Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 9, 2023

415 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers $205.19/cwt +46.19 vs last sale · ≈ $874/hd at 426 lb · 27 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $165.57/cwt +28.12 vs last sale · ≈ $618/hd at 373 lb · 22 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 bulls $196.38/cwt +55.14 vs last sale · ≈ $949/hd at 483 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 415 126 387
Feeder cattle 384 108 318
Slaughter cattle 31 18 69

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were sharply higher. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings of cattle were 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
244 244 2 172.50–219.00 $195.75 $478 —
258–292 277 6 171.00–220.00 $194.33 $538 —
312–348 332 9 171.00–226.00 $207.80 $690 +62.80
336 336 1 163.00 $163.00 $548 +18.00
358–395 385 13 170.00–216.00 $203.73 $784 +52.31
398 398 1 164.00 $164.00 $653 —
402–448 426 27 170.00–220.00 $205.19 $874 +46.19
460–492 478 9 190.00–212.00 $205.58 $983 —
500–533 525 5 180.00–191.00 $188.29 $989 —
576 576 1 170.00 $170.00 $979 —
608–624 614 5 154.00–191.00 $172.58 $1,060 —
654 654 1 152.00 $152.00 $994 —
718 718 1 156.00 $156.00 $1,120 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
208–224 219 3 122.00–140.00 $131.12 $287 +10.12
286 286 1 140.00 $140.00 $400 +2.00
312–344 331 3 140.00–162.00 $150.17 $497 +8.18
354–388 369 4 150.00–161.00 $156.61 $578 +27.79
430–432 431 2 150.00–156.00 $152.99 $659 +16.92
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
206 206 1 104.00 $104.00 $214 —
296 296 1 110.00 $110.00 $326 +5.86
324–348 333 3 104.00–133.00 $115.08 $383 —
388 388 1 130.00 $130.00 $504 +18.00
400–446 419 5 100.00–126.00 $108.62 $455 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
202–234 221 5 140.00–167.00 $152.18 $336 —
252–296 282 8 141.00–171.00 $158.95 $448 —
302–346 328 7 140.00–175.00 $158.81 $521 +24.81
350–398 373 22 140.00–178.00 $165.57 $618 +28.12
406–448 426 18 140.00–173.00 $163.21 $695 +33.21
454–497 477 18 139.00–178.00 $160.61 $766 +30.59
500–546 527 19 130.00–159.00 $147.49 $777 +25.03
550–598 575 12 130.00–150.00 $138.35 $796 —
604–648 620 9 126.00–140.00 $134.18 $832 —
650–688 668 7 120.00–136.00 $130.58 $872 —
730 730 1 131.00 $131.00 $956 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200–240 220 2 123.00–128.00 $125.73 $277 —
254 254 1 135.00 $135.00 $343 +25.00
308 308 1 130.00 $130.00 $400 +13.55
386 386 1 127.00 $127.00 $490 —
400–420 411 3 123.00–129.00 $126.62 $520 +16.82
510–522 516 2 111.00–120.00 $115.55 $596 —
596 596 1 104.00 $104.00 $620 —
656 656 1 87.50 $87.50 $574 —
752 752 1 80.00 $80.00 $602 -1.00
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–230 220 4 90.00–110.00 $95.99 $211 -3.50
368–398 383 4 90.00–110.00 $97.56 $374 -4.41
402 402 1 71.00 $71.00 $285 —
402–442 422 3 90.00–105.00 $99.19 $419 +14.19

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–499 483 19 177.00–210.00 $196.38 $949 +55.14
500–544 518 10 157.00–196.00 $179.52 $930 +48.52
552–594 577 9 140.00–187.00 $162.29 $936 —
613 613 2 120.00 $120.00 $736 +1.00
600–640 619 15 126.00–159.00 $141.07 $873 +22.07
650–676 667 6 131.00–144.00 $137.79 $919 —
700–724 713 3 120.00–130.00 $125.61 $896 +12.61
758 758 1 100.00 $100.00 $758 —
800 800 2 96.00–98.00 $97.00 $776 —
965–976 971 4 92.00–101.00 $96.47 $937 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–488 473 2 120.00–130.00 $124.84 $590 +29.84
500–534 517 2 110.00–138.00 $124.46 $643 +11.46
546 546 1 100.00 $100.00 $546 —
624 624 1 110.00 $110.00 $686 —
826 826 1 82.00 $82.00 $677 —
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 1 103.00 $103.00 $499 —
734 734 1 70.00 $70.00 $514 —
768 768 1 70.00 $70.00 $538 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
914–1532 1095 80-85% 9 77.00–86.00 $82.32 $901 —
1070–1210 1144 80-85% 3 94.00–101.00 $98.34 $1,125 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1322–1770 1513 75-80% 5 80.00–92.00 $84.22 $1,274 -1.04
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
896–1068 972 85-90% 3 66.00–70.00 $68.53 $666 —
1030 1030 85-90% 1 43.00 $43.00 $443 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1206 1206 1 82.00 $82.00 $989 —
1058–1762 1439 7 90.00–107.00 $100.66 $1,448 —

↑ Back to top

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.