Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, August 18, 2021

127 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $166.50/cwt +25.50 vs last sale · ≈ $962/hd at 578 lb · 44 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $144.91/cwt +23.55 vs last sale · ≈ $825/hd at 570 lb · 23 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $149.00/cwt +19.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,039/hd at 697 lb · 10 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 127 126 105
Feeder cattle 123 99 89
Slaughter cattle 4 27 16

There were too few comparable head the previous week to establish an adequate market comparison. Demand for value added feeder cattle was very good; market activity and buyer interest were active. Offerings of cattle were fairly light. Cattle quality was attractive. Baby calves were 70.00 per head.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 1 153.00 $153.00 $658 -4.21
460–470 465 2 144.00–147.00 $145.48 $676 -18.52
578 value added 578 44 166.50 $166.50 $962
697 value added 697 10 149.00 $149.00 $1,039
805 805 1 133.00 $133.00 $1,071
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550–585 571 4 126.00–136.00 $130.59 $746

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–435 428 4 124.00–132.00 $129.22 $553 -10.04
450–495 468 3 124.00–132.00 $127.46 $597 -2.19
540 540 1 137.00 $137.00 $740 +21.31
569 value added 569 21 146.00 $146.00 $831
575 575 2 132.00–135.00 $133.50 $768 +12.14
660 value added 660 9 138.00 $138.00 $911
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–430 428 2 108.00 $108.00 $462 -24.00
465–480 473 2 108.00–110.00 $108.98 $515 -11.02
535 535 5 115.00 $115.00 $615 +26.99
670 670 2 111.00–119.00 $115.00 $770 +52.00

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 140.00 $140.00 $623 +12.00
520 520 1 136.00 $136.00 $707 +7.97

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370 1370 75-80% 1 69.50 $69.50 $952

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1935–1980 1958 2 95.50–98.00 $96.76 $1,895

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Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 1 60.00 $60.00 $225

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Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630 630 1 88.00 $88.00 $554

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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.