $118.44/cwt -0.65 vs last sale · ≈ $613/hd at 518 lb · 13 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	407	401	258
Feeder cattle	335	326	197
Slaughter cattle	71	69	61
Replacement cattle	1	6	0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, boning type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher; there were too few comparable breaking type slaughter cows and slaughter bulls to establish an adequate market comparison. Feeder steers and feeder bulls were mostly steady to 8.00 lower, while feeder heifers were unevenly steady. Demand was good at lower prices; market activity and buyer interest were moderate to active. Offerings of cattle were mostly moderate. Cattle quality was average to attractive.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
240–248	243	3	137.50–140.00	$138.32	$336	-12.82
262–290	277	3	150.00–160.00	$154.03	$427	-1.98
302–342	322	4	159.75–167.50	$164.33	$529	+2.96
352–394	376	5	147.50–160.00	$153.00	$575	-5.91
402–446	424	14	137.50–150.00	$143.51	$608	-0.66
508–522	515	2	137.50–140.00	$138.73	$714	+1.64
552–592	574	6	130.00–139.00	$135.64	$779	-6.63
617	617	2	137.00	$137.00	$845	—
664–678	671	3	133.00–135.00	$134.34	$901	—
723–746	728	5	124.00–131.00	$129.56	$943	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
412–440	423	4	120.00–127.50	$123.75	$523	-4.54

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
224–240	232	4	127.50–140.00	$133.73	$310	-2.10
262–292	283	7	140.00–147.00	$143.27	$405	—
308–346	329	9	130.00–143.00	$136.53	$449	+2.58
360–398	378	9	125.00–132.50	$127.46	$482	-4.90
402–446	429	11	121.00–132.50	$126.27	$542	+2.10
452–498	478	8	120.00–129.00	$123.59	$591	+2.00
502–538	517	11	115.00–125.00	$119.52	$618	+0.43
512–532	522	2	112.50	$112.50	$587	-6.59
550–598	578	10	112.00–121.00	$116.67	$674	-2.40
604–644	624	5	107.50–117.00	$111.37	$695	-8.58
666–692	676	6	107.50–112.50	$109.27	$739	-3.02
728–748	738	2	95.00–102.50	$98.70	$728	—
760 fancy	760	4	121.00	$121.00	$920	—
762–796	779	2	100.00–102.50	$101.22	$789	-3.29

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
274–284	280	3	115.00–122.50	$120.05	$336	—
316–346	337	4	117.50–122.50	$120.63	$407	+5.63
356–398	381	4	115.00–122.50	$118.75	$452	+9.59
502–530	519	5	97.00–113.00	$107.18	$556	+7.18
558–572	564	4	105.00–110.00	$108.11	$610	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
452–494	478	5	135.00–142.50	$139.36	$666	-0.36
500–548	527	8	125.00–131.00	$127.25	$671	-6.59
554–596	574	17	124.00–130.00	$127.06	$729	-6.43
614–636	628	3	117.50–122.50	$120.82	$759	-7.13
654–690	671	6	112.50–122.00	$117.39	$788	-2.10
794	794	2	110.00–112.50	$111.25	$883	—
862–888	875	2	92.50–95.00	$93.73	$820	-11.26
966–994	980	2	89.00–95.00	$91.96	$901	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
558–574	566	2	112.50–117.50	$114.96	$651	—

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
936–1256	1087	80-85%	7	74.00–80.00	$77.53	$843	+9.75
892–1288	1125	80-85%	19	64.00–70.00	$67.80	$763	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
752–1312	973	85-90%	13	57.00–64.00	$60.35	$587	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1274–1282	1278	75-80%	2	62.00–64.00	$63.00	$805	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1080–2326	1684	3	108.00–112.00	$110.82	$1,866	—

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
1140	1140	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	1,200.00	$1,200.00	+200.00

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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.