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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 9, 2026

471 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $443.82/cwt +25.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,860/hd at 419 lb · 22 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $352.01/cwt +0.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,982/hd at 563 lb · 21 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $467.38/cwt +31.89 vs last sale · ≈ $1,748/hd at 374 lb · 19 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 471 330 347
Feeder cattle 384 291 278
Slaughter cattle 72 36 60
Replacement cattle 15 3 9

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were sharply higher. Feeder cattle were sharply higher. 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
356–364 361 3 535.00–550.00 $539.93 $1,949 —
401 401 5 522.50 $522.50 $2,095 +56.12
470–496 479 3 420.00–470.00 $452.73 $2,169 +6.15
518–546 538 16 400.00–460.00 $439.03 $2,362 —
558–588 568 5 400.00–450.00 $433.07 $2,460 +6.07
610–642 630 3 375.00–410.00 $394.74 $2,487 +8.63
708 708 1 355.00 $355.00 $2,513 +20.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
334 334 1 440.00 $440.00 $1,470 —
530 530 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,855 +50.00
788 788 1 322.50 $322.50 $2,541 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
252–296 273 11 465.00–535.00 $491.35 $1,341 +26.70
300–344 321 7 465.00–510.00 $484.78 $1,556 +30.93
350–395 374 19 440.00–495.00 $467.38 $1,748 +36.39
400–446 419 22 430.00–460.00 $443.82 $1,860 +32.84
458–492 471 18 360.00–435.00 $403.63 $1,901 +11.56
502–546 517 18 347.50–410.00 $371.46 $1,920 +5.48
552–590 563 21 335.00–370.00 $352.01 $1,982 +0.12
611–638 620 5 335.00–350.00 $344.91 $2,138 -5.19
662 662 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,854 -71.05
656–676 665 3 330.00–342.50 $334.11 $2,222 -16.94
706–741 726 6 300.00–325.00 $316.56 $2,298 +21.56
752 752 1 280.00 $280.00 $2,106 —
822 822 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,343 —
900 900 1 255.00 $255.00 $2,295 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
222 222 1 400.00 $400.00 $888 —
270 270 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,134 —
342 342 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,317 —
408–448 435 3 380.00–420.00 $406.26 $1,767 +6.26
450–456 453 2 370.00–400.00 $385.10 $1,745 —
708 708 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,912 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
234–236 235 2 595.00–622.50 $608.81 $1,431 +63.81
256–288 273 11 550.00–600.00 $574.31 $1,568 +75.22
300–346 315 15 500.00–575.00 $547.14 $1,723 +19.81
364–396 376 11 450.00–557.50 $514.52 $1,935 +42.70
408–446 428 6 450.00–485.00 $465.82 $1,994 +4.43
450–498 469 13 400.00–470.00 $450.25 $2,112 +22.98
506–546 525 17 380.00–440.00 $414.67 $2,177 +7.34
550–592 576 10 350.00–420.00 $391.56 $2,255 +24.97
600–644 626 10 342.50–400.00 $363.13 $2,273 +8.27
668–694 684 3 340.00–350.00 $343.38 $2,349 +43.38
744–748 746 2 330.00 $330.00 $2,462 —
766 766 1 328.00 $328.00 $2,512 +40.65
804–844 824 4 230.00–310.00 $280.35 $2,310 -4.65
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
204 204 1 445.00 $445.00 $908 —
338–344 341 2 435.00–450.00 $442.57 $1,509 —
350–380 364 3 390.00–450.00 $420.82 $1,532 +7.75
440 440 1 440.00 $440.00 $1,936 +17.52
458–492 475 3 340.00–400.00 $373.12 $1,772 —
516 516 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,703 —
558–570 564 2 340.00–350.00 $344.95 $1,946 —
654 654 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,798 —
830–840 837 3 220.00–282.50 $244.22 $2,044 +9.22
976 976 1 230.00 $230.00 $2,245 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
708–1178 1000 85-90% 12 100.00–122.00 $114.04 $1,140 —
1022 1022 85-90% 1 162.50 $162.50 $1,661 —
882–1338 1121 85-90% 16 130.00–152.50 $134.48 $1,508 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1046–1370 1198 80-85% 12 160.00–186.00 $172.57 $2,067 —
1254–1456 1355 80-85% 2 187.00–198.00 $192.09 $2,603 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1292–1488 1390 75-80% 2 130.00–140.00 $134.65 $1,872 —
1306–1704 1509 75-80% 8 173.00–199.00 $183.06 $2,762 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1034–1786 1354 9 187.50–217.50 $208.98 $2,830 —
1904–2358 2080 4 220.00–231.00 $225.12 $4,682 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
760–845 800 (<2 yrs)Open 3 245.00–285.00 $264.57 $2,117
832–1082 928 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 230.00–255.00 $239.15 $2,219
1074 1074 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 230.00 $230.00 $2,470

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
658–750 732 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 1,750.00–3,050.00 $2,816.16 —

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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.