Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 21, 2022

374 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 $136.87/cwt -4.73 vs last sale · ≈ $712/hd at 520 lb · 17 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $129.03/cwt -3.73 vs last sale · ≈ $819/hd at 635 lb · 17 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $134.92/cwt -1.70 vs last sale · ≈ $571/hd at 423 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 374 415 510
Feeder cattle 305 316 459
Slaughter cattle 63 93 48
Replacement cattle 6 6 3

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaking type slaughter cows were 11.00 to 12.00 higher, boning type slaughter cows were steady to 1.00 higher, and slaughter bulls were 9.00 to 10.00 higher. Feeder steers were mostly 2.00 to 5.00 higher, heifers were unevenly steady, while feeder bulls were 1.00 to 5.00 lower. Demand, 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 $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 2 155.00–157.00 $156.00 $449 -9.33
300–342 317 3 152.00–160.00 $154.88 $491 -18.02
384–398 390 5 157.00–165.00 $160.59 $626 -4.76
425–448 436 9 158.00–168.00 $160.90 $702 +2.78
434–448 441 2 142.00–149.50 $145.69 $642 -12.43
468–480 474 2 158.00–168.00 $162.94 $772 +4.50
475 value added 475 3 173.00 $173.00 $822 —
506–524 519 8 147.00–151.00 $150.39 $781 +4.02
562–570 566 2 140.00–142.00 $141.01 $798 -4.27
867 867 8 125.00 $125.00 $1,084 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
256–286 271 2 132.00–137.00 $134.64 $365 -7.29
406–436 419 4 128.00–140.00 $134.81 $565 -11.21
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
244–246 245 2 124.00 $124.00 $304 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
322–346 334 4 131.00–144.00 $137.41 $459 +0.56
352–398 377 8 135.00–144.00 $140.67 $530 +3.83
412–446 423 12 130.00–141.00 $136.24 $576 -0.38
412–440 426 2 127.00 $127.00 $541 -9.62
454–496 474 14 133.00–140.00 $136.55 $647 +0.73
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–330 319 2 121.00–123.00 $121.97 $389 —
468–474 471 2 126.00 $126.00 $593 —
520–544 536 9 120.00–127.00 $123.78 $663 —
554–572 563 2 120.00–121.00 $120.51 $678 —
612–628 619 3 120.00–121.00 $120.33 $745 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
494–496 495 2 111.00–112.00 $111.50 $552 —
500–548 524 2 116.00–118.00 $117.05 $613 +7.05
560–594 578 5 111.00–117.00 $114.24 $660 -2.95
638–640 639 2 113.00–117.00 $115.00 $735 +4.67
670–680 675 2 111.00–113.00 $112.01 $756 +9.52
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
506–548 530 3 106.00–112.00 $109.98 $583 —
572–582 577 3 103.00–113.00 $107.70 $621 +2.19
694 694 2 103.00–108.00 $105.50 $732 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
464–468 fancy 466 2 161.00–168.00 $164.52 $767 +6.04
462–498 thin fleshed 479 3 137.00–139.00 $137.66 $659 —
470–490 480 2 140.00 $140.00 $672 -5.56
470–494 485 4 141.00–151.00 $144.44 $701 -1.12
500–548 520 17 134.00–143.00 $136.87 $712 -4.73
550–588 567 6 128.00–136.00 $133.38 $756 -2.32
625 fancy 625 2 138.00 $138.00 $862 —
606–648 636 15 124.00–134.00 $127.83 $813 -4.93
652–666 657 5 125.00–132.00 $127.98 $841 -1.66
706–725 716 2 120.00–125.00 $122.53 $877 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
773–784 774 9 115.00–117.00 $115.23 $892 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
616–628 622 2 107.00–110.00 $108.51 $675 —
858–880 870 3 81.00–92.00 $87.04 $757 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–476 469 3 128.00–137.00 $132.39 $621 +3.05

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
722–854 773 85-90% 4 41.00–50.00 $44.68 $345 —
756–1040 902 85-90% 5 53.00–59.00 $56.67 $511 +16.67
804–1058 971 85-90% 7 65.00–71.00 $68.04 $661 —
928–1036 995 85-90% 4 72.00–77.00 $73.93 $736 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1332–1730 1471 75-80% 10 74.00–80.00 $78.11 $1,149 —
1674–1688 1681 75-80% 2 84.00–86.00 $85.00 $1,429 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1172–1236 1205 80-85% 4 69.00–74.00 $70.50 $850 +0.16
1184–1274 1229 80-85% 2 77.00–81.00 $79.07 $972 +25.76

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1270 1160 2 96.00–99.00 $97.64 $1,133 —
1126–1518 1240 5 63.00–78.00 $69.48 $862 —
1558–1662 1610 2 105.00–112.00 $108.61 $1,749 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
606–738 672 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 675.00–750.00 $716.18 —
836 836 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 875.00 $875.00 —
984 984 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,100.00 $1,100.00 +387.59
994 994 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 950.00 $950.00 —

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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.