Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 14, 2022

111 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 111 97 126
Feeder cattle 65 66 83
Slaughter cattle 45 31 43
Replacement cattle 1 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle 2.00 To 4.00 Higher Feeder cattle 4.00 To 5.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Moderate 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
415–420 418 3 150.00–158.00 $152.65 $638 -15.35
770–790 782 5 120.00–128.00 $124.85 $976 —
950 950 4 134.00 $134.00 $1,273 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 111.00 $111.00 $372 —
920 920 1 92.00 $92.00 $846 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 120.00 $120.00 $354 -2.00
350 350 1 128.00 $128.00 $448 —
450 450 1 120.00 $120.00 $540 ±0.00
500–525 504 7 125.00 $125.00 $630 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 148.00 $148.00 $503 +5.01
440 440 1 140.00 $140.00 $616 +14.07
540 540 1 140.00 $140.00 $756 +17.97
555 555 1 130.00 $130.00 $722 —
675 675 5 100.00–110.00 $102.00 $688 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 2 154.00–156.00 $155.00 $643 +5.69
480–490 485 2 148.00–153.00 $150.53 $730 -13.47
570–580 575 2 147.00–148.00 $147.50 $848 —
600–640 620 3 125.00–131.00 $128.66 $798 —
835 835 1 110.00 $110.00 $918 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 5 142.00 $142.00 $596 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 124.00 $124.00 $564 —
550 550 1 100.00 $100.00 $550 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1525 1149 80-85% 16 60.00–69.00 $65.18 $749 —
940–1355 1158 80-85% 8 52.00–59.00 $54.90 $636 —
1045–1340 1199 80-85% 4 70.00–72.00 $70.55 $846 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1480 1325 75-80% 4 67.00–70.00 $68.25 $904 —
1230–1800 1479 75-80% 7 71.00–84.00 $73.89 $1,093 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
750–830 790 85-90% 2 40.00–50.00 $44.75 $354 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275 1275 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,198 —
1745 1745 1 103.00 $103.00 $1,797 —

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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
1250 1250 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,225.00 $1,225.00 —

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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.