Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 14, 2024

472 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $303.84/cwt +5.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,133/hd at 373 lb · 29 head

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $255.93/cwt +15.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,080/hd at 422 lb · 27 head

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $262.08/cwt +5.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,006/hd at 384 lb · 24 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	472	295	399
Feeder cattle	394	265	345
Slaughter cattle	77	29	53
Replacement cattle	1	1	1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Feeder cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings of cattle were moderate. Cattle quality was average to attractive. 4 head baby calves from 100.00-230.00

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
345	345	5	319.00	$319.00	$1,101	-6.00
400–413	411	6	303.00–316.00	$313.89	$1,290	+6.39
474–482	478	6	303.00–310.00	$306.53	$1,465	+36.53

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
220–234	227	2	245.00–262.50	$253.48	$575	—
258–296	276	14	247.50–295.00	$271.01	$748	-39.05
302–348	328	20	242.50–290.00	$265.89	$872	-3.72
358–399	384	24	240.00–283.00	$262.08	$1,006	+5.77
401–448	422	27	240.00–275.00	$255.93	$1,080	+15.83
450–492	470	13	240.00–262.50	$251.00	$1,180	+12.59
508	508	1	217.50	$217.50	$1,105	-5.72
508–545	533	13	233.00–250.00	$237.62	$1,267	+14.40
599	599	2	220.00	$220.00	$1,318	-0.57
616–648	633	3	205.00–210.00	$208.38	$1,319	-0.40
718	718	1	160.00	$160.00	$1,149	-10.03
762	762	1	170.00	$170.00	$1,295	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
244–248	246	2	192.50–220.00	$206.14	$507	-5.31
260–282	273	4	197.50–232.50	$215.33	$588	-5.61
310–338	321	3	190.00–220.00	$204.06	$655	-10.92
350–392	371	5	202.50–230.00	$216.60	$804	-5.90
410–446	424	3	202.50–220.00	$212.25	$900	-4.68
468–496	482	2	200.00–217.50	$208.50	$1,005	+10.65
524–548	536	2	190.00–195.00	$192.44	$1,031	+2.61
562	562	1	185.00	$185.00	$1,040	+14.86
626	626	1	175.00	$175.00	$1,096	+5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
218–244	227	3	300.00	$300.00	$681	-10.04
260–296	280	11	290.00–317.50	$302.33	$847	+4.77
300–342	317	16	280.00–325.00	$308.32	$977	+10.38
356–396	373	29	275.00–320.00	$303.84	$1,133	+5.63
402–438	425	10	280.00–312.50	$293.51	$1,247	+5.70
450–491	470	23	245.00–295.00	$274.86	$1,292	-1.42
500–548	516	7	240.00–272.50	$260.39	$1,344	+24.14
552–574	569	10	240.00–250.00	$246.43	$1,402	+13.87
604–648	621	3	200.00–235.00	$218.43	$1,356	+7.00
656–690	673	5	200.00–215.00	$207.07	$1,394	+7.07
716–736	726	2	165.00–200.00	$182.74	$1,327	+2.66
764–784	774	2	170.00–200.00	$185.19	$1,433	+10.19
818–848	833	2	160.00–165.00	$162.45	$1,353	—
950–982	969	3	137.50–140.00	$139.16	$1,348	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
256	256	1	272.50	$272.50	$698	+19.06
310–336	319	4	247.50–270.00	$258.47	$825	+5.17
356–396	378	6	250.00–270.00	$262.61	$993	+11.06
410–446	431	8	217.50–270.00	$253.80	$1,094	-3.15
456–484	470	5	220.00–255.00	$239.80	$1,127	—
500–540	517	3	180.00–205.00	$194.65	$1,006	-14.38
552–596	567	4	180.00–205.00	$191.67	$1,087	-28.33
636	636	1	180.00	$180.00	$1,145	—
656–658	657	2	170.00–172.00	$171.00	$1,123	—
794	794	1	147.50	$147.50	$1,171	—
802	802	1	150.00	$150.00	$1,203	—
892–896	894	2	140.00–150.00	$144.99	$1,296	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
226	226	1	217.50	$217.50	$492	—
330	330	1	245.00	$245.00	$808	+25.00
366–388	377	4	195.00–227.50	$210.95	$795	-21.70
406–438	422	2	200.00	$200.00	$844	—

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
914–1790	1138	80-85%	24	110.00–132.50	$121.61	$1,384	-1.10
1134–1330	1261	80-85%	4	135.00–147.00	$141.90	$1,789	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
748–1002	879	85-90%	4	70.00–81.00	$77.47	$681	—
766–1276	974	85-90%	16	90.00–110.00	$98.88	$963	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1240–1678	1408	75-80%	5	127.00–142.00	$131.68	$1,854	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1038–1460	1247	6	127.00–142.50	$135.00	$1,683	—
1446–1816	1608	3	94.00–111.00	$103.24	$1,660	—
1450–2136	1854	5	146.00–156.00	$151.27	$2,805	—

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	Δ last sale
748	748	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	725.00	$725.00	—

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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.