Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 12, 2022

342 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 $153.15/cwt -3.77 vs last sale · ≈ $735/hd at 480 lb · 14 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $141.94/cwt +3.36 vs last sale · ≈ $598/hd at 421 lb · 14 head
heavy 4-weight M 2 heifers $123.16/cwt -0.42 vs last sale · ≈ $594/hd at 483 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 342 454 405
Feeder cattle 267 396 297
Slaughter cattle 67 55 92
Replacement cattle 8 3 16

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 4.00 to 6.00 higher. Feeder steers and heifers were 1.00 to 4.00 lower; feeder bulls were 6.00 to 9.00 lower. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were fairly light. Cattle quality was average. "By the head" calves were 275.00 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
312–348 322 4 157.00–167.00 $163.50 $526 -4.88
354–396 379 8 154.00–166.00 $159.83 $606 +8.81
402–446 432 7 160.00–165.00 $162.53 $702 +10.76
456–484 473 3 150.00–156.00 $151.93 $719 -2.06
556–572 564 2 157.00–167.00 $162.07 $914 —
608–610 610 7 157.50–159.00 $157.71 $962 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254–278 267 3 133.00–145.00 $139.39 $372 —
374–398 386 2 127.00–128.00 $127.48 $492 -5.13
408–420 413 3 134.00–144.00 $139.35 $576 +7.52
420–442 431 2 120.00 $120.00 $517 -11.83
458–490 471 4 130.00–134.00 $133.03 $627 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
378–386 382 2 110.00–114.00 $112.02 $428 -0.49

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–318 309 4 136.00–140.00 $138.97 $429 +2.86
366–398 386 5 132.00–144.00 $138.01 $533 -0.16
406–442 421 14 136.00–146.00 $141.94 $598 +3.36
450–498 468 9 130.00–140.00 $135.23 $633 -2.37
510–544 526 4 130.00–135.00 $132.50 $697 -3.34
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
304–336 324 3 122.00–130.00 $125.53 $407 +4.02
366–396 381 2 125.00–129.00 $127.08 $484 +0.14
478–484 481 2 116.00 $116.00 $558 -7.58
468–498 483 10 120.00–129.00 $124.59 $602 +1.01
558–593 582 10 124.00–129.00 $127.53 $742 +5.08
604–642 628 3 122.00–123.00 $122.34 $768 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
604–640 623 4 110.00–118.00 $113.98 $710 -1.53
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
212–238 225 2 110.00–112.00 $110.94 $250 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–492 fancy 478 11 150.00–160.00 $155.64 $744 —
476–498 487 3 144.00 $144.00 $701 +3.68
506–540 522 5 140.00–150.00 $143.55 $749 +3.55
562–588 569 4 140.00–142.00 $141.48 $805 -7.00
600–628 605 9 142.00–149.00 $143.03 $865 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470–480 475 2 129.00–130.00 $129.49 $615 -0.25
512–532 522 2 135.00–136.00 $135.49 $707 -1.89
550–598 570 10 130.00–138.00 $134.71 $768 +8.16
606–636 621 7 130.00–137.00 $132.85 $825 +1.49
656–690 672 3 124.00–128.00 $125.63 $844 +4.62
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
752–776 764 2 90.00–97.00 $93.55 $715 +3.55
816–828 822 2 90.00–93.00 $91.51 $752 —
856–878 867 2 100.00–104.00 $101.97 $884 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
804–1066 915 85-90% 7 60.00–65.00 $62.36 $571 +9.07
884–950 917 85-90% 2 56.00–57.00 $56.48 $518 +3.19
776–1070 927 85-90% 5 67.00–73.00 $70.14 $650 +16.85
828–1096 958 85-90% 7 75.00–82.50 $79.05 $757 +13.69
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1124–1142 1133 80-85% 2 59.00–60.00 $59.50 $674 —
1112–1206 1155 80-85% 10 73.00–78.00 $75.89 $877 +0.86
1130–1236 1183 80-85% 2 82.00–83.00 $82.52 $976 +7.49
1162–1272 1209 80-85% 3 63.00–67.00 $64.63 $781 -6.45
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1372–1432 1402 75-80% 2 82.00–84.00 $83.02 $1,164 —
1398–1644 1519 75-80% 7 72.00–78.00 $74.57 $1,133 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1032–1168 1095 4 84.00–86.00 $84.99 $931 —
1118 1118 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,073 —
1850 1850 1 109.00 $109.00 $2,016 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
774–846 809 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 950.00–1,125.00 $1,016.21 +191.21
832 832 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,140.00 $1,140.00 +315.00
900 900 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 975.00 $975.00 —
Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —
1068 1068 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306 306 5 80.00 $80.00 $245 —

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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.