Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 23, 2026

243 head sold ·Official USDA report

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $413.79/cwt +30.06 vs last sale · ≈ $2,290/hd at 553 lb · 42 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $413.06/cwt +7.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,958/hd at 474 lb · 17 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $389.29/cwt +17.93 vs last sale · ≈ $2,001/hd at 514 lb · 17 head
Smithfield, NC 5-weight steers sold at $414/cwt, down $23 from the late-June peak of $424. Receipts were light at 243 head. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 243 253 362
Feeder cattle 212 216 302
Slaughter cattle 29 34 50
Replacement cattle 2 3 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were somewhat mixed. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offerings of cattle 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
384 384 3 442.50 $442.50 $1,699 -9.77
437 437 2 405.00 $405.00 $1,770 -24.50
474–499 485 5 417.50–425.00 $422.69 $2,050 +8.69
538 538 1 405.00 $405.00 $2,179 -15.01
550 value added 550 36 420.00 $420.00 $2,310 —
574 574 6 376.50 $376.50 $2,161 -7.23
674 674 2 325.00 $325.00 $2,190 -34.59
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456 456 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,687 ±0.00
546 546 1 357.50 $357.50 $1,952 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
274–290 282 4 400.00–435.00 $416.14 $1,174 +6.14
310–338 325 3 402.50–425.00 $417.44 $1,357 +7.44
360–389 376 6 380.00–430.00 $405.52 $1,525 -2.08
402–448 438 12 365.00–420.00 $389.11 $1,704 -13.13
452–474 468 5 330.00–390.00 $348.23 $1,630 -28.17
500–548 527 9 320.00–350.00 $333.88 $1,760 -11.62
560–584 574 4 330.00 $330.00 $1,894 -11.33
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
218 218 1 405.00 $405.00 $883 —
302 302 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,072 —
534 534 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,308 —
664 664 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,826 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354 354 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,274 —
400 400 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,360 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
232–248 240 2 480.00–500.00 $489.67 $1,175 +49.71
260–290 277 3 435.00–470.00 $452.72 $1,254 +2.97
312–324 319 3 400.00–460.00 $436.45 $1,392 -23.39
356–378 372 4 420.00–445.00 $428.72 $1,595 -9.32
406–434 418 8 400.00–427.50 $412.00 $1,722 -5.34
450–494 474 17 372.50–435.00 $413.06 $1,958 +7.36
502–540 514 17 360.00–415.00 $389.29 $2,001 +17.93
558–594 578 7 320.00–380.00 $341.40 $1,973 -26.07
602–624 616 6 310.00–330.00 $323.42 $1,992 -3.27
650–690 671 5 275.00–295.00 $282.19 $1,893 —
744 744 1 270.00 $270.00 $2,009 —
760–765 763 3 245.00–260.00 $255.02 $1,946 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
248 248 1 420.00 $420.00 $1,042 —
384–386 385 2 380.00–390.00 $384.99 $1,482 -33.76
546 546 2 320.00 $320.00 $1,747 —
842–846 844 2 200.00 $200.00 $1,688 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
392 392 1 355.00 $355.00 $1,392 —
440 440 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,496 —
556 556 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,835 —
674 674 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,348 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1012 976 80-85% 2 185.00–195.00 $189.82 $1,853 —
1142–1636 1287 80-85% 9 160.00–170.00 $164.77 $2,121 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
798–1220 948 85-90% 3 128.00–135.00 $132.11 $1,252 —
970–1260 1091 85-90% 5 150.00–157.50 $152.50 $1,664 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1402–1770 1514 75-80% 7 160.00–175.00 $166.81 $2,526 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1174 1174 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,526 —
1600–1920 1760 2 200.00 $200.00 $3,520 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
906 906 (<2 yrs)Open 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,812

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
708 708 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,000.00 $2,000.00 —

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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.