Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 3, 2022

350 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $169.78/cwt +27.55 vs last sale · ≈ $803/hd at 473 lb · 18 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $131.06/cwt +4.68 vs last sale · ≈ $686/hd at 523 lb · 13 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $184.06/cwt +26.56 vs last sale · ≈ $865/hd at 470 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 350 574 350
Feeder cattle 271 480 281
Slaughter cattle 64 92 67
Replacement cattle 15 2 2

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were 3.00 to 4.00 higher and slaughter bulls were 6.00 to 7.00 higher. Feeder steers were sharply higher; heifers were steady to 12.00 higher; and feeder bulls were mostly 16.00 to 17.00 higher. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings of cattle were fairly light. Cattle quality was average to attractive. Baby calves ranged 110.00 to 140.00 per head; "by the head" calves were 80.00 to 150.00.

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
238 238 2 153.00–160.00 $156.50 $372 +6.41
250–298 269 6 160.00–170.00 $164.26 $442 +8.67
306–330 thin fleshed 318 2 160.00 $160.00 $509 —
314–324 319 2 165.00–170.00 $167.46 $534 +16.56
362–391 375 5 180.00–188.00 $184.25 $691 +41.67
402–438 421 10 175.00–190.00 $184.18 $775 +33.44
416–438 427 2 170.00–174.00 $172.05 $735 +28.31
454–486 470 13 179.00–190.00 $184.06 $865 +26.56
510–524 517 4 164.00–177.00 $169.26 $875 +21.26
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
372 fancy 372 2 161.00 $161.00 $599 —
354–396 375 2 144.00–150.00 $146.83 $551 +16.36
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406–414 410 2 111.00–120.00 $115.54 $474 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
238–248 243 2 133.00–138.00 $135.55 $329 —
280–298 290 4 145.00–149.00 $146.76 $426 +17.80
330–344 335 3 141.00–150.00 $144.98 $486 +4.62
350–390 371 8 137.00–148.00 $142.05 $527 +5.80
406–440 420 5 135.00–144.00 $138.52 $582 +0.89
406–436 fancy 421 2 147.00–150.00 $148.45 $625 —
470–498 482 11 135.00–145.00 $139.44 $672 +11.34
500–538 520 10 130.00–139.00 $134.27 $698 +11.95
518–544 535 3 118.00–125.00 $120.37 $644 +6.01
552–580 569 6 121.00–130.00 $125.31 $713 +3.25
602–634 618 3 113.00–118.00 $115.64 $715 +5.14
652–662 657 3 110.00–115.00 $113.01 $742 +1.83
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502–528 515 2 102.00–110.00 $106.10 $546 -2.17

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–462 455 4 165.00–172.00 $169.52 $771 +25.92
475–484 fancy 477 7 180.00–184.00 $180.58 $861 —
478–486 479 7 154.00–160.00 $159.13 $762 +15.53
510–522 fancy 516 2 160.00–165.00 $162.47 $838 —
520–528 524 2 146.00–148.00 $147.01 $770 +9.64
550–584 571 8 148.00–156.00 $152.72 $872 +16.06
574–596 thin fleshed 585 2 128.00–135.00 $131.57 $770 —
620–632 626 2 122.00–126.00 $124.02 $776 +3.06
658–694 674 4 118.00–130.00 $123.94 $835 +12.25
708–718 713 2 110.00 $110.00 $784 -1.49
764–792 778 2 109.00–110.00 $109.49 $852 -2.48
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
622–624 623 2 95.00–98.00 $96.50 $601 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
936–1282 1166 80-85% 5 86.00–87.00 $86.59 $1,010 —
956–1840 1196 80-85% 11 74.00–79.00 $75.69 $905 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
894–1004 949 85-90% 2 44.00–50.00 $47.17 $448 -13.89
848–1134 990 85-90% 6 63.00–66.00 $64.60 $640 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1398 1398 75-80% 1 74.00 $74.00 $1,035 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1902 1446 2 90.00–95.00 $93.29 $1,349 —
1626–2380 1942 4 110.00–115.00 $113.05 $2,195 +5.52

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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
862–910 886 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,075.00–1,100.00 $1,087.84 —
960–1198 1043 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 1,250.00–1,325.00 $1,277.27 —
916–1270 1050 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 4 650.00–825.00 $724.76 —
1102 1102 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
914 914 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 500.00 $500.00 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
694 694 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 675.00 $675.00 —
Small 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
744 744 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 650.00 $650.00 —

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
394 394 1 92.00 $92.00 $362 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
144 thin fleshed 144 1 52.50 $52.50 $76 —
160 160 1 72.50 $72.50 $116 —
242 242 1 94.00 $94.00 $227 —

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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.