Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report, Smithfield, NC

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 1, 2026 Corrected report

371 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $325.92/cwt -23.79 vs last sale · ≈ $1,512/hd at 464 lb · 23 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $302.19/cwt +3.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,722/hd at 570 lb · 19 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $411.44/cwt -12.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,329/hd at 323 lb · 17 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 371 477 509
Feeder cattle 288 430 402
Slaughter cattle 80 47 65
Replacement cattle 3 — 42

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 4.00 to 8.00 lower. Feeder cattle were 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Demand was moderate; market activity and buyer interest were moderate. 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
351–396 366 3 380.00–400.00 $392.79 $1,438 -42.21
481 481 3 320.00 $320.00 $1,539 -45.36
500–543 539 10 330.00–358.00 $355.40 $1,916 -0.58
594 594 1 317.50 $317.50 $1,886 -23.50
608–625 618 7 280.00–322.00 $309.89 $1,915 -27.61
764 764 1 295.00 $295.00 $2,254 —
988 988 1 205.00 $205.00 $2,025 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
726 726 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,815 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
202–230 218 3 425.00–440.00 $433.03 $944 —
256–278 267 4 380.00–415.00 $398.39 $1,064 +5.78
340–348 343 7 370.00–440.00 $424.23 $1,455 +25.33
368–396 380 6 350.00–410.00 $392.11 $1,490 -2.38
406–444 425 7 320.00–380.00 $351.00 $1,492 -25.00
456–492 464 23 300.00–340.00 $325.92 $1,512 -4.90
500–536 517 15 290.00–320.00 $314.09 $1,624 -1.92
550–598 570 19 282.50–317.50 $302.19 $1,722 -1.74
614–640 624 4 255.00–280.00 $265.73 $1,658 -34.81
660–670 665 2 260.00–267.50 $263.78 $1,754 -9.35
718–744 731 2 245.00–270.00 $257.72 $1,884 -8.49
776 776 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,824 -30.00
822 822 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,973 -10.00
988 988 1 210.00 $210.00 $2,075 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
332 332 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,062 ±0.00
384 384 2 295.00–365.00 $330.00 $1,267 -20.00
414–444 435 4 300.00–320.00 $307.61 $1,338 -25.76
456 456 1 306.00 $306.00 $1,395 —
612 612 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,346 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
228 228 1 310.00 $310.00 $707 —
296 296 1 270.00 $270.00 $799 -40.00
538 538 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,103 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,552 —
934 934 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,775 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
252–286 269 2 210.00–250.00 $231.26 $622 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
202–238 218 4 440.00–470.00 $455.41 $993 +18.67
258–290 276 4 390.00–435.00 $414.80 $1,145 -1.50
304–344 323 17 362.50–450.00 $411.44 $1,329 -12.71
352–398 368 10 360.00–440.00 $405.02 $1,490 -16.44
404–448 419 4 335.00–390.00 $371.61 $1,557 -7.53
462–498 474 13 320.00–350.00 $334.44 $1,585 +0.01
506–546 521 8 300.00–332.50 $314.37 $1,638 -4.72
558–594 575 12 280.00–320.00 $301.85 $1,736 -18.04
612–638 628 6 260.00–300.00 $287.78 $1,807 -23.01
660–694 684 6 242.50–285.00 $256.19 $1,752 -16.00
702–748 720 6 220.00–257.50 $240.98 $1,735 -8.49
750–798 767 3 200.00–255.00 $224.50 $1,722 +7.00
822–828 825 3 190.00–220.00 $203.36 $1,678 +1.43
860–880 873 3 212.50–240.00 $230.97 $2,016 +30.97
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–316 308 2 330.00–350.00 $340.26 $1,048 -22.24
422–436 429 3 300.00–337.50 $319.37 $1,370 -40.56
472 472 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,416 +2.76
502–522 512 2 275.00–280.00 $277.45 $1,421 —
560 560 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,456 —
622 622 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,586 -5.00
686 686 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,612 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
276–286 281 2 300.00 $300.00 $843 -18.35
404–432 419 3 280.00–300.00 $286.43 $1,200 —
432 432 1 230.00 $230.00 $994 —
452 452 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,085 +15.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,316 -20.00
412–434 423 2 320.00–330.00 $324.87 $1,374 +4.87
592 592 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,539 -10.00
714 714 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,428 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1116–1858 1359 75-80% 23 130.00–152.50 $136.12 $1,850 —
1268–1926 1491 75-80% 3 120.00 $120.00 $1,789 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1140 1052 85-90% 6 90.00–105.00 $99.38 $1,045 —
794–1292 1084 85-90% 13 115.00–130.00 $124.52 $1,350 —
1096 1096 85-90% 1 87.50 $87.50 $959 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1362 1179 80-85% 15 130.00–142.50 $136.73 $1,612 —
1036–1302 1209 80-85% 3 160.00–165.00 $161.78 $1,956 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1078 1078 1 195.00 $195.00 $2,102 —
1114–1974 1670 3 100.00–140.00 $127.27 $2,125 —
1406–1926 1779 7 160.00–180.00 $170.07 $3,026 —

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Bred Cows

Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
918 918 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,423

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
780 780 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 3,500.00 $3,500.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1076 1076 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 3,800.00 $3,800.00 —

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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.