Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 26, 2026

333 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $467.44/cwt +30.26 vs last sale · ≈ $1,754/hd at 375 lb · 21 head

light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $546.47/cwt +45.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,756/hd at 321 lb · 15 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $391.91/cwt -16.96 vs last sale · ≈ $2,055/hd at 524 lb · 13 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale
Total receipts	333	511
Feeder cattle	301	459
Slaughter cattle	27	45
Replacement cattle	5	7

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 later. 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 $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
304–326 value added	315	2	560.00–577.50	$569.06	$1,793	—
332	332	2	530.00	$530.00	$1,760	±0.00
350	350	1	530.00	$530.00	$1,855	+0.27
352 value added	352	4	554.00	$554.00	$1,950	—
400–444	411	6	497.50–525.00	$503.83	$2,071	+10.86
462 value added	462	1	570.00	$570.00	$2,633	—
460–476	470	5	470.00–515.00	$494.99	$2,326	-17.58
502–509 value added	507	4	515.00	$515.00	$2,611	—
508–534	520	9	445.00–500.00	$471.17	$2,450	-12.06
550 value added	550	1	480.00	$480.00	$2,640	—
570–595	588	7	380.00–402.50	$394.39	$2,319	—
630–646 value added	638	2	385.00–392.50	$388.80	$2,481	—
632–648	640	2	372.50	$372.50	$2,384	+22.50
658 value added	658	1	383.00	$383.00	$2,520	-13.00
694–698	696	2	351.00–357.50	$354.24	$2,466	+15.74
726–744	733	3	315.00–350.00	$335.87	$2,462	-24.13
806	806	1	330.00	$330.00	$2,660	+4.38

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
449	449	2	360.00	$360.00	$1,616	—
470–498	484	4	435.00	$435.00	$2,105	—
566–575	573	5	401.00–420.00	$404.75	$2,319	—
664	664	1	345.00	$345.00	$2,291	—
728	728	1	335.00	$335.00	$2,439	—
796	796	1	325.00	$325.00	$2,587	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
468	468	1	435.00	$435.00	$2,036	±0.00
550–562	556	2	330.00–350.00	$339.89	$1,890	—
666	666	1	350.00	$350.00	$2,331	—
988	988	1	230.00	$230.00	$2,272	—

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
208–246	230	3	440.00–465.00	$449.25	$1,033	-45.33
258–288	274	4	410.00–465.00	$437.95	$1,200	-43.94
310–330	323	9	455.00–482.50	$466.28	$1,506	+40.72
326 value added	326	2	500.00	$500.00	$1,630	—
362–380 value added	368	6	503.00–520.00	$508.85	$1,873	—
350–396	378	15	437.50–480.00	$450.87	$1,704	+13.69
414–448	435	10	400.00–480.00	$436.38	$1,898	-21.06
460–492	480	9	375.00–430.00	$412.03	$1,978	-21.12
504–548	523	9	355.00–405.00	$384.43	$2,011	-5.09
514–538 value added	527	4	405.00–410.00	$408.75	$2,154	-5.40
554–588 value added	571	2	350.00–407.50	$377.89	$2,158	—
554–596	573	5	335.00–352.50	$342.87	$1,965	-9.54
628–638	633	2	340.00–350.00	$345.04	$2,184	+17.62
630–646 value added	638	2	350.00–357.50	$353.80	$2,257	+3.80
650 value added	650	1	347.50	$347.50	$2,259	+17.50
650–664	659	3	300.00–335.00	$317.38	$2,092	+54.95
740	740	1	305.00	$305.00	$2,257	+5.00
750	750	1	295.00	$295.00	$2,212	—
750 value added	750	1	325.00	$325.00	$2,438	—
866	866	1	295.00	$295.00	$2,555	—
972–996	983	3	232.00–236.00	$234.34	$2,304	—

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
240	240	1	400.00	$400.00	$960	—
378–390	384	2	405.00	$405.00	$1,555	—
724	724	1	300.00	$300.00	$2,172	—

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
358	358	1	385.00	$385.00	$1,378	-25.00
532	532	1	320.00	$320.00	$1,702	-26.84
674	674	1	295.00	$295.00	$1,988	—
776	776	1	240.00	$240.00	$1,862	-25.00

Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
200	200	1	390.00	$390.00	$780	—
516	516	1	270.00	$270.00	$1,393	—

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
228	228	1	540.00	$540.00	$1,231	+26.74
264–298	287	5	500.00–577.50	$548.30	$1,574	-6.53
306–338	319	3	545.00–550.00	$548.36	$1,749	+62.30
322 value added	322	12	546.00	$546.00	$1,758	—
358–394	378	6	455.00–520.00	$481.77	$1,821	+0.41
426–446	433	4	450.00–490.00	$469.29	$2,032	-32.60
450–498	474	7	400.00–480.00	$451.01	$2,138	-24.66
510–538	524	5	425.00–455.00	$439.15	$2,301	-15.12
600–606	602	3	350.00	$350.00	$2,107	-0.13
664	664	1	352.50	$352.50	$2,341	+7.27
720	720	1	305.00	$305.00	$2,196	-14.50
752–790	771	2	300.00–315.00	$307.32	$2,369	-10.68

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
437	437	8	424.00	$424.00	$1,853	+11.97
476	476	1	430.00	$430.00	$2,047	+24.06
508	508	1	350.00	$350.00	$1,778	-33.50
584	584	1	317.50	$317.50	$1,854	-27.36

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
186	186	1	415.00	$415.00	$772	—
266–278	272	2	460.00–465.00	$462.44	$1,258	—
426	426	1	435.00	$435.00	$1,853	—
536	536	1	345.00	$345.00	$1,849	—
580	580	1	360.00	$360.00	$2,088	—
604	604	1	290.00	$290.00	$1,752	—

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
446	446	1	390.00	$390.00	$1,739	—
574	574	1	317.50	$317.50	$1,822	—
682	682	1	255.00	$255.00	$1,739	—
878–882	880	2	190.00–205.00	$197.48	$1,738	—

Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
244	244	1	365.00	$365.00	$891	—
376	376	1	390.00	$390.00	$1,466	—
436	436	1	350.00	$350.00	$1,526	—
476	476	1	350.00	$350.00	$1,666	—
670	670	1	215.00	$215.00	$1,440	—

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
914–1430	1099	85-90%	7	130.00–145.00	$137.74	$1,514	—

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1008–1042	1025	80-85%	2	175.00–190.00	$182.62	$1,872	—
928–1454	1198	80-85%	5	154.00–170.00	$163.16	$1,955	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1384–1512	1458	75-80%	4	140.00–155.00	$147.00	$2,143	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1014–1724	1321	7	140.00–177.00	$154.49	$2,041	—
928–1752	1340	2	187.50–198.00	$194.36	$2,604	—

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Stock Cows

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
882	882	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	177.50	$177.50	$1,566

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1140	1140	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	1	230.00	$230.00	$2,622

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
784–822	803	(<2 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	2	250.00	$250.00	$2,008

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Age	Stage	Head	Price range	Avg $
918	918	(<2 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	210.00	$210.00

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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.