Cattle Market Pulse

Powell Livestock Market Report, Smithfield, NC

Smithfield, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 15, 2026 Corrected report

341 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $324.03/cwt +28.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,851/hd at 571 lb · 19 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $323.62/cwt +83.62 vs last sale · ≈ $2,181/hd at 674 lb · 17 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $388.90/cwt +17.64 vs last sale · ≈ $1,283/hd at 330 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 341 431 416
Feeder cattle 294 384 354
Slaughter cattle 45 47 61
Replacement cattle 2 — 1

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cattle were 5.00 to 10.00 lower. 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
322 322 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,288 —
354 354 1 410.00 $410.00 $1,451 —
364 value added 364 1 470.00 $470.00 $1,711 —
412 412 1 465.00 $465.00 $1,916 +93.11
490 490 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,813 +12.50
500–516 508 2 367.50–370.00 $368.73 $1,873 +36.47
552–586 571 4 315.00–340.00 $328.09 $1,873 +5.98
635 635 2 325.00 $325.00 $2,064 +25.00
744 value added 744 5 327.00 $327.00 $2,433 —
754 754 1 300.00 $300.00 $2,262 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
226 226 1 415.00 $415.00 $938 +65.00
284 284 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,136 +27.32
302–344 330 14 350.00–405.00 $388.90 $1,283 +17.64
362–394 375 10 370.00–475.00 $391.53 $1,468 +56.22
400–440 416 9 350.00–390.00 $367.98 $1,531 +42.85
456–496 481 10 335.00–372.50 $351.89 $1,693 +39.83
502–546 526 9 290.00–330.00 $315.93 $1,662 +14.16
558–598 578 12 310.00–325.00 $317.94 $1,838 +35.01
602–624 617 3 310.00–320.00 $316.75 $1,954 +37.54
656–663 661 6 317.50–320.00 $319.26 $2,110 +79.26
681 value added 681 11 326.00 $326.00 $2,220 —
710 710 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,201 +63.97
830 830 1 272.50 $272.50 $2,262 +62.26
854–884 869 2 215.00–255.00 $234.65 $2,039 —
968 968 1 220.00 $220.00 $2,130 +25.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
232 232 1 330.00 $330.00 $766 +35.00
250 250 1 345.00 $345.00 $862 —
410–442 426 2 315.00–327.50 $321.48 $1,370 +21.48
470 470 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,457 +20.00
552 552 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,408 +25.00
592 592 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,391 +5.00
648 648 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,361 -34.76
652 652 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,434 —
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
302–320 311 2 240.00–270.00 $254.57 $792 -40.71
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
204 204 1 205.00 $205.00 $418 —
422 422 1 220.00 $220.00 $928 -40.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
492 492 1 180.00 $180.00 $886 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
234 234 2 440.00–455.00 $447.50 $1,047 +45.89
262–296 282 8 425.00–450.00 $438.03 $1,235 +16.67
310–342 329 9 380.00–440.00 $413.63 $1,361 +8.68
354–388 373 9 380.00–430.00 $405.68 $1,513 +13.37
406–446 427 13 380.00–460.00 $419.50 $1,791 +42.59
456–498 479 7 340.00–420.00 $376.21 $1,802 +53.11
500–546 517 11 310.00–355.00 $332.99 $1,722 +30.84
535 value added 535 2 355.00 $355.00 $1,899 —
550–596 571 18 300.00–350.00 $325.09 $1,856 +30.05
576 576 1 305.00 $305.00 $1,757 +9.96
610–643 636 7 285.00–320.00 $314.30 $1,999 +40.95
652–684 672 7 280.00–330.00 $302.25 $2,031 +56.76
712 712 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,065 +48.14
754 754 6 280.00–282.50 $282.08 $2,127 +60.87
808–842 828 9 240.00–275.00 $262.72 $2,175 —
953 953 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,906 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326–340 333 2 365.00–370.00 $367.45 $1,224 —
380–396 388 2 345.00–375.00 $359.69 $1,396 —
444–446 445 2 330.00–370.00 $349.96 $1,557 +26.51
450–492 465 3 295.00–350.00 $321.54 $1,495 +21.54
532 532 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,490 +80.00
582 582 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,746 +50.00
638 638 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,531 +10.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
302 302 1 335.00 $335.00 $1,012 —
412 412 1 317.50 $317.50 $1,308 —
478–486 482 2 260.00–280.00 $269.92 $1,301 —
528 528 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,162 -20.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,518 +30.00
608–644 621 3 250.00–270.00 $263.48 $1,636 +5.98
Small 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318 318 1 270.00 $270.00 $859 —
384 384 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,229 —
408–430 419 2 300.00–320.00 $309.74 $1,298 —
Small 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 245.00 $245.00 $858 —
466 466 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,142 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
834 834 85-90% 1 100.00 $100.00 $834 —
764–1302 1059 85-90% 14 110.00–132.50 $117.76 $1,247 —
1060–1232 1146 85-90% 2 50.00–72.50 $62.09 $712 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1252–1450 1351 75-80% 2 110.00–112.50 $111.34 $1,504 —
1156–1858 1468 75-80% 8 120.00–125.00 $120.67 $1,771 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
984 984 80-85% 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,427 —
938–1242 1089 80-85% 3 120.00–135.00 $124.31 $1,354 —
1484 1484 80-85% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,632 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1306–1562 1443 3 180.00–202.50 $187.95 $2,712 —
1348–1686 1517 2 115.00–140.00 $128.89 $1,955 —
1450–1844 1703 3 150.00–170.00 $164.32 $2,798 —

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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
1014 1014 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00 —
1046 1046 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 3,900.00 $3,900.00 —

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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.