Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 24, 2021

87 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 87 83 143
Feeder cattle 63 58 123
Slaughter cattle 24 25 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 3.00 To 5.00 Higher Feeder cattle 8.00 To 10.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light {muddy } 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
300 300 1 161.00 $161.00 $483 +21.00
357–395 372 6 140.00–148.00 $144.89 $539 +21.33
380 value added 380 2 155.00 $155.00 $589 —
405 405 1 146.00 $146.00 $591 +17.00
460–470 465 2 138.00–139.00 $138.51 $644 —
535 535 1 137.00 $137.00 $733 —
635 635 1 130.00 $130.00 $826 —
660 660 1 137.00 $137.00 $904 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 325 2 120.00–121.00 $120.52 $392 -3.48
340 340 1 140.00 $140.00 $476 +16.00
350–390 370 2 133.00–137.00 $134.89 $499 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–340 320 3 120.00–123.00 $121.06 $387 -1.85
355–397 381 3 120.00–125.00 $122.05 $465 -2.65
408 408 3 118.00 $118.00 $481 +2.00
450–455 453 2 126.00–128.00 $126.99 $575 +17.49
505–510 508 2 110.00–117.00 $113.52 $577 -0.30
550 550 4 123.50 $123.50 $679 +22.07
635–640 638 2 112.00–115.00 $113.49 $724 —
660 660 1 118.00 $118.00 $779 —
660 value added 660 3 131.00 $131.00 $865 —
710 710 1 112.00 $112.00 $795 —
770 770 1 82.00 $82.00 $631 -2.00
1005–1040 1023 2 63.00–75.00 $69.10 $707 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–285 268 2 68.00–92.00 $79.21 $212 +9.21

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–445 433 3 135.00–144.00 $140.02 $606 —
485 485 1 140.00 $140.00 $679 +8.06
500 500 1 136.00 $136.00 $680 +10.03
555 555 1 133.00 $133.00 $738 —
670 670 1 109.00 $109.00 $730 -5.00
930 930 2 76.00 $76.00 $707 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–790 785 2 63.00–70.00 $66.52 $522 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 50.00 $50.00 $292 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 thin fleshed 585 1 36.00 $36.00 $211 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1225 1076 80-85% 8 56.00–62.00 $58.86 $633 —
966–1465 1239 80-85% 5 65.50–73.00 $68.61 $850 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1635 1567 75-80% 5 63.00–74.00 $70.34 $1,102 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870 870 85-90% 1 61.50 $61.50 $535 +23.50

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100 1100 1 72.50 $72.50 $798 —
1085–1890 1574 4 82.50–89.00 $86.33 $1,359 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 38.00 $38.00 $188 —

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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.