Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 2, 2021

478 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $132.08/cwt +17.79 vs last sale · ≈ $687/hd at 520 lb · 24 head

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $127.50/cwt +3.11 vs last sale · ≈ $541/hd at 424 lb · 15 head

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 steers $153.48/cwt +7.91 vs last sale · ≈ $584/hd at 380 lb · 15 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	478	568	613
Feeder cattle	387	465	460
Slaughter cattle	91	103	153

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago, breaking type slaughter cows were 3.00 to 4.00 higher and boning type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher; slaughter bulls were steady to 1.00 lower. Feeder steers were mostly 2.00 to 8.00 lower on a very light test; heifers were mostly 13.00 to 14.00 higher; and feeder bulls were mixed, 3.00 lower to 18.00 higher. Demand was moderate to good; 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
252–294	280	5	134.00–143.00	$138.34	$387	+3.83
318–330	324	3	135.00–138.00	$136.66	$443	+2.29
310–346 fancy	329	6	162.00–169.00	$165.14	$543	—
356–396 fancy	379	9	157.00–166.00	$161.94	$614	—
354–396	382	6	139.00–144.00	$140.79	$538	-4.78
404–414 fancy	410	4	161.00–163.00	$161.99	$664	—
402–442	413	10	146.00–158.00	$152.90	$631	-2.09
466–494	480	2	134.00–140.00	$137.09	$658	-21.07
508 thin fleshed	508	2	125.00	$125.00	$635	—
506–530	521	3	130.00–135.00	$132.99	$693	-7.01
550–577	565	8	130.00–138.00	$135.25	$764	—
719 value added	719	6	140.00	$140.00	$1,007	—
798 value added	798	9	132.00	$132.00	$1,053	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
332–344	339	3	120.00–126.00	$122.35	$415	+7.09
402–436	416	5	120.00–126.00	$122.38	$509	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
262–272	267	2	99.00–100.00	$99.51	$266	—
318–336	325	3	110.00–112.00	$110.69	$360	—
368–396	385	3	100.00–103.00	$101.30	$390	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
308–346	328	9	130.00–136.00	$134.11	$440	+15.40
354–392	373	12	127.00–136.00	$133.23	$497	+9.11
400–448	424	15	122.00–132.00	$127.50	$541	+3.11
456–496	479	12	124.00–132.00	$127.08	$609	-1.96
502–544	519	9	112.00–123.00	$117.40	$609	+9.12
550–598	579	10	110.00–120.00	$115.50	$669	+13.24
606–640	630	9	113.00–120.00	$116.16	$732	+13.72
716–740	728	2	92.00–101.00	$96.57	$703	+23.07
900–912	906	2	93.00–97.00	$94.99	$861	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
272–296	286	3	110.00–120.00	$115.45	$330	+4.48
318–344	331	2	114.00–116.00	$114.96	$381	+4.96
352–374	363	2	110.00	$110.00	$399	+4.97
428–446	437	2	114.00–116.00	$115.02	$503	+12.47
520–532	527	3	95.00–100.00	$98.32	$518	+11.55

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
260–268	264	2	80.00–81.00	$80.51	$213	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
378–398	388	2	87.00–90.00	$88.46	$343	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
460–496	478	11	134.00–144.00	$139.73	$668	-2.53
500–540	520	24	128.00–136.00	$132.08	$687	+17.79
552–574	564	5	121.00–130.00	$125.82	$710	+16.79
560–574 thin fleshed	567	2	109.00–117.00	$112.95	$640	—
668–684	676	2	100.00	$100.00	$676	-9.00
718–746	732	2	108.00–110.00	$108.98	$798	+16.30
802–848	825	2	79.00–87.00	$82.89	$684	—
884–890	887	2	80.00	$80.00	$710	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
544	544	2	100.00	$100.00	$544	—
550–574	562	2	100.00–105.00	$102.45	$576	+3.94

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
790–924	857	85-90%	2	26.00–30.00	$28.16	$241	—
726–1364	1055	85-90%	20	44.00–50.00	$46.76	$493	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
982–1422	1167	80-85%	7	56.00–61.00	$58.13	$678	—
1222–1552	1366	80-85%	3	50.00	$50.00	$683	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1404–1408	1406	75-80%	2	60.00–62.00	$61.00	$858	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
980–1574	1185	3	57.00–62.00	$59.50	$705	—
958–1964	1490	4	80.00–85.00	$82.57	$1,230	—
1928–2094	1994	3	92.00–94.00	$93.30	$1,860	—

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
603	603	2	70.00	$70.00	$422	—
706	706	2	83.00	$83.00	$586	—

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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.