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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 6, 2022

269 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $142.94/cwt +1.49 vs last sale · ≈ $613/hd at 429 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 269 349 387
Feeder cattle 204 309 339
Slaughter cattle 62 40 45
Replacement cattle 3 — 3

Market comments — USDA reporter

Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were fairly light. Cattle quality was plain to 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
268–286 277 2 150.00 $150.00 $416 +5.15
300–336 312 4 140.00 $140.00 $437 -4.49
352–398 373 7 140.00–152.00 $145.69 $543 -16.35
400–446 428 10 140.00–152.00 $145.43 $622 +0.02
428–438 thin fleshed 433 2 130.00–131.00 $130.51 $565 -3.04
450–476 460 3 142.00–148.00 $144.99 $667 -3.08
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
252–280 265 4 130.00–136.00 $131.46 $348 +11.46
304–332 320 5 121.00–131.00 $125.99 $403 —
350–398 376 7 121.00–130.00 $124.19 $467 -3.93
430 430 2 111.00–115.00 $113.00 $486 -8.98

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
294–296 295 2 119.00–120.00 $119.50 $353 -1.88
304–348 321 4 120.00–125.00 $121.48 $390 -11.86
370–394 382 6 121.00–129.00 $123.75 $473 -9.55
414–442 427 3 117.00–120.00 $118.64 $507 -16.02
502–524 514 3 120.00–126.00 $122.36 $629 -7.20
552–578 thin fleshed 565 2 110.00 $110.00 $622 —
556–598 582 7 118.00–126.00 $121.42 $707 -6.04
624–648 641 4 111.00–119.00 $114.00 $731 -9.49
718–742 730 2 111.00–113.00 $112.02 $818 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
226–228 227 2 114.00–115.00 $114.50 $260 +4.50
310–338 325 3 111.00–113.00 $112.03 $364 —
350–358 354 2 111.00–116.00 $113.47 $402 —
480–488 484 2 107.00–113.00 $109.98 $532 —
510–540 528 4 100.00–102.00 $100.99 $533 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316–344 330 2 100.00 $100.00 $330 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468–492 480 5 129.00–140.00 $133.54 $641 -10.89
500–510 thin fleshed 506 3 120.00–121.00 $120.66 $611 —
501–530 509 5 135.00–139.00 $136.98 $697 +10.15
582–594 thin fleshed 588 2 116.00 $116.00 $682 —
612–636 620 3 115.00–123.00 $120.37 $746 -1.15

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
826–1018 922 85-90% 2 40.00 $40.00 $369 —
876–1244 1024 85-90% 12 49.00–54.00 $51.81 $531 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1424 1223 80-85% 9 58.00–62.00 $60.86 $744 —
1232–1609 1454 80-85% 5 75.00–79.00 $76.08 $1,106 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1316–1918 1551 75-80% 5 62.00–68.00 $64.55 $1,001 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1682–1800 1741 2 77.00–80.00 $78.45 $1,366 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
706–714 710 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 400.00 $400.00 —
774 774 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 600.00 $600.00 —

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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.