Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 27, 2023

310 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $169.95/cwt -1.76 vs last sale · ≈ $892/hd at 525 lb · 19 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $209.68/cwt -10.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,099/hd at 524 lb · 16 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $182.75/cwt -2.76 vs last sale · ≈ $775/hd at 424 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 310 293 380
Feeder cattle 284 243 317
Slaughter cattle 26 45 63
Replacement cattle — 5 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were mostly steady. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest was active. Offering of cattle was moderate. Cattle quality was average to attractive.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 2 220.00 $220.00 $766 +1.29
394 394 1 210.00 $210.00 $827 -5.00
410–446 421 10 207.50–223.00 $218.30 $919 +1.55
478–496 487 5 200.00–217.00 $208.50 $1,015 -10.21
500–546 524 16 197.00–220.00 $209.68 $1,099 -10.39
570–598 585 5 196.00–217.00 $205.99 $1,205 -3.03
608 608 3 190.00 $190.00 $1,155 -5.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
244 244 1 175.00 $175.00 $427 —
346 346 1 160.00 $160.00 $554 -20.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 1 190.00 $190.00 $714 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
336 336 1 139.00 $139.00 $467 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254–294 271 5 170.00–187.50 $177.89 $482 -4.61
304–342 323 4 169.00–192.50 $180.75 $584 -1.34
352–396 377 7 170.00–188.00 $180.06 $679 -2.69
410–448 424 15 160.00–192.00 $182.75 $775 -2.76
478–498 487 9 160.00–179.00 $169.41 $825 -6.58
504–546 525 19 150.00–181.00 $169.95 $892 -1.76
602–606 605 6 147.50–170.00 $166.27 $1,006 +12.52
666 666 1 143.00 $143.00 $952 +13.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
284 284 1 165.00 $165.00 $469 -5.00
364 364 1 144.00 $144.00 $524 —
460–470 465 3 140.00–152.00 $147.33 $685 -6.22
544 544 1 140.00 $140.00 $762 -2.17
570–596 583 2 130.00–145.00 $137.33 $801 +17.33
602 602 1 120.00 $120.00 $722 —
606–616 611 2 115.00–120.00 $117.52 $718 —
672 672 1 110.00 $110.00 $739 —
734 734 1 120.00 $120.00 $881 —
804 804 1 110.00 $110.00 $884 —
874 874 1 106.00 $106.00 $926 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
208 208 1 145.00 $145.00 $302 —
390 390 1 140.00 $140.00 $546 -7.05
400–442 419 4 130.00–150.00 $140.16 $587 -8.09
564–570 567 2 110.00–122.00 $115.97 $658 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 138.00 $138.00 $455 —
360–382 371 2 125.00–130.00 $127.43 $473 —
420 420 1 116.00 $116.00 $487 -16.50
466 466 1 90.00 $90.00 $419 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
274–284 279 2 200.00–202.50 $201.27 $562 -13.33
318–346 337 4 195.00–212.00 $206.00 $694 +3.57
366–396 385 3 194.00–210.00 $202.19 $778 +1.89
410–438 430 6 192.00–210.00 $198.71 $854 -1.15
454–498 476 5 184.00–213.00 $196.52 $935 +2.43
502–542 521 7 170.00–196.00 $185.36 $966 -4.64
552–592 574 5 177.00–189.00 $181.11 $1,040 +11.11
612–641 633 11 160.00–165.00 $162.83 $1,031 -1.40
674–682 678 5 136.00–160.00 $150.39 $1,020 -0.12
790 790 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,146 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
328–332 330 2 190.00 $190.00 $627 —
396 396 1 195.00 $195.00 $772 —
400–446 426 4 180.00–189.00 $182.19 $776 —
454–498 477 8 180.00–181.00 $180.12 $859 +6.78
508–536 517 3 135.00–165.00 $150.27 $777 +0.40
604–620 611 3 120.00–149.00 $138.45 $846 —
650 650 1 135.00 $135.00 $878 -5.00
710 710 1 130.00 $130.00 $923 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 1 160.00 $160.00 $592 -17.50
448 448 1 160.00 $160.00 $717 +3.46
470–498 487 3 140.00–160.00 $149.97 $730 -2.53
782 782 1 100.00 $100.00 $782 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1246 1156 80-85% 6 94.00–106.00 $100.48 $1,162 +1.74
1074–1376 1189 80-85% 3 109.00–111.00 $109.77 $1,305 +11.03
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
768–948 877 85-90% 4 50.00–78.00 $60.12 $527 -1.05
1010–1558 1211 85-90% 3 82.00–88.00 $85.90 $1,040 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1296–1370 1333 75-80% 2 98.00–105.00 $101.40 $1,352 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1408 1214 2 124.00–138.00 $129.88 $1,577 —
538–1646 1243 6 100.00–116.00 $109.01 $1,355 —

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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.