Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 20, 2021

70 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Wilkes Livestock Exchange report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 70 107 241
Feeder cattle 58 78 203
Slaughter cattle 12 28 38
Replacement cattle — 1 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle Mostly steady Feeder cattle Mostly steady Demand Good Activity Moderate Offerings Light Quality Average

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 140.00 $140.00 $469 +5.00
350–360 355 2 102.00–125.00 $113.66 $403 —
435 435 1 114.00 $114.00 $496 —
597 597 6 103.00 $103.00 $615 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 155.00 $155.00 $488 -1.91
360 360 1 146.00 $146.00 $526 -14.01
470 470 3 139.00 $139.00 $653 -16.55
555 555 1 135.00 $135.00 $749 -2.00
655–680 668 3 116.00–124.00 $121.29 $810 -3.71
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 110.00 $110.00 $434 +4.00
450 450 1 90.00 $90.00 $405 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 118.00 $118.00 $260 —
398 398 2 126.00 $126.00 $501 -10.00
438 438 2 128.00 $128.00 $561 —
480–485 482 3 119.00–122.00 $120.99 $583 +7.15
510–535 527 3 115.00–118.00 $117.03 $617 +10.03
560 560 1 108.00 $108.00 $605 -1.00
610 610 1 106.00 $106.00 $647 +0.45
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 110.00 $110.00 $380 —
375 375 1 108.00 $108.00 $405 +16.00
415–435 425 2 92.00–104.00 $97.86 $416 +8.36
455 455 1 104.00 $104.00 $473 +1.00
525–540 533 2 86.00 $86.00 $458 -1.00
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 91.00 $91.00 $355 —
530 thin fleshed 530 1 69.00 $69.00 $366 —
590 thin fleshed 590 1 57.00 $57.00 $336 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 144.00 $144.00 $641 -8.09
455–465 463 4 120.00–124.00 $121.50 $563 -24.50
500 500 4 133.00 $133.00 $665 +0.94
590 590 1 108.00 $108.00 $637 -21.50
615 615 1 121.00 $121.00 $744 -10.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 525 1 120.00 $120.00 $630 —
570 570 1 103.00 $103.00 $587 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 90.00 $90.00 $392 -12.27

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1100 1058 80-85% 3 46.00–53.50 $49.93 $528 -0.41
1175 1175 80-85% 1 30.00 $30.00 $352 -30.72
1125–1360 1230 80-85% 3 40.00–44.00 $42.53 $523 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–885 883 85-90% 2 13.00–19.00 $16.01 $141 -28.99
895 895 85-90% 1 48.00 $48.00 $430 +3.00
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1655 1655 75-80% 1 55.50 $55.50 $919 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305 1305 1 38.00 $38.00 $496 —

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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.