Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 3, 2024

226 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $240.99/cwt +20.19 vs last sale · ≈ $1,147/hd at 476 lb · 18 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $242.61/cwt +10.50 vs last sale · ≈ $1,043/hd at 430 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 226 309 475
Feeder cattle 177 260 397
Slaughter cattle 48 49 77
Replacement cattle 1 — 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Feeder cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle were light. Cattle quality was average. 12 head baby calves from 30.00-350.00

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
435 value added 435 3 280.00 $280.00 $1,218 +3.00
470 470 1 247.50 $247.50 $1,163 —
816 816 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,530 -5.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
212–226 219 2 240.00–250.00 $245.16 $537 +7.95
266–279 276 4 235.00–255.00 $250.18 $690 +12.87
308–343 326 4 240.00–257.50 $248.09 $809 +9.93
380 380 1 220.00 $220.00 $836 -9.61
362–390 381 6 237.50–247.50 $240.81 $917 +11.20
402 value added 402 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,025 —
402–446 421 8 230.00–247.50 $239.51 $1,008 +12.91
452–496 477 6 217.50–236.00 $229.18 $1,093 +5.00
510–540 526 9 200.00–221.00 $214.80 $1,130 +14.71
554–588 569 4 205.00–210.00 $207.22 $1,179 +8.47
618–638 627 3 175.00–202.50 $188.19 $1,180 —
722 722 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,227 —
752 752 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,354 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
344 344 1 225.00 $225.00 $774 +25.05
432–448 441 5 195.00–212.50 $204.44 $902 +15.24
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
264 264 1 172.50 $172.50 $455 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356 356 1 150.00 $150.00 $534 -10.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
206–234 227 4 237.50–262.50 $245.88 $558 —
260–285 276 5 237.50–280.00 $268.56 $741 +22.10
304–332 319 4 247.50–257.50 $251.22 $801 +4.94
350–396 368 5 242.50–267.50 $253.59 $933 +11.91
406–444 430 12 235.00–248.00 $242.61 $1,043 +10.50
450–498 476 18 225.00–253.00 $240.99 $1,147 +20.19
504–540 520 7 220.00–239.00 $230.52 $1,199 +20.81
552–590 566 7 207.50–219.00 $213.06 $1,206 +5.98
604–638 622 4 185.00–223.00 $197.90 $1,231 +9.43
734 734 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,211 -6.95
790 790 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,224 -20.61
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–342 323 3 205.00–220.00 $215.36 $696 —
376–380 378 2 222.50–240.00 $231.30 $874 —
410–430 422 3 200.00–230.00 $215.19 $908 +3.13
512–548 531 3 200.00–217.50 $211.48 $1,123 +40.64
588 588 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,176 +28.01
602–616 609 2 160.00–180.00 $169.89 $1,035 —
688 688 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,170 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
262 262 1 185.00 $185.00 $485 +7.50
406–422 414 2 182.50–185.00 $183.73 $761 -13.77
610 610 1 145.00 $145.00 $884 +7.50
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
848 848 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,145 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
704 704 1 100.00 $100.00 $704 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
924–1480 1215 80-85% 20 112.50–129.00 $118.68 $1,442 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
926–1210 1023 85-90% 3 60.00–85.00 $75.88 $776 —
894–1480 1180 85-90% 10 95.00–111.00 $105.56 $1,246 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1318–1612 1458 75-80% 10 117.00–125.00 $119.85 $1,747 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1244–2058 1731 4 132.50–147.50 $143.64 $2,486 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
696 696 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00 —

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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.