Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 4, 2024

412 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $263.09/cwt +0.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,121/hd at 426 lb · 20 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $260.45/cwt -8.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,237/hd at 475 lb · 20 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $290.85/cwt -1.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,237/hd at 425 lb · 17 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 412 387 178
Feeder cattle 343 321 143
Slaughter cattle 69 66 35

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Feeder cattle were mostly steady. 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 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
336–346 340 3 300.00–325.00 $314.86 $1,071 -11.14
358–392 375 2 310.00–315.00 $312.61 $1,172 -20.39
416–448 428 3 290.00–300.00 $295.02 $1,263 -22.51
456–490 463 17 290.00–310.00 $303.22 $1,404 —
512–546 535 4 280.00–290.00 $287.61 $1,539 —
604 604 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,450 -20.00
672 672 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,579 -28.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 1 247.50 $247.50 $985 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
206–248 227 8 242.50–292.50 $265.48 $603 +5.48
258–286 268 4 245.00–272.50 $259.63 $696 +11.11
306–346 327 12 245.00–285.00 $268.69 $879 -5.62
350–396 365 13 250.00–285.00 $265.85 $970 -4.45
400–448 426 20 245.00–282.50 $263.09 $1,121 +0.34
452–492 475 20 245.00–270.00 $260.45 $1,237 -8.27
502–542 513 13 232.50–277.50 $255.24 $1,309 +7.94
558–594 571 13 217.50–242.50 $229.35 $1,310 -16.52
616–630 623 2 215.00 $215.00 $1,339 -17.97
653 653 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,371 +10.00
722 722 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,300 +22.50
780 780 1 192.50 $192.50 $1,502 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
170 170 1 215.00 $215.00 $366 —
236 236 1 220.00 $220.00 $519 —
264–288 280 3 225.00–232.50 $227.36 $637 —
340–344 342 2 215.00–240.00 $227.43 $778 -10.07
380 380 1 240.00 $240.00 $912 +15.12
408–416 412 2 240.00 $240.00 $989 +18.23
454 454 2 232.50 $232.50 $1,056 +12.50
520 520 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,118 +15.29
580–582 581 2 210.00–220.00 $215.01 $1,249 +8.72
642 642 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,220 -7.58
710 710 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,172 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
226 226 1 187.50 $187.50 $424 —
324 324 1 200.00 $200.00 $648 +15.00
378 378 1 220.00 $220.00 $832 —
464–496 480 2 182.50–195.00 $188.54 $905 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
236 236 1 280.00 $280.00 $661 -25.00
284 284 1 292.50 $292.50 $831 -10.83
306–346 330 14 290.00–322.50 $306.74 $1,012 +5.65
352–398 366 7 280.00–320.00 $307.05 $1,124 +2.39
402–446 425 16 280.00–315.00 $292.62 $1,244 -3.86
432 432 1 262.50 $262.50 $1,134 +7.50
450–496 475 12 260.00–285.00 $278.63 $1,323 -12.21
508–548 529 14 245.00–287.50 $264.30 $1,398 -13.98
554–598 572 8 255.00–290.00 $265.97 $1,521 +12.74
578 578 4 237.50 $237.50 $1,373 -15.73
608–616 610 4 205.00–212.50 $209.36 $1,277 -3.14
614–648 630 3 220.00–232.50 $225.87 $1,423 -11.34
670–688 677 5 222.00–227.50 $223.19 $1,511 +11.97
718–744 728 3 185.00–200.00 $195.07 $1,420 -22.43
760–787 783 7 180.00–190.00 $181.39 $1,420 +4.39
880 880 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,540 —
904–915 912 4 155.00–156.00 $155.75 $1,420 —
968 968 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,597 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
372 372 1 265.00 $265.00 $986 -12.54
430–444 437 2 245.00–275.00 $259.76 $1,135 +19.76
454–488 476 5 230.00–260.00 $243.99 $1,161 +14.75
506–518 511 4 200.00–220.00 $209.45 $1,070 +5.40
580–590 585 5 182.50–220.00 $204.04 $1,194 -3.46
600 600 1 177.50 $177.50 $1,065 -19.38
682 682 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,279 +37.50
740 740 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,184 —
870–888 879 2 140.00–155.00 $147.58 $1,297 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
424 424 1 200.00 $200.00 $848 -20.00
468 468 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,006 —
576 576 1 165.00 $165.00 $950 —
630 630 1 140.00 $140.00 $882 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
216 216 1 190.00 $190.00 $410 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
936–1402 1108 80-85% 21 118.00–140.00 $128.50 $1,424 —
1192–1288 1241 80-85% 4 142.50–156.00 $148.59 $1,844 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880 880 85-90% 1 122.50 $122.50 $1,078 —
772–1190 977 85-90% 3 70.00–89.00 $80.08 $782 -24.22
786–1622 1036 85-90% 10 95.00–117.00 $106.03 $1,098 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1198–1628 1428 75-80% 11 127.00–147.00 $135.48 $1,935 +13.16

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–2000 1620 8 120.00–146.00 $136.19 $2,206 —
1650–2232 1974 5 155.00–167.00 $161.88 $3,196 —

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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.