Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 18, 2022

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 87 135 106
Feeder cattle 47 104 82
Slaughter cattle 37 31 22
Replacement cattle 3 — 2

Market comments — USDA reporter

Head calves 170.00 To 400.00 Slaughter cattle Mostly steady Feeder cattle Mostly steady Demand Moderate Activity Moderate Offerings Light ( Hay Time ) 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 1 160.00 $160.00 $504 -11.94
483 483 2 172.00 $172.00 $831 —
720 720 1 118.00 $118.00 $850 —
775 775 1 112.00 $112.00 $868 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 130.00 $130.00 $384 —
300–315 308 2 114.00–118.00 $115.95 $357 -23.06
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 150.00 $150.00 $435 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 328 2 135.00 $135.00 $443 —
350 350 1 124.00 $124.00 $434 -23.21
435 435 3 126.00–138.00 $131.67 $573 -16.81
450–455 451 5 138.00–148.00 $145.98 $658 +5.48
635 635 1 127.00 $127.00 $806 -3.67
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
205–220 213 2 118.00–120.00 $118.96 $253 —
335 335 1 108.00 $108.00 $362 —
385 385 1 90.00 $90.00 $346 —
420 420 1 105.00 $105.00 $441 +21.10
550 550 1 80.00 $80.00 $440 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 58.00 $58.00 $206 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 2 187.00 $187.00 $808 +3.10
620–647 640 4 149.00–154.00 $150.21 $961 —
785 785 1 100.00 $100.00 $785 -25.00
985 985 1 91.00 $91.00 $896 +2.00
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–420 418 3 162.00–170.00 $167.35 $700 -7.03
505 505 1 135.00 $135.00 $682 -28.51
625–635 630 2 112.00–116.00 $114.02 $718 —
940 940 1 86.00 $86.00 $808 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 112.00 $112.00 $493 -42.83
810 810 1 80.00 $80.00 $648 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
975–1030 995 80-85% 3 72.00–76.00 $73.71 $733 +42.71
980–1095 1029 80-85% 4 60.00–66.00 $63.41 $652 -11.46
940–1125 1069 80-85% 6 80.00–84.00 $82.08 $877 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
655–765 695 85-90% 3 42.00–54.00 $48.95 $340 —
700–835 783 85-90% 5 60.00–70.00 $64.10 $502 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–1620 1513 75-80% 3 85.00–86.50 $85.82 $1,298 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1560 1318 6 92.00–103.00 $95.82 $1,263 —
1560 1560 1 88.00 $88.00 $1,373 —
1520–2115 1876 6 104.00–117.00 $110.93 $2,081 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
710 710 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 350.00 $350.00 —
760 760 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 800.00 $800.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1020 1020 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 740.00 $740.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 100.00 $100.00 $435 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995 995 1 88.00 $88.00 $876 —

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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.