Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, September 23, 2021

440 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $124.89/cwt +1.65 vs last sale · ≈ $470/hd at 376 lb · 18 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $142.54/cwt +7.35 vs last sale · ≈ $600/hd at 421 lb · 18 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $120.97/cwt +2.65 vs last sale · ≈ $697/hd at 576 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 440 478 669
Feeder cattle 377 392 587
Slaughter cattle 63 81 82
Replacement cattle — 5 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaking type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher, while boning type slaughter cows and slaughter bulls were 3.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder cattle were mostly 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were mostly moderate. Cattle quality was average. Baby calves ranged 20.00 to 80.00 per head.

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
228–234 231 2 134.00–139.00 $136.47 $315 —
270–292 281 2 137.00–146.00 $141.32 $397 -5.90
300–338 318 5 140.00–151.00 $145.96 $464 -1.05
352–398 364 10 140.00–151.00 $146.90 $535 +2.47
406–448 421 18 135.00–148.00 $142.54 $600 +7.35
452–481 469 7 136.00–145.00 $139.57 $655 -3.71
536–542 539 2 125.00–130.00 $127.49 $687 -3.55
553–598 580 6 130.00–142.00 $136.50 $792 +3.54
602–631 621 3 115.00–125.00 $118.23 $734 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
186–192 189 3 123.00–128.00 $125.64 $237 —
206–216 209 3 121.00–132.00 $128.06 $268 —
276–286 279 3 122.00–131.00 $127.69 $356 +4.51
314–334 327 4 120.00–130.00 $124.01 $406 —
382–390 386 4 125.00–130.00 $128.49 $496 +5.46
436–446 441 3 112.00–120.00 $115.65 $510 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
222–224 223 2 115.00 $115.00 $256 —
432–446 439 2 103.00–104.00 $103.49 $454 +5.46

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
304–332 314 8 120.00–130.00 $127.24 $400 -0.29
352–396 376 18 119.00–130.00 $124.89 $470 +1.65
404–448 426 14 119.00–130.00 $125.91 $536 +8.92
456–484 473 11 120.00–130.00 $126.60 $599 +10.17
492–494 493 2 106.00–111.00 $108.51 $535 +2.57
502–535 522 8 113.00–122.00 $118.82 $620 +5.99
568–580 573 4 96.00–101.00 $99.26 $569 -11.94
560–596 576 4 116.00–123.00 $118.47 $682 +7.27
602–644 626 8 109.00–118.00 $114.48 $717 +0.99
660–694 673 3 100.00–105.00 $101.98 $686 +3.95
706–710 708 2 104.00–105.00 $104.50 $740 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
274–296 286 3 117.00–119.00 $118.01 $338 +4.56
312–322 317 2 110.00–119.00 $114.43 $363 -4.05
352–376 364 2 110.00–115.00 $112.42 $409 +2.25
430–448 440 4 103.00–110.00 $105.22 $463 +3.51
458–496 481 4 98.00–106.00 $102.05 $491 —
502–524 513 2 100.00–102.00 $100.98 $518 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454–498 480 13 124.00–134.00 $129.01 $619 -2.18
510–540 526 10 116.00–127.00 $121.62 $640 +3.61
552–592 576 14 114.00–126.00 $120.97 $697 +2.65
602–648 624 10 105.00–115.00 $109.89 $686 +10.65
656–690 673 13 100.00–110.00 $105.30 $709 +5.66
756–794 776 4 94.00–100.00 $96.95 $752 +6.35
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–478 470 3 111.00–115.00 $112.68 $530 +2.68
502–546 530 9 102.00–112.00 $107.35 $569 +6.63

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1100 953 80-85% 3 66.00–69.00 $66.89 $637 —
918–1450 1212 80-85% 14 56.00–63.00 $59.11 $716 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
816–1054 930 85-90% 9 47.00–54.00 $50.02 $465 —
1010–1338 1174 85-90% 2 38.00–41.00 $39.71 $466 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1384–1466 1417 75-80% 3 60.00–64.00 $61.38 $870 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1236 1188 2 82.00–84.00 $83.04 $987 —
1086–1792 1420 4 70.00–74.00 $71.41 $1,014 —

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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.