Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 21, 2022

257 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $138.14/cwt +2.68 vs last sale · ≈ $529/hd at 383 lb · 15 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 steers $156.82/cwt +3.49 vs last sale · ≈ $588/hd at 375 lb · 15 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $150.68/cwt -11.99 vs last sale · ≈ $642/hd at 426 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 257 410 288
Feeder cattle 217 357 241
Slaughter cattle 38 47 47
Replacement cattle 2 6 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were 2.00 to 4.00 lower and slaughter bulls were 7.00 to 8.00 lower. Feeder cattle were mixed, 10.00 lower to 5.00 higher. Demand, market activity, and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were fairly light due to a heat advisory and a severe thunderstorm watch in the area. 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
312–332 323 7 143.00–155.00 $147.70 $477 -8.31
352–382 373 13 155.00–163.00 $158.40 $591 +3.43
380–394 387 2 145.00–148.00 $146.53 $567 -8.44
408–434 fancy 421 2 159.00–162.00 $160.45 $675 —
404–444 427 11 146.00–153.00 $148.90 $636 -4.89
538–544 539 5 144.00–150.00 $148.79 $802 +4.23
635 635 3 141.00 $141.00 $895 ±0.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
268–276 272 2 129.00–133.00 $130.97 $356 -7.09
310–346 334 4 130.00–136.00 $131.51 $439 +2.49
360–396 380 4 130.00–137.00 $132.82 $505 +8.72
414–444 431 3 132.00–140.00 $136.07 $586 +7.11
474 474 2 130.00–131.00 $130.50 $619 —
752–768 760 2 119.00–129.00 $124.05 $943 —
964–970 969 8 121.00–125.00 $124.50 $1,206 —
1110 1110 2 117.00 $117.00 $1,299 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 2 112.00–116.00 $114.05 $422 —
402–440 421 2 93.00–101.00 $97.18 $409 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364–388 374 3 130.00–131.00 $130.68 $489 -4.16
385 value added 385 12 140.00 $140.00 $539 —
420–428 423 3 127.00–132.00 $130.01 $550 -1.99
450–498 472 4 125.00–132.00 $129.04 $609 -9.58
550–572 561 2 122.00–125.00 $123.47 $693 -3.20
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
336–346 340 3 116.00–125.00 $120.32 $409 -2.72
356–398 377 3 125.00 $125.00 $471 +2.42
630–640 636 3 110.00–114.00 $112.66 $717 —
672–676 674 2 110.00–114.00 $111.99 $755 —
700–724 711 3 110.00–113.00 $111.65 $794 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306 306 2 98.00–104.00 $101.00 $309 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
506–516 511 2 114.00–120.00 $116.97 $598 -6.24
606–614 610 2 110.00–115.00 $112.52 $686 -0.20
650 650 5 117.00 $117.00 $760 +6.00
688–694 691 2 80.00–84.00 $81.99 $567 -29.01
741 741 7 111.00 $111.00 $823 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456–476 fancy 466 2 159.00 $159.00 $741 —
452–498 475 4 144.00–148.00 $146.48 $696 +4.61
556–590 572 6 125.00–132.00 $128.46 $735 -9.22
Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
758–790 774 2 70.00–74.00 $72.04 $558 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740–988 872 85-90% 4 60.00–64.00 $62.20 $542 —
780–964 874 85-90% 5 50.00–59.00 $54.55 $477 —
1038–1046 1042 85-90% 2 34.00–35.00 $34.50 $359 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
984–1152 1061 80-85% 4 69.00–76.00 $72.87 $773 —
1114–1168 1135 80-85% 3 79.00–81.00 $80.00 $908 —
1172–1238 1205 80-85% 2 60.00–68.00 $63.89 $770 -19.96
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1428 1364 75-80% 2 61.00–65.00 $63.09 $861 —
1354–1590 1423 75-80% 4 70.00–77.00 $73.93 $1,052 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
982–1058 1020 2 75.00–82.00 $78.37 $799 —
998–1720 1532 7 86.00–94.00 $91.57 $1,403 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1062 1062 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
992 992 1 77.00 $77.00 $764 —

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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.