Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 30, 2024

274 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $250.54/cwt -4.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,065/hd at 425 lb · 16 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $274.64/cwt +11.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,402/hd at 510 lb · 13 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $286.20/cwt +19.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,371/hd at 479 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 274 313 404
Feeder cattle 244 248 311
Slaughter cattle 26 65 93
Replacement cattle 4 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week slaughter cattle were sharply lower. Feeder cattle were mostly steady. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings were light. 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
390–394 392 2 305.00–319.00 $312.04 $1,223 —
400–416 412 4 291.00–305.00 $294.40 $1,213 +1.90
464–472 471 6 280.00–310.00 $284.93 $1,342 +7.40
504–532 522 3 275.00–290.00 $281.53 $1,470 -4.28
597–598 597 5 265.00–270.00 $266.00 $1,588 -14.54
606–613 608 7 248.00–260.00 $251.46 $1,529 -1.71
727 727 3 240.00 $240.00 $1,745 ±0.00
849 849 5 207.00 $207.00 $1,757 -13.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440–442 441 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,147 —
460–474 467 2 252.50–260.00 $256.19 $1,196 —
500 500 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,175 +0.14
570 570 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,325 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
582 582 1 150.00 $150.00 $873 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230–234 232 2 240.00–265.00 $252.39 $586 -6.26
288–294 291 3 240.00–272.50 $260.92 $759 +9.58
304–348 331 5 255.00–275.00 $264.92 $877 +9.33
350–388 372 11 247.50–277.50 $266.36 $991 +4.32
404–448 425 16 242.50–271.00 $250.54 $1,065 -5.74
450–498 469 11 230.00–267.50 $248.77 $1,167 -0.79
514–545 529 9 220.00–240.00 $231.10 $1,223 -5.86
558–592 577 7 230.00–245.00 $236.45 $1,364 +2.89
588 588 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,250 -21.06
600–642 619 3 200.00–227.50 $213.44 $1,321 —
682 682 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,091 -49.27
680–690 685 2 180.00–215.00 $197.37 $1,352 -11.90
732–746 739 2 150.00–155.00 $152.52 $1,127 —
764 764 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,413 —
870–878 874 2 160.00–165.00 $162.49 $1,420 —
978 978 1 161.00 $161.00 $1,575 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386–398 392 4 215.00–235.00 $222.58 $873 -0.84
402 402 1 200.00 $200.00 $804 -30.00
428–442 435 2 220.00 $220.00 $957 -10.00
462–490 471 9 200.00–230.00 $216.91 $1,022 -13.09
636 636 1 152.50 $152.50 $970 -25.04
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406 406 1 200.00 $200.00 $812 -7.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
258 258 1 322.50 $322.50 $832 +5.57
300–314 307 2 290.00–305.00 $297.33 $913 -3.42
354–374 364 6 285.00–320.00 $309.12 $1,125 -3.24
404–446 423 11 275.00–307.50 $289.55 $1,225 -8.28
458–498 479 12 270.00–295.00 $286.20 $1,371 +19.24
500–520 509 12 260.00–280.00 $277.11 $1,410 +14.02
528 528 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,294 -18.09
556 556 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,237 —
556 556 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,307 —
574–590 579 3 225.00–257.50 $239.04 $1,384 —
610–614 612 2 200.00 $200.00 $1,224 ±0.00
601–646 616 8 217.50–237.50 $225.03 $1,386 +25.03
656 656 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,492 -1.82
742 742 1 207.50 $207.50 $1,540 +18.14
780 780 2 182.50 $182.50 $1,424 +17.50
884 884 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,547 +10.00
932 932 1 142.50 $142.50 $1,328 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318 318 2 257.50–265.00 $261.25 $831 -3.75
400–444 429 3 245.00–265.00 $256.55 $1,101 -2.78
484–496 491 3 220.00–242.50 $229.90 $1,129 —
610 610 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,098 -25.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 200.00 $200.00 $780 -22.50
422 422 1 200.00 $200.00 $844 —
616 616 1 150.00 $150.00 $924 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364 364 1 266.00 $266.00 $968 —
424 424 1 220.00 $220.00 $933 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
448 448 1 165.00 $165.00 $739 -12.50

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1282 1067 85-90% 6 90.00–121.00 $110.16 $1,175 —
1104 1104 85-90% 1 80.00 $80.00 $883 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
986–1338 1154 80-85% 6 120.00–127.50 $124.69 $1,439 -27.27
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1388 1254 75-80% 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,379 —
1354–1560 1465 75-80% 3 120.00–130.00 $123.37 $1,807 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1238–2366 1757 5 130.00–142.50 $139.06 $2,443 -31.30

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700–812 756 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 900.00–1,225.00 $1,074.54 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
914 914 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00 —
Small 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
620 620 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 950.00 $950.00 —

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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.