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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 4, 2024

330 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $205.36/cwt +23.04 vs last sale · ≈ $988/hd at 481 lb · 24 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $201.40/cwt +5.42 vs last sale · ≈ $749/hd at 372 lb · 15 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $213.07/cwt -0.51 vs last sale · ≈ $686/hd at 322 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 330 284 309
Feeder cattle 255 200 249
Slaughter cattle 74 84 60
Replacement cattle 1 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Closed 2 weeks for Christmas 6 head baby calves from 30.00-90.00

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
298 298 3 230.00 $230.00 $685 —
344 344 4 225.00 $225.00 $774 —
356–388 377 3 232.50–235.00 $234.21 $883 +9.21
467 467 3 229.00 $229.00 $1,069 +7.67
526 value added 526 10 220.00 $220.00 $1,157 —
542–546 544 2 205.00–217.50 $211.23 $1,149 +5.23
571 571 8 245.00 $245.00 $1,399 +39.20
640 640 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,248 +13.72
650 650 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,268 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
442 442 1 170.00 $170.00 $751 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 1 187.50 $187.50 $641 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
206–236 221 2 197.50–205.00 $201.00 $444 —
270–298 284 2 200.00 $200.00 $568 +7.57
312–348 325 7 195.00–223.00 $211.08 $686 +18.78
350–398 372 15 187.50–217.50 $201.40 $749 +5.42
404–446 425 8 187.00–207.50 $194.34 $826 +10.39
450–498 481 24 190.00–222.50 $205.36 $988 +23.04
500–548 530 12 175.00–212.50 $193.60 $1,026 +19.53
552–588 570 2 175.00–192.50 $183.47 $1,046 +14.72
612–636 631 5 159.00–167.50 $164.54 $1,038 -5.46
722–732 727 2 157.50–165.00 $161.28 $1,173 -1.22
856 856 3 140.00 $140.00 $1,198 —
928 928 1 137.50 $137.50 $1,276 -22.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
206–224 215 2 170.00–175.00 $172.40 $371 —
398 398 1 155.00 $155.00 $617 -19.95
478 478 1 175.00 $175.00 $836 +10.06
556 556 1 160.00 $160.00 $890 —
600 600 1 155.00 $155.00 $930 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–238 224 2 167.00–170.00 $168.41 $377 —
288 288 1 160.00 $160.00 $461 —
304 304 1 170.00 $170.00 $517 +10.00
530 530 1 130.00 $130.00 $689 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
204–228 217 3 140.00–155.00 $148.19 $322 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
185 185 1 185.00 $185.00 $342 —
236–244 238 4 222.50–225.00 $224.36 $534 +19.36
270–288 276 6 206.00–227.50 $222.07 $613 +7.07
310–346 322 13 207.00–222.50 $213.07 $686 -0.51
360–392 383 8 202.50–217.50 $212.12 $812 -6.93
408–442 431 4 200.00–210.00 $207.49 $894 -6.04
452–488 463 9 195.00–217.50 $204.87 $949 -11.52
526–530 528 2 185.00–195.00 $189.98 $1,003 -3.54
564–590 577 2 180.00–190.00 $184.89 $1,067 +6.25
622–634 628 2 180.00–192.50 $186.19 $1,169 +28.19
654–690 671 4 160.00–175.00 $168.60 $1,131 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
242 242 2 195.00 $195.00 $472 +13.49
252–286 265 4 182.50–197.50 $192.26 $509 -1.53
336 336 1 180.00 $180.00 $605 -19.21
406 406 1 180.00 $180.00 $731 -1.22
498 498 1 160.00 $160.00 $797 -10.20
574 574 1 162.50 $162.50 $933 ±0.00
700–730 715 2 142.50–150.00 $146.17 $1,045 +26.17
852 852 1 93.00 $93.00 $792 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
212–242 222 3 132.50–150.00 $142.05 $315 —
266 266 1 155.00 $155.00 $412 —
300–322 314 3 142.50–150.00 $146.60 $460 -3.40
370 370 1 155.00 $155.00 $574 +25.00
426 426 1 150.00 $150.00 $639 +7.57
660–670 665 2 80.00–102.50 $91.17 $606 +1.17
850 850 1 70.00 $70.00 $595 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200–220 210 2 165.00–170.00 $167.38 $351 —
314–322 318 2 167.50–175.00 $171.20 $544 —
376 376 1 160.00 $160.00 $602 —
418 418 1 165.00 $165.00 $690 +2.49
470 470 1 160.00 $160.00 $752 —
530 530 1 130.00 $130.00 $689 —
792 792 1 100.00 $100.00 $792 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
518–542 530 2 110.00–117.50 $113.67 $602 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
766–1004 883 85-90% 6 45.00–66.00 $60.84 $537 —
1034 1034 85-90% 1 55.00 $55.00 $569 -26.38
944–1290 1118 85-90% 11 74.00–84.00 $79.40 $888 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038–1126 1082 80-85% 2 105.00–117.00 $110.76 $1,198 +21.32
914–1384 1159 80-85% 15 84.00–100.00 $90.06 $1,044 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1284 1284 75-80% 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,361 —
1154–1706 1413 75-80% 10 87.00–100.00 $92.33 $1,305 —
1350–1580 1468 75-80% 3 80.00–84.00 $81.44 $1,196 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1084–1558 1314 4 107.00–125.00 $112.35 $1,476 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
792 792 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 800.00 $800.00 —

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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.