Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 19, 2023

488 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $197.45/cwt +0.39 vs last sale · ≈ $932/hd at 472 lb · 19 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $188.16/cwt -13.73 vs last sale · ≈ $993/hd at 528 lb · 16 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $182.61/cwt -3.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,043/hd at 571 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 488 495 572
Feeder cattle 402 439 499
Slaughter cattle 84 56 72
Replacement cattle 2 — 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were 4.00 to 8.00 higher. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were moderate. Cattle quality was plain to average. 8 head of baby calves from 60.00-120.00

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
312–340 326 3 210.00–215.00 $211.67 $690 -3.33
406 406 3 223.00 $223.00 $905 +18.82
495 495 2 205.00 $205.00 $1,015 —
512–542 516 7 202.50–215.00 $213.13 $1,100 +8.84
553–598 583 6 200.00–210.00 $203.16 $1,184 +0.66
604–641 624 12 190.00–209.00 $201.90 $1,260 +12.90
658 658 1 192.50 $192.50 $1,267 +8.74
782 782 2 197.00 $197.00 $1,541 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 1 185.00 $185.00 $906 —
502 502 1 180.00 $180.00 $904 —
560 560 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,008 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468 468 1 160.00 $160.00 $749 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
266–294 286 4 195.00–200.00 $197.44 $565 —
300–346 316 6 190.00–207.50 $198.79 $628 +12.81
352–396 372 5 192.50–202.50 $199.54 $742 +12.46
402–448 423 5 185.00–200.00 $191.43 $810 +7.93
468 468 1 180.00 $180.00 $842 -17.06
456–494 472 18 185.00–211.00 $198.42 $937 +1.36
504–546 528 16 181.00–205.00 $188.16 $993 +3.36
550–588 571 16 175.00–190.00 $182.61 $1,043 -3.83
612 612 1 160.00 $160.00 $979 -20.00
618–642 630 2 160.00–175.00 $167.36 $1,054 -12.64
654–656 656 5 165.00–185.00 $181.01 $1,187 +21.01
956 956 1 137.50 $137.50 $1,314 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
246 246 2 177.50–182.50 $180.00 $443 —
260–292 274 5 175.00–185.00 $179.45 $492 +11.90
314–348 332 5 170.00–182.50 $173.59 $576 +5.31
354 354 1 182.50 $182.50 $646 +13.48
444 444 1 172.50 $172.50 $766 -3.80
484–494 489 2 175.00–180.00 $177.53 $868 +2.53
500–542 521 2 160.00–165.00 $162.60 $847 -10.40
586 586 1 170.00 $170.00 $996 -5.00
614 614 1 147.00 $147.00 $903 +7.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
282 282 2 165.00–170.00 $167.50 $472 +12.50
324 324 1 165.00 $165.00 $535 +6.65
372 372 1 155.00 $155.00 $577 —
406–448 421 3 150.00–160.00 $156.79 $660 +6.79
456–490 478 6 140.00–162.50 $153.70 $735 -1.30
500–540 520 2 140.00–157.50 $148.41 $772 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
256–280 270 4 200.00–215.00 $210.09 $567 +8.44
302–348 327 14 195.00–220.00 $206.14 $674 +6.14
358–370 364 5 195.00–220.00 $205.45 $748 -19.96
402–447 429 13 195.00–207.00 $202.09 $867 +12.09
450–478 458 6 190.00–200.00 $195.87 $897 +4.60
500–542 516 15 178.00–202.50 $184.74 $953 -26.78
558–588 576 14 178.00–192.50 $184.13 $1,061 +4.01
614–640 627 9 160.00–170.00 $168.09 $1,054 -8.85
652–698 675 2 155.00–160.00 $157.41 $1,063 -2.59
696 696 1 140.00 $140.00 $974 -20.00
702–738 726 4 140.00–145.00 $142.53 $1,035 -0.04
750–760 755 2 140.00–165.00 $152.58 $1,152 —
930 930 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,256 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
228 228 1 180.00 $180.00 $410 -9.36
268–276 273 3 177.50–192.50 $183.26 $500 +2.71
300–346 329 3 180.00–190.00 $183.46 $604 +2.23
358–396 380 5 170.00–190.00 $182.77 $695 +8.00
420–448 435 7 180.00–190.00 $186.80 $813 +7.93
468–496 484 10 170.00–190.00 $182.93 $885 +8.12
542 542 1 160.00 $160.00 $867 -1.59
552–594 575 7 157.50–172.50 $163.59 $941 +3.59
600–646 619 7 120.00–160.00 $139.09 $861 —
654–696 680 6 130.00–152.50 $142.31 $968 -17.69
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
256–274 265 2 162.50–170.00 $166.38 $441 -3.62
302–312 307 2 165.00–172.50 $168.81 $518 +5.02
386–398 392 2 167.50–170.00 $168.73 $661 +6.48
422–444 434 4 152.50–162.50 $158.81 $689 -1.37
460–492 480 4 140.00–160.00 $151.83 $729 +11.83
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
208 208 1 150.00 $150.00 $312 —
260 260 1 140.00 $140.00 $364 —
366–374 370 3 140.00–150.00 $145.82 $540 -0.83
408–444 425 4 130.00–142.50 $138.14 $587 -1.86
450–462 456 3 140.00–147.50 $142.47 $650 +7.47

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
784–1258 1008 85-90% 12 54.00–74.00 $66.55 $671 -13.14
888–1356 1113 85-90% 15 74.00–85.00 $79.72 $887 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1152 1152 75-80% 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,428 —
1260–2184 1585 75-80% 7 88.00–100.00 $91.70 $1,453 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
936–1206 1081 80-85% 7 85.00–98.00 $89.40 $966 -10.60

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1886 1559 11 100.00–124.00 $112.19 $1,749 —
1800 1800 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,620 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700 700 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 900.00 $900.00 —
726 726 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 625.00 $625.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
532 532 1 122.50 $122.50 $652 —

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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.