Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 1, 2024

311 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $254.02/cwt +28.49 vs last sale · ≈ $1,196/hd at 471 lb · 20 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $295.50/cwt +27.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,238/hd at 419 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 311 298 397
Feeder cattle 239 223 344
Slaughter cattle 71 65 53
Replacement cattle 1 10 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were sharply higher. Demand was good; market activity and buyer interest was active. Offerings of cattle were moderate. Cattle quality was average. 18 head baby calves from 50.00-350.00

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
350–354 351 5 300.00–317.50 $313.97 $1,102 —
467 467 7 315.00 $315.00 $1,471 —
614 614 3 255.00 $255.00 $1,566 +12.00
736 736 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,711 —
1044 1044 1 199.00 $199.00 $2,078 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 280.00 $280.00 $952 —
366–378 372 2 275.00–277.50 $276.27 $1,028 —
430 430 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,118 +20.00
475 475 2 262.50 $262.50 $1,247 +37.50
558–590 574 2 230.00–240.00 $234.86 $1,348 —
678 678 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,576 —
772 772 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,698 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
178 178 1 267.50 $267.50 $476 —
206–212 209 2 270.00–272.50 $271.27 $567 —
322–336 329 2 265.00–280.00 $272.34 $896 +12.37
354–399 371 9 240.00–277.50 $264.75 $982 +6.91
408–446 430 8 247.50–272.50 $260.14 $1,119 +6.32
450–496 471 20 237.50–267.50 $254.02 $1,196 +40.64
500–528 515 9 230.00–250.00 $241.14 $1,242 +28.55
552–586 577 8 217.50–236.00 $231.14 $1,334 +21.71
606–632 620 8 210.00–237.50 $225.07 $1,395 +16.39
664 664 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,434 +21.00
732 732 4 203.00 $203.00 $1,486 +53.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358 358 1 230.00 $230.00 $823 +5.00
424 424 1 230.00 $230.00 $975 +5.00
466–484 477 3 197.50–220.00 $208.33 $994 +7.76
570 570 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,083 +17.52
620 620 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,240 +20.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
434 434 1 205.00 $205.00 $890 +5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 272.50 $272.50 $572 +4.18
268 268 1 280.00 $280.00 $750 -6.25
300–334 318 5 290.00–312.50 $306.15 $974 +18.71
370–392 378 7 280.00–325.00 $296.93 $1,122 +14.53
406–442 419 12 280.00–320.00 $295.50 $1,238 +27.78
472–482 476 4 245.00–290.00 $268.13 $1,276 +13.90
516–542 529 4 240.00–265.00 $251.15 $1,329 +23.34
554–596 568 6 232.50–275.00 $256.92 $1,459 +23.20
600–640 626 5 222.50–232.50 $230.27 $1,441 +37.77
656–680 667 3 220.00–227.50 $223.37 $1,490 -3.19
710–718 714 2 220.00–245.00 $232.43 $1,660 +24.93
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–340 324 2 245.00–267.50 $256.81 $832 +19.33
362–366 364 2 260.00–267.50 $263.77 $960 +18.80
448 448 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,210 +42.11
498 498 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,083 -2.50
538–548 543 2 210.00–215.00 $212.48 $1,154 +13.49
878 878 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,229 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358 358 1 200.00 $200.00 $716 —
486 486 1 170.00 $170.00 $826 —
592 592 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,066 —
Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
574 574 1 148.00 $148.00 $850 —
616 616 1 145.00 $145.00 $893 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
234 234 1 177.50 $177.50 $415 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
706–1246 1019 85-90% 8 90.00–100.00 $95.07 $969 -21.37
804–1240 1067 85-90% 26 100.00–121.00 $111.53 $1,190 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1108 1108 80-85% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,108 —
664–1336 1128 80-85% 13 123.00–227.50 $134.30 $1,515 —
1150 1150 80-85% 1 144.00 $144.00 $1,656 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1486 1377 75-80% 6 125.00–137.00 $130.56 $1,798 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1058 1019 2 120.00–122.50 $121.30 $1,236 —
986–1690 1394 4 135.00–169.00 $158.09 $2,204 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
698 698 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510 510 1 152.00 $152.00 $775 —

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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.