Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 3, 2021

75 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 75 87 176
Feeder cattle 41 63 137
Slaughter cattle 34 24 39

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle Mostly Steady Feeder Cattle Mostly steady Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light Quality Average

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
315 315 1 143.00 $143.00 $450 -18.00
550 550 1 145.00 $145.00 $798 —
695 695 1 129.00 $129.00 $897 -8.00
720–730 725 2 122.00–124.00 $122.99 $892 —
750 750 1 120.00 $120.00 $900 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
180 180 1 105.00 $105.00 $189 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 138.00 $138.00 $421 +16.94
417–440 420 8 125.00–130.00 $129.35 $543 +11.35
490 490 1 114.00 $114.00 $559 —
670–685 678 2 101.00–106.00 $103.47 $702 -14.53
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 114.00 $114.00 $348 —
420 420 1 117.00 $117.00 $491 —
525 525 1 100.00 $100.00 $525 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 thin fleshed 575 1 44.00 $44.00 $253 —
830 830 1 46.00 $46.00 $382 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 168.00 $168.00 $672 +27.98
455–485 470 2 146.00–150.00 $147.94 $695 +7.94
520–535 526 4 136.00–143.00 $141.02 $742 +5.02
595 595 1 136.00 $136.00 $809 —
705 705 5 130.50 $130.50 $920 —
935 935 1 92.00 $92.00 $860 +16.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 131.00 $131.00 $583 —
465 465 1 133.00 $133.00 $618 —
575 575 1 109.00 $109.00 $627 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1270 1106 80-85% 4 42.00–45.00 $43.27 $479 —
950–1420 1128 80-85% 6 48.00–58.00 $55.15 $622 —
900–1475 1188 80-85% 14 61.00–70.00 $63.48 $754 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1890 1460 75-80% 5 60.00–64.00 $61.06 $891 —
1545 1545 75-80% 1 57.00 $57.00 $881 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730 730 85-90% 1 13.00 $13.00 $95 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265 1265 1 69.00 $69.00 $873 —
1480–1910 1695 2 84.50–86.00 $85.15 $1,443 —

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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.