Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 28, 2022

388 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $135.08/cwt +1.70 vs last sale · ≈ $769/hd at 569 lb · 19 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $160.42/cwt +2.28 vs last sale · ≈ $689/hd at 430 lb · 14 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $148.06/cwt +2.63 vs last sale · ≈ $705/hd at 476 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 388 374 469
Feeder cattle 317 305 423
Slaughter cattle 63 63 43
Replacement cattle 8 6 3

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, breaking type slaughter cows were 5.00 to 6.00 lower, while boning type slaughter cows and slaughter bulls were steady to 1.00 higher. Feeder steers were mostly 3.00 to 4.00 lower, while heifers were 2.00 to 4.00 higher and feeder bulls were mixed, 2.00 lower to 4.00 higher. 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
354–382 fancy 364 3 166.00–172.50 $168.93 $615 —
372–394 383 2 141.00–150.00 $145.63 $558 -14.96
384–392 388 3 154.00–157.00 $155.68 $604 -4.91
420 value added 420 3 181.00 $181.00 $760 —
410–446 432 9 150.00–163.00 $156.98 $678 -3.92
430–436 433 2 145.00 $145.00 $628 -15.90
464–498 483 6 150.00–161.00 $154.39 $746 -8.55
486 value added 486 7 186.00 $186.00 $904 +13.00
513 value added 513 2 174.00 $174.00 $893 —
500–522 514 4 143.00–151.00 $147.24 $757 -3.15
552–582 571 3 140.00–144.00 $141.70 $809 +0.69
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254–288 278 5 137.00–147.00 $142.26 $395 +7.62
306–342 318 6 130.00–140.00 $134.94 $429 —
350–398 375 6 136.00–145.00 $139.50 $523 —
408–436 422 2 132.00–140.00 $135.87 $573 +1.06
470–486 477 3 130.00–135.00 $133.30 $636 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–442 428 3 110.00–120.00 $113.76 $487 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–398 378 9 132.00–144.00 $138.29 $523 -2.38
390–394 392 2 128.00–130.00 $129.01 $506 -11.66
414–448 430 9 133.00–144.00 $139.34 $599 +12.34
462–478 469 11 134.00–144.00 $138.56 $650 +2.01
500–546 517 7 130.00–138.00 $133.96 $693 —
554–596 572 8 125.00–132.00 $127.76 $731 —
600–646 621 4 123.00–127.00 $125.75 $781 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
282–294 288 2 130.00–135.00 $132.45 $381 —
308–344 326 5 125.00–130.00 $127.64 $416 +5.67
406–442 419 3 124.00–131.00 $128.22 $537 —
450–490 470 3 129.00–130.00 $129.67 $609 +3.67
502–542 531 4 120.00–125.00 $121.78 $647 -2.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
268–294 281 2 117.00–118.00 $117.52 $330 —
502–538 525 3 113.00–117.00 $114.96 $604 -2.09
552–586 567 3 111.00–116.00 $114.02 $646 -0.22
650–696 676 4 110.00–119.00 $114.35 $773 +2.34
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
664–698 681 2 100.00–106.00 $103.07 $702 -2.43
830–834 832 2 102.00–104.00 $103.00 $857 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452–498 476 13 141.00–154.00 $148.06 $705 +8.06
502–548 528 12 130.00–140.00 $135.70 $716 -1.17
550–592 569 19 129.00–140.00 $135.08 $769 +1.70
602–648 625 10 127.00–136.00 $131.28 $820 +3.45
662–696 677 9 124.00–129.00 $127.22 $861 -0.76
702–730 715 3 120.00–128.00 $124.66 $891 +2.13
766–770 768 2 128.00–130.00 $129.00 $991 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
720–738 729 3 110.00–114.00 $112.68 $821 —
788–792 790 2 110.00–111.00 $110.50 $873 -4.73
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–482 463 3 124.00–130.00 $126.60 $586 -5.79

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
816–1070 928 85-90% 4 35.00–46.00 $39.90 $370 -16.77
744–1098 981 85-90% 6 54.00–60.00 $57.76 $567 -10.28
900–1076 993 85-90% 7 62.00–68.00 $65.10 $646 -8.83
990–1042 1016 85-90% 2 70.00–75.00 $72.44 $736 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1230 1172 80-85% 5 60.00–66.00 $64.27 $753 —
1108–1256 1186 80-85% 6 67.00–74.00 $70.89 $841 —
1100–1266 1194 80-85% 6 75.00–81.00 $77.32 $923 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1330–1438 1384 75-80% 2 56.00–60.00 $58.08 $804 —
1378–1496 1454 75-80% 4 70.00–74.00 $72.30 $1,051 -5.81

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1650 1438 4 88.00–90.00 $89.32 $1,284 —
1140–1780 1531 3 103.00–109.00 $106.43 $1,629 —
1075–2038 1650 5 95.00–100.00 $98.08 $1,618 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
624–934 790 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 775.00–975.00 $869.87 —
900–924 909 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 850.00–875.00 $866.53 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
463 thin fleshed 463 1 70.00 $70.00 $324 —
564 thin fleshed 564 1 88.00 $88.00 $496 —
960 960 2 100.00 $100.00 $960 —

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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.