Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 21, 2021

509 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $120.74/cwt +1.56 vs last sale · ≈ $569/hd at 471 lb · 23 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $116.32/cwt -2.78 vs last sale · ≈ $676/hd at 581 lb · 15 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $125.86/cwt +5.70 vs last sale · ≈ $529/hd at 420 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 509 688 571
Feeder cattle 443 596 476
Slaughter cattle 65 91 95
Replacement cattle 1 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaking type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher, while boning type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 lower and slaughter bulls were 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Feeder cattle were mostly 4.00 to 7.00 higher. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were 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
210–238 228 4 125.00–134.00 $130.45 $297 —
264–282 274 4 130.00–140.00 $135.42 $371 +4.00
304–348 324 8 129.00–141.00 $135.38 $439 +0.62
354–398 373 14 130.00–140.00 $135.33 $505 -0.28
412–416 414 2 122.00–125.00 $123.51 $511 -12.42
402–448 431 11 134.00–146.00 $140.03 $604 +18.98
480 480 3 137.00–142.00 $140.33 $674 -6.32
506–542 520 5 130.00–138.00 $133.40 $694 -4.70
550–594 572 2 131.00–143.00 $137.23 $785 +1.44
600–632 615 9 136.00–143.00 $139.78 $860 +19.78
656–680 665 3 135.00–139.00 $137.00 $911 —
770–794 783 3 123.00–131.00 $127.37 $997 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
202–248 225 2 110.00–120.00 $115.51 $260 -3.67
254–298 274 4 116.00–120.00 $118.91 $326 -2.13
334–342 338 2 120.00–121.00 $120.51 $407 +6.12
358–386 369 3 118.00–120.00 $119.30 $440 +7.66
400–438 419 4 112.00–120.00 $115.67 $485 +1.00
478–490 485 3 111.00–117.00 $115.03 $558 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254–278 266 2 100.00 $100.00 $266 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254–298 276 8 118.00–127.00 $121.41 $335 -0.07
302–324 314 5 115.00–124.00 $119.64 $376 -3.63
354–398 374 6 117.00–121.00 $119.51 $447 -4.36
400–446 420 14 123.00–130.00 $125.86 $529 +5.70
450–496 471 23 114.00–125.00 $120.74 $569 +1.56
512–526 thin fleshed 519 2 104.00 $104.00 $540 —
504–548 521 7 112.00–120.00 $115.86 $604 -5.74
514–536 523 3 97.00–107.00 $102.73 $537 -18.87
554–578 fancy 566 2 127.00–128.00 $127.51 $722 —
628–640 634 2 109.00–112.00 $110.51 $701 -11.16
662–688 677 5 108.00–114.00 $110.99 $751 —
733–736 734 11 75.00–76.00 $75.46 $554 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
214–240 227 2 110.00–111.00 $110.53 $251 +1.26
252–294 265 4 104.00–114.00 $109.47 $290 +0.83
304–340 320 5 110.00–115.00 $111.01 $355 +2.96
374–384 381 4 110.00 $110.00 $419 +4.19
452–466 458 3 100.00–107.00 $103.97 $476 +1.81
500–510 505 2 90.00–91.00 $90.50 $457 -9.50
552–596 578 3 90.00–96.00 $92.92 $537 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–446 428 2 80.00 $80.00 $342 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
454–498 484 9 130.00–139.00 $134.55 $651 +6.44
520–549 533 7 117.00–124.00 $120.03 $640 +0.18
560–598 580 13 115.00–123.00 $117.53 $682 -1.57
588–594 thin fleshed 591 2 106.00–111.00 $108.49 $641 —
602–648 623 9 105.00–113.00 $108.78 $678 -2.50
662–684 677 5 104.00–107.00 $105.60 $715 -5.08
700–744 716 7 97.00–106.00 $102.12 $731 +0.08
863 863 3 84.00 $84.00 $725 —
929–944 934 3 80.00–83.00 $81.99 $766 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–494 474 5 104.00–114.00 $109.82 $521 +6.11
508–540 519 3 100.00–107.00 $102.75 $533 +0.22
566–596 583 5 98.00–103.00 $99.97 $583 -3.02
668–690 679 2 89.00 $89.00 $604 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
736–934 861 85-90% 3 26.00–30.00 $27.85 $240 —
728–1086 951 85-90% 8 45.00–51.00 $48.00 $456 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
992–1270 1113 80-85% 11 53.00–60.00 $56.63 $630 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1302–1630 1510 75-80% 7 57.00–63.00 $59.93 $905 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1034–1194 1114 2 66.00 $66.00 $735 —
1156–1522 1343 4 75.00–80.00 $77.51 $1,041 —
1720–2032 1876 2 90.00–91.00 $90.54 $1,699 —

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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
1132 1132 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 850.00 $850.00 —

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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.