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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 17, 2022

399 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $148.81/cwt +7.33 vs last sale · ≈ $772/hd at 519 lb · 21 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $177.76/cwt +7.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,003/hd at 564 lb · 21 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $153.82/cwt -2.31 vs last sale · ≈ $653/hd at 425 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 399 590 233
Feeder cattle 358 513 207
Slaughter cattle 39 62 26
Replacement cattle 2 15 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, boning type slaughter cows were 5.00 to 6.00 higher, while slaughter bulls were 12.00 to 13.00 lower; there were too few comparable breaking type slaughter cows to establish an adequate market comparison. Feeder steers and heifers were mostly 7.00 to 10.00 higher; feeder bulls were mostly 1.00 to 4.00 higher. Demand was fairly good; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were mostly moderate. Cattle quality was average with some attractive. "By the head" calves ranged 125.00 to 230.00 per head.

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
284–296 287 4 148.00–155.00 $151.24 $434 +1.60
304–348 324 11 156.00–165.00 $160.29 $519 +14.60
356–398 375 12 154.00–168.00 $160.56 $602 +11.83
408–412 fancy 410 2 166.00 $166.00 $681 —
426–436 429 3 140.00–146.00 $142.32 $611 -6.70
402–447 432 11 150.00–164.00 $156.37 $676 +7.35
450–454 452 2 163.00–165.00 $164.00 $741 +9.87
484–488 value added 485 8 187.00–196.00 $194.87 $945 —
506–532 518 4 140.00–150.00 $146.20 $757 —
556–558 557 2 144.00–150.00 $146.99 $819 —
565 value added 565 19 181.00 $181.00 $1,023 +11.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288–292 290 2 137.00–140.00 $138.49 $402 +19.47
306–318 312 2 126.00–127.00 $126.49 $395 +4.35
350–398 379 6 126.00–137.00 $131.80 $500 +0.39
426–438 433 3 121.00–124.00 $122.66 $531 +1.60
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
160–192 176 2 101.00–106.00 $103.27 $182 -10.09
206–214 210 2 105.00–110.00 $107.45 $226 -10.13
318–348 333 2 100.00–103.00 $101.43 $338 -0.52

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
278–288 283 2 130.00–134.00 $131.96 $373 +2.41
314–338 327 3 143.00–147.00 $145.30 $475 +16.13
306–344 329 3 127.00–129.00 $128.01 $421 -1.16
358–396 378 9 127.00–136.00 $129.78 $491 +2.38
407–426 412 8 130.00–136.00 $134.33 $553 +7.70
434 value added 434 11 168.00 $168.00 $729 +2.00
458–498 485 14 124.00–131.00 $129.43 $628 +17.42
515 value added 515 16 157.50 $157.50 $811 +3.50
514–548 531 5 120.00–122.00 $121.00 $643 +2.05
600–608 604 2 120.00–125.00 $122.48 $740 +12.49
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
274–282 278 2 111.00–113.00 $112.01 $311 —
314–348 331 2 110.00–117.00 $113.32 $375 —
502–540 526 5 110.00–116.00 $114.04 $600 —
558–594 584 5 110.00–116.00 $113.84 $665 —
600–644 623 3 112.00 $112.00 $698 —
650–699 674 9 107.00–116.00 $112.18 $756 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
228–246 237 2 104.00–105.00 $104.52 $248 —
272–294 283 2 100.00–104.00 $102.08 $289 —
310–314 312 2 100.00 $100.00 $312 —
460–494 477 2 100.00 $100.00 $477 +8.69
502–544 527 3 100.00–105.00 $101.72 $536 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354–382 365 4 118.00–120.00 $119.27 $435 +7.13
414–426 421 4 116.00–120.00 $118.50 $499 +18.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452–486 468 5 137.00–142.00 $139.39 $652 -10.99
504–533 517 13 130.00–140.00 $134.29 $694 +12.79
550–598 thin fleshed 574 2 121.00–122.00 $121.52 $698 +4.52
550–598 580 8 128.00–135.00 $131.91 $765 +1.91
624–632 628 2 128.00–133.00 $130.48 $819 +19.68
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466–494 480 2 114.00–119.00 $116.43 $559 —
606–648 638 4 114.00–119.00 $116.80 $745 —
650–666 658 2 117.00–118.00 $117.49 $773 —
722–748 732 3 108.00–111.00 $110.01 $805 —
860–892 875 4 106.00–110.00 $107.75 $943 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
462 462 2 120.00–123.00 $121.50 $561 —
708–738 720 6 117.00–120.00 $117.99 $850 —
782–791 788 3 115.00–118.00 $115.99 $914 —
806–814 810 2 110.00–114.00 $112.01 $907 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
758–790 774 2 98.00–102.00 $100.04 $774 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
944–1262 1107 80-85% 8 79.00–86.00 $81.29 $900 —
1158–1426 1269 80-85% 7 93.00–98.00 $95.14 $1,207 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
798–1114 980 85-90% 8 68.00–73.00 $70.20 $688 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
956–1618 1270 3 88.00–91.00 $89.82 $1,141 —
1374–1940 1735 3 109.00–115.00 $111.92 $1,942 —

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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
790 790 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,200.00 $1,200.00 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
848 848 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 400.00 $400.00 —

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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.