Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 27, 2022

386 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 $163.76/cwt +19.20 vs last sale · ≈ $695/hd at 424 lb · 21 head

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $125.00/cwt +5.62 vs last sale · ≈ $654/hd at 523 lb · 14 head

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $123.28/cwt +5.09 vs last sale · ≈ $706/hd at 573 lb · 13 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	386	407	110
Feeder cattle	304	299	97
Slaughter cattle	82	106	13
Replacement cattle	—	2	—

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago, boning type slaughter cows were 1.00 to 2.00 lower, while breaking type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher and slaughter bulls were 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Feeder steers and bulls were mostly 13.00 to 16.00 higher; four-weight heifers were steady to 4.00 lower, while five- and six-weights were mostly 5.00 to 6.00 higher. Demand was fairly good; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were mostly 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
236–244	240	2	136.00–146.00	$141.08	$339	—
300–340 thin fleshed	315	4	139.00–140.00	$139.76	$440	—
300–342	322	8	149.00–161.00	$153.44	$494	—
352–382	366	6	148.00–158.00	$151.15	$553	-2.51
354–376 fancy	369	5	165.00–174.00	$168.76	$623	—
354–386 thin fleshed	370	2	144.00–146.00	$145.04	$537	—
406–446 fancy	421	10	171.00–178.00	$173.10	$729	—
400–446	425	7	160.00–165.00	$161.69	$687	+17.13
402–446 thin fleshed	431	4	140.00–147.00	$144.01	$621	—
450–470 fancy	460	2	170.00–173.00	$171.53	$789	—
478–498	488	2	163.00–164.00	$163.49	$798	+15.13
530–544	537	2	147.00–155.00	$150.95	$811	+1.28
554–586	577	9	150.00–154.00	$152.77	$881	+13.81
649	649	2	135.00	$135.00	$876	-1.50

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
280–292	286	2	124.00–134.00	$129.10	$369	+3.16
330–336	333	2	125.00–137.00	$131.05	$436	+8.77
386–388	387	2	132.00	$132.00	$511	+7.55
440–446	443	2	130.00–134.00	$132.01	$585	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
138–148	143	2	100.00	$100.00	$143	—
158–168	163	3	105.00–113.00	$108.07	$176	—
330–338	334	2	96.00–102.00	$98.96	$331	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
312–346	329	9	129.00–135.00	$132.38	$436	—
352–392	375	10	127.00–134.00	$130.00	$488	-5.12
416–446	437	9	125.00–128.00	$125.97	$550	-0.99
454–498	479	6	120.00–125.00	$121.84	$584	-3.10
500–546	523	14	120.00–129.00	$125.00	$654	+5.62
558–592	573	13	119.00–126.00	$123.28	$706	+5.09
602–628	612	4	118.00–124.00	$121.23	$742	+13.79
718–740	733	3	100.00–106.00	$101.96	$747	—
755	755	3	95.00	$95.00	$717	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
330–346	339	3	116.00–120.00	$118.01	$400	—
354–396	381	6	110.00–115.00	$112.24	$428	-7.18
406–410	408	2	110.00	$110.00	$449	—
452–462	458	3	108.00–112.00	$110.01	$504	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
350–354	352	2	90.00	$90.00	$317	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
454–490	469	4	151.00–155.00	$153.21	$719	+14.85
454–484 fancy	472	3	159.00–168.00	$163.41	$771	+14.43
508–514 fancy	512	5	152.00–163.00	$159.22	$815	—
502–542	521	5	132.00–140.00	$136.79	$713	-2.35
556–596	572	3	137.00–145.00	$140.58	$804	+14.31

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
518–540	528	3	109.00–114.00	$111.64	$589	—
606–610	608	2	112.00–116.00	$114.01	$693	—
702–714	708	4	108.00–111.00	$110.00	$779	—
810–824	817	2	109.00–114.00	$111.48	$911	—

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
666–684	675	2	94.00–96.00	$94.99	$641	—

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
742–1374	974	85-90%	7	39.00–45.00	$41.55	$405	—
764–1310	998	85-90%	11	53.00–58.00	$56.12	$560	—
910–1354	1126	85-90%	11	59.00–61.00	$59.56	$671	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1134–1198	1166	80-85%	2	76.00–77.00	$76.49	$892	—
992–1484	1286	80-85%	13	64.00–70.00	$67.26	$865	—
1264–1584	1389	80-85%	4	60.00–63.00	$61.77	$858	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1274–1564	1447	75-80%	3	70.00–75.00	$73.19	$1,059	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1206	1206	1	81.00	$81.00	$977	—
1282–1726	1504	2	94.00–96.00	$94.85	$1,427	—
1742–2234	2005	3	109.00–116.00	$111.75	$2,241	—

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
462–466	464	2	90.00–99.00	$94.52	$439	—

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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.