Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 4, 2023

101 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 steers $186.77/cwt ≈ $665/hd at 356 lb · 13 head
light 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $169.25/cwt +21.25 vs last sale · ≈ $565/hd at 334 lb · 12 head
light 2-weight M&L 1-2 steers $153.63/cwt ≈ $336/hd at 219 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 101 111 82
Feeder cattle 82 65 60
Slaughter cattle 19 45 22
Replacement cattle — 1 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

No sale last 2 Weeks Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Light (Heavy Rian ) Quality Attractive

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
200–235 219 11 152.00–162.00 $153.63 $336 —
295 295 1 160.00 $160.00 $472 —
340 340 1 186.00 $186.00 $632 —
355–356 356 13 178.00–187.50 $186.77 $665 —
400–425 413 2 150.00–159.00 $154.36 $638 +1.71
500 500 1 160.00 $160.00 $800 —
615 615 1 141.00 $141.00 $867 —
852 852 2 132.00 $132.00 $1,125 —
1102 1102 2 128.00 $128.00 $1,411 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 1 138.00 $138.00 $345 —
330 330 1 171.00 $171.00 $564 —
360 360 1 168.00 $168.00 $605 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
160 160 1 150.00 $150.00 $240 —
235 235 1 134.00 $134.00 $315 —
340 340 1 140.00 $140.00 $476 +29.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
245 245 2 150.00 $150.00 $368 —
260–290 275 2 136.00–140.00 $138.11 $380 —
300–341 334 12 161.00–170.00 $169.25 $565 +21.25
355–365 360 2 160.00–167.00 $163.45 $588 —
475–495 487 3 137.00–146.00 $141.03 $687 —
530 530 5 174.00 $174.00 $922 +34.00
560 560 1 130.00 $130.00 $728 ±0.00
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 116.00 $116.00 $319 —
365 365 1 132.00 $132.00 $482 —
595 595 1 114.00 $114.00 $678 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 90.00 $90.00 $234 —
310 310 1 90.00 $90.00 $279 —
840 840 1 69.00 $69.00 $580 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 1 150.00 $150.00 $585 —
540 540 1 134.00 $134.00 $724 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 160.00 $160.00 $712 +5.00
490 490 2 152.00–161.00 $156.50 $767 +5.97
500 500 1 167.00 $167.00 $835 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585–590 588 2 137.00–140.00 $138.49 $814 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1220 1068 80-85% 3 63.00–70.00 $65.46 $699 —
1125–1485 1293 80-85% 4 73.00–80.00 $76.45 $988 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630–890 707 85-90% 5 60.00–64.00 $62.07 $439 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270 1270 75-80% 1 68.50 $68.50 $870 —
1325–1550 1402 75-80% 3 74.00–75.00 $74.68 $1,047 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1830 1830 1 108.50 $108.50 $1,986 —

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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.