Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 27, 2021

120 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $141.84/cwt ≈ $753/hd at 531 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 120 70 121
Feeder cattle 99 58 75
Slaughter cattle 21 12 46

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 3.00 To 4.00 Higher Feeder cattle 2.00 To 6.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Moderate Offerings Light Quality Attractive

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 149.00 $149.00 $425 —
356–380 363 5 137.00–147.00 $143.10 $519 -2.90
405 405 2 159.00–163.00 $161.00 $652 —
460–495 483 3 139.00–144.00 $141.95 $686 +2.95
515–544 531 11 141.00–142.50 $141.84 $753 —
573 573 6 137.50 $137.50 $788 +2.50
666 666 8 132.00 $132.00 $879 +10.71
763 763 3 124.00 $124.00 $946 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755 755 1 99.00 $99.00 $747 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–340 330 2 116.00–120.00 $118.06 $390 —
375–385 380 2 119.00–120.00 $119.51 $454 -6.49
400–440 416 6 116.00–125.00 $119.32 $496 -8.68
450–480 463 4 113.00–119.00 $117.01 $542 -3.98
538–545 539 8 116.00–125.00 $123.86 $668 +6.83
550–585 568 2 121.00 $121.00 $687 +13.00
610–637 633 6 117.00–119.00 $118.68 $751 +12.68
693–695 694 4 110.00–115.00 $112.50 $781 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–465 460 2 100.00–103.00 $101.48 $467 -2.52
510–520 513 4 109.00–113.00 $111.24 $571 +25.24
695 695 1 95.00 $95.00 $660 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 95.00 $95.00 $518 —
670 670 1 70.00 $70.00 $469 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–428 422 4 140.00–149.00 $146.84 $620 +2.84
480–485 483 2 135.00–138.00 $136.51 $659 +15.01
515–525 520 3 104.00–110.00 $108.00 $562 -25.00
650 650 1 101.00 $101.00 $656 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 126.00 $126.00 $598 —
595 595 1 70.00 $70.00 $416 -33.00
825 825 1 69.00 $69.00 $569 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 515 1 44.00 $44.00 $227 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
710 710 1 51.00 $51.00 $362 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1000 968 80-85% 2 25.00–31.50 $28.36 $275 —
1075 1075 80-85% 1 56.50 $56.50 $607 +6.57
1025–1365 1214 80-85% 4 41.50–44.00 $42.53 $516 ±0.00
1165–1670 1315 80-85% 4 46.00–55.00 $51.92 $683 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1475–1940 1754 75-80% 6 58.50–66.00 $63.27 $1,110 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885 885 85-90% 1 50.00 $50.00 $442 +33.99

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1715–2080 1868 3 97.00–101.00 $98.87 $1,847 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650 650 1 62.00 $62.00 $403 —

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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.