Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 12, 2021

64 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 64 140 111
Feeder cattle 47 112 93
Slaughter cattle 15 22 18
Replacement cattle 2 6 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Baby calves 40.00 Head calves 220.00 Slaughter cattle 1.00 To 2.00 Higher Feeder cattle Mostly steady To 2.00 higher Demand Moderate Activity Moderate Offerings Light (Rain) 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
235 235 1 130.00 $130.00 $306 —
310–340 325 2 144.00–154.00 $149.23 $485 -8.77
355–390 373 2 150.00–151.00 $150.48 $561 +4.55
440 440 1 149.00 $149.00 $656 -9.00
510 510 1 138.00 $138.00 $704 +2.03
550–595 573 2 128.00–139.00 $133.72 $766 —
620–630 625 2 120.00–125.00 $122.48 $766 -1.52
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 111.00 $111.00 $433 -5.00
500 500 1 100.00 $100.00 $500 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
620 620 1 87.00 $87.00 $539 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 130.00 $130.00 $370 —
330 330 1 125.00 $125.00 $412 —
350–380 363 3 137.00–143.00 $139.73 $507 +15.77
440 440 1 130.00 $130.00 $572 -1.04
455 455 1 120.00 $120.00 $546 -13.01
510 510 1 122.00 $122.00 $622 +11.47
625 625 1 98.00 $98.00 $612 -1.20
690 690 1 90.00 $90.00 $621 -10.47
740 740 1 104.00 $104.00 $770 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–395 380 2 125.00–126.00 $125.52 $477 +27.52
545 545 1 107.00 $107.00 $583 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515 thin fleshed 515 1 51.00 $51.00 $263 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405–445 415 4 144.00–154.00 $148.15 $615 -3.70
460–490 479 5 137.00–141.00 $139.19 $667 -1.14
500 500 1 132.00 $132.00 $660 -9.51
570 570 1 127.00 $127.00 $724 +3.37
600 600 1 135.00 $135.00 $810 —
875 875 1 102.00 $102.00 $892 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 thin fleshed 455 1 80.00 $80.00 $364 —
520 520 1 118.00 $118.00 $614 -1.50
Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930 930 1 66.50 $66.50 $618 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935 thin fleshed 935 1 74.00 $74.00 $692 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1345 1089 80-85% 4 61.50–64.50 $62.88 $685 —
1055–1275 1165 80-85% 2 66.00–67.00 $66.45 $774 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1280–1350 1307 75-80% 3 67.00–69.50 $68.15 $891 —
1205–1465 1335 75-80% 2 63.00–64.00 $63.55 $848 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 85-90% 1 34.00 $34.00 $202 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015 1015 1 75.00 $75.00 $761 —
1215–1430 1323 2 79.50–81.50 $80.58 $1,066 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 765.00 $765.00

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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
1015 1015 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 860.00 $860.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 88.00 $88.00 $378 —

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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.