Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 26, 2021

274 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $125.19/cwt +13.31 vs last sale · ≈ $725/hd at 579 lb · 22 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $128.75/cwt +3.42 vs last sale · ≈ $676/hd at 525 lb · 15 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $144.19/cwt +13.86 vs last sale · ≈ $681/hd at 472 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 274 312 279
Feeder cattle 245 238 236
Slaughter cattle 29 74 43

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week slaughter cattle were lightly tested, breaking type slaughter cows were 6.00 to 7.00 lower and boning type slaughter cows were 3.00 to 4.00 lower; there were too few slaughter bulls the previous week to establish an adequate market comparison. Feeder cattle were mostly 6.00 to 9.00 higher. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were fairly light due to another week of excessive heat. 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 $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
262–288 279 3 135.00–140.00 $136.91 $382 -11.61
380–390 385 3 155.00–170.00 $161.60 $622 +22.93
404–444 432 8 138.00–150.00 $144.45 $624 +10.15
456–492 473 3 145.00–156.00 $151.86 $718 +18.27
506–518 512 2 130.00–140.00 $134.94 $691 —
567 value added 567 7 147.00 $147.00 $833 —
610–640 625 2 130.00–137.00 $133.58 $835 +6.91
678 value added 678 13 142.00 $142.00 $963 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354–394 374 2 130.00–135.00 $132.37 $495 +11.03

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
272–288 280 2 127.00–139.00 $132.83 $372 +5.95
308–314 311 3 125.00–135.00 $129.97 $404 +6.16
350–398 374 4 125.00–135.00 $130.05 $486 +6.64
402–446 424 8 130.00–137.00 $133.26 $565 +10.64
452–496 value added 478 3 137.00–140.00 $138.28 $661 —
460–498 480 11 125.00–138.00 $132.49 $636 +8.53
516–540 value added 528 2 130.00–135.00 $132.44 $699 —
510–544 530 7 120.00–130.00 $124.13 $658 +16.77
558–598 577 11 114.00–125.00 $119.37 $689 +7.49
581 value added 581 11 131.00 $131.00 $761 —
614–646 630 4 114.00–124.00 $118.93 $749 +12.93
754–760 757 2 113.00–118.00 $115.49 $874 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
382–394 388 3 107.00–110.00 $108.00 $419 —
486–492 489 3 107.00–117.00 $111.34 $544 +5.61
510–528 519 2 101.00–103.00 $101.98 $529 -0.02
584–588 586 2 100.00 $100.00 $586 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
212–248 230 2 100.00 $100.00 $230 -5.97

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452–496 470 12 138.00–150.00 $147.14 $692 +16.81
484–488 thin fleshed 486 2 125.00–128.00 $126.49 $615 —
500–548 525 15 124.00–132.50 $128.75 $676 +3.42
550–592 574 6 119.00–130.00 $124.95 $717 -1.28
604–644 627 4 110.00–120.00 $115.53 $724 -1.34
660–664 662 2 115.00 $115.00 $761 -1.51
902–916 909 2 90.00 $90.00 $818 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508–532 520 2 115.00–116.00 $115.51 $601 —
570–582 576 2 116.00–117.00 $116.51 $671 —
650–672 664 3 97.50–106.00 $101.11 $671 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1180 1027 80-85% 8 64.00–70.00 $66.50 $683 —
920–1270 1095 80-85% 2 77.00–79.00 $78.16 $856 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
802–1038 874 85-90% 5 52.00–57.00 $54.52 $477 +9.57
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1544 1322 75-80% 2 65.00–66.00 $65.58 $867 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1088–1302 1186 3 80.00–86.00 $82.20 $975 —

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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.