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Powell Livestock Market Report

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 27, 2026

255 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $330.04/cwt -2.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,739/hd at 527 lb · 20 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $349.68/cwt -22.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,666/hd at 476 lb · 15 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $352.36/cwt +8.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,660/hd at 471 lb · 14 head
Smithfield NC 4-weight heifers sold at $346/cwt, $20/cwt below the NC average ($366) and $37/cwt under North Wilkesboro, NC ($383). NC 4-weight heifers are down $43/cwt from the mid-July peak of $398. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 255 265 398
Feeder cattle 199 237 319
Slaughter cattle 50 28 60
Replacement cattle 6 — 19

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were mostly steady. Feeder cattle were sharply lower. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. Offering 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
318 318 1 427.50 $427.50 $1,359 —
350–384 367 2 400.00–420.00 $410.46 $1,506 -9.06
500–528 514 2 365.00–372.50 $368.85 $1,896 +16.28
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,175 —
556 556 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,557 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
604 604 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,872 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
248 248 1 417.50 $417.50 $1,035 —
276 276 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,063 -10.07
322–330 327 4 360.00–370.00 $367.49 $1,202 -25.10
360–396 381 6 340.00–360.00 $351.59 $1,340 -46.29
406–446 425 12 320.00–370.00 $341.86 $1,453 -58.87
458–498 476 9 320.00–342.50 $329.13 $1,567 -43.52
477 value added 477 6 380.50 $380.50 $1,815 —
514–548 529 7 317.50–337.50 $324.56 $1,717 -0.44
564–592 578 2 315.00–320.00 $317.44 $1,835 +13.41
626 626 1 290.00 $290.00 $1,815 -2.15
654 654 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,831 +10.00
740–746 743 2 248.00–250.00 $249.00 $1,850 +6.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 325.00 $325.00 $975 -30.00
404 404 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,293 —
572–578 575 2 270.00–280.00 $275.03 $1,581 -4.80

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
234–244 239 2 415.00–450.00 $432.87 $1,035 -37.87
250–284 270 7 390.00–425.00 $404.12 $1,091 -28.29
310–348 320 5 380.00–420.00 $401.57 $1,285 -21.49
350–380 369 13 380.00–420.00 $395.07 $1,458 -6.39
404–436 417 8 350.00–387.50 $367.60 $1,533 -29.79
453 thin fleshed 453 3 375.00 $375.00 $1,699 —
450–496 476 11 337.50–357.50 $346.18 $1,648 +2.00
500–546 520 13 317.50–332.50 $324.54 $1,688 -8.17
500–547 value added 540 7 338.00–355.00 $340.25 $1,837 —
550–582 571 8 305.00–330.00 $318.76 $1,820 -3.15
604–646 621 6 292.50–320.00 $303.51 $1,885 +8.00
657–696 665 5 300.00–320.00 $304.19 $2,023 +3.50
712 712 3 300.00 $300.00 $2,136 +38.96
794 794 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,826 -15.80
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
304 304 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,094 —
382–398 390 2 350.00–360.00 $355.10 $1,385 +2.03
434 434 2 330.00 $330.00 $1,432 -24.94
460–484 471 3 317.50–330.00 $322.40 $1,519 -5.79

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1196 1196 75-80% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,555 —
1216–1728 1432 75-80% 15 144.00–164.00 $153.23 $2,194 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1368 1156 80-85% 11 150.00–160.00 $154.82 $1,790 -6.04
1180 1180 80-85% 1 175.00 $175.00 $2,065 +14.14
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
916–1174 1045 85-90% 2 100.00–130.00 $113.15 $1,182 —
894–1210 1050 85-90% 7 140.00–150.00 $145.13 $1,524 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1156–1504 1330 2 150.00–170.00 $161.31 $2,145 +14.99
1402–1860 1579 3 190.00–205.00 $197.63 $3,121 -13.37

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
800–886 854 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 180.00–240.00 $206.80 $1,766
938 938 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,829

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1374 1374 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00 —

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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.