Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes County Stockyard Market Report

Washington, Georgia · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 17, 2024

368 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Wilkes County Stockyard report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 3 bulls $263.76/cwt +6.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,253/hd at 475 lb · 17 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $255.94/cwt +15.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,093/hd at 427 lb · 13 head
light 5-weight M&L 3 heifers $219.48/cwt +6.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,146/hd at 522 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 368 224 203
Feeder cattle 299 170 122
Slaughter cattle 51 18 69
Replacement cattle 18 36 12

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago slaughter cows and bulls lightly tested, replacement cattle steady, Feeder steers lightly tested, Feeder bulls and heifers unevenly steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,102 —
410 410 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,107 -32.00
475–490 485 3 270.00–277.00 $272.36 $1,321 —
525 525 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,312 —
580–595 588 2 235.00–240.00 $237.47 $1,396 —
725 725 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,580 —
785 785 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,641 —
815 815 1 186.00 $186.00 $1,516 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,350 +5.00
440 440 2 295.00–297.00 $296.00 $1,302 -31.00
450–475 463 3 280.00–290.00 $285.09 $1,320 -16.91
510–545 528 2 260.00 $260.00 $1,373 -25.00
560 560 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,400 -20.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,072 —
390–395 393 2 322.00–325.00 $323.51 $1,271 +33.51
485 485 1 257.00 $257.00 $1,246 —
625–640 633 2 217.00–221.00 $219.02 $1,386 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210 210 1 330.00 $330.00 $693 —
260 260 1 322.00 $322.00 $837 —
310–345 328 8 275.00–287.00 $280.78 $921 +15.78
355–395 372 6 260.00–272.00 $265.80 $989 +3.85
400–440 427 13 250.00–262.00 $255.94 $1,093 +15.94
450–495 471 8 230.00–240.00 $233.38 $1,099 +2.06
510–530 519 5 230.00–237.00 $233.76 $1,213 +13.41
550–595 569 9 215.00–225.00 $218.93 $1,246 +4.21
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275–290 283 4 300.00–310.00 $302.57 $856 +42.57
370–390 382 3 250.00–257.00 $252.26 $964 -0.21
420–445 432 6 230.00–240.00 $233.31 $1,008 —
460–485 474 4 215.00–226.00 $221.54 $1,050 —
500–545 522 10 215.00–228.00 $219.48 $1,146 +6.98
550–595 574 7 195.00–205.00 $199.32 $1,144 —
600–635 614 5 195.00–207.00 $200.78 $1,233 —
650–690 673 3 190.00–196.00 $193.61 $1,303 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 345.00 $345.00 $862 +45.00
355–370 362 3 275.00–282.00 $278.96 $1,010 +2.64
400–425 414 5 267.00–270.00 $269.39 $1,115 +7.70
500–515 508 2 250.00–252.00 $250.99 $1,275 +18.80
565–570 568 2 230.00–236.00 $233.01 $1,323 +3.01
770 770 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,386 —
810 810 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,458 -5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 345.00 $345.00 $862 +47.57
340 340 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,122 +30.00
365–395 375 6 340.00–350.00 $344.53 $1,292 +62.95
400–445 423 6 292.00–307.00 $300.21 $1,270 +23.98
460–495 475 17 260.00–274.00 $263.76 $1,253 +6.61
515–535 525 5 252.00–257.00 $254.78 $1,338 +13.68
560–590 576 4 230.00 $230.00 $1,325 +5.00
600–635 613 6 200.00–210.00 $204.52 $1,254 -10.48
650–695 675 3 190.00–200.00 $196.57 $1,327 -5.43
700 700 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,400 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–295 278 4 380.00–395.00 $387.84 $1,078 +17.84
315–320 318 2 350.00–365.00 $357.44 $1,137 +35.00
350–370 357 3 365.00–375.00 $370.09 $1,321 +66.58
400–420 410 2 315.00–327.00 $321.15 $1,317 +24.85
455–485 466 5 280.00–290.00 $285.36 $1,330 +8.62
525 525 1 262.00 $262.00 $1,376 +12.00
550–575 563 4 250.00–257.00 $252.26 $1,420 +16.25
610–640 630 3 215.00–225.00 $218.90 $1,379 —
755 755 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,397 -4.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 2 405.00–410.00 $407.50 $1,243 +59.83
360 360 1 385.00 $385.00 $1,386 +57.48
405–415 412 3 332.00–340.00 $336.37 $1,386 -5.63
555 555 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,471 —
630–635 633 2 230.00–234.00 $232.01 $1,469 +1.01
655–685 670 2 217.00–229.00 $222.87 $1,493 -0.34

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1505 1243 80-85% 6 104.00–109.00 $106.72 $1,327 -15.28
975–1565 1285 80-85% 9 110.00–118.00 $113.55 $1,459 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–940 900 85-90% 2 79.00–87.00 $82.82 $745 +9.48
890–1345 1105 85-90% 7 91.00–97.00 $93.63 $1,035 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
2250 2250 1 140.00 $140.00 $3,150 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
930–1245 1098 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,125.00–1,375.00 $1,227.96
1020–1385 1199 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 6 1,270.00–1,450.00 $1,373.97
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
745–995 897 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 880.00–925.00 $901.43
970 970 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 925.00 $925.00

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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
1080 1080 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 2,200.00 $2,200.00 —

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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.