Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 11, 2023

142 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $187.74/cwt +27.74 vs last sale · ≈ $963/hd at 513 lb · 11 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $162.04/cwt ≈ $679/hd at 419 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 142 101 80
Feeder cattle 107 82 65
Slaughter cattle 32 19 15
Replacement cattle 3 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Baby Calves 100.00 Slaughter cattle Mostly Steady Feeder cattle 4.00 To 8.00 Higher Demand Good Activity Active Offerings Moderate 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
275 275 2 187.00 $187.00 $514 +27.00
325 325 1 178.00 $178.00 $578 -8.00
420–440 430 2 187.00–200.00 $193.35 $831 +38.99
510–545 513 11 176.00–189.00 $187.74 $963 +27.74
550 550 1 173.00 $173.00 $952 —
640 640 1 174.00 $174.00 $1,114 +33.00
690 690 1 158.00 $158.00 $1,090 —
700 700 1 149.00 $149.00 $1,043 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
195 195 1 122.00 $122.00 $238 -28.00
215–235 225 2 121.00–130.00 $125.30 $282 -8.70
265 265 1 140.00 $140.00 $371 —
360–390 375 2 112.00–120.00 $116.16 $436 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–340 320 2 140.00–150.00 $144.69 $463 -26.31
730 730 1 130.00 $130.00 $949 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
241 241 2 154.00 $154.00 $371 +4.00
280 280 1 140.00 $140.00 $392 +1.89
340 340 1 138.00 $138.00 $469 -31.25
355–380 364 5 163.00–166.00 $164.20 $598 +0.75
400–435 419 10 154.00–166.00 $162.04 $679 —
465–485 475 2 151.00–160.00 $155.41 $738 +14.38
570 570 1 157.00 $157.00 $895 +27.00
665–690 684 4 120.00–122.00 $120.49 $824 —
990 990 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,040 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 130.00 $130.00 $306 —
255 255 1 126.00 $126.00 $321 —
360 360 1 130.00 $130.00 $468 -20.00
415 415 1 150.00 $150.00 $622 —
455–485 474 5 139.00–147.00 $143.83 $682 —
535 535 1 142.00 $142.00 $760 +8.00
550–570 560 3 133.00–142.00 $138.38 $775 —
670 670 1 119.00 $119.00 $797 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 288 2 120.00 $120.00 $346 +4.00
450 450 1 130.00 $130.00 $585 —
560–590 570 3 120.00–130.00 $126.73 $722 +12.73

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Feeder Bulls

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440 440 1 140.00 $140.00 $616 —
495 495 1 149.00 $149.00 $738 —
505–545 530 5 157.00–169.00 $163.96 $869 —
560–570 565 2 139.00–146.00 $142.53 $805 +4.04
910 910 1 99.00 $99.00 $901 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–420 413 3 160.00–166.00 $164.06 $678 +4.06
455 455 2 175.00–178.00 $176.50 $803 +20.00
505–515 510 2 174.00–183.00 $178.54 $911 +11.54
580–595 588 2 150.00–160.00 $155.06 $912 —
710 710 1 132.00 $132.00 $937 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460–475 468 2 130.00–135.00 $132.54 $620 —
510–540 525 2 135.00–140.00 $137.57 $722 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–1830 1518 75-80% 12 70.00–81.00 $72.60 $1,102 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1240 1081 80-85% 4 70.00–75.00 $72.29 $781 +6.83
1065–1220 1123 80-85% 3 50.00–58.00 $52.90 $594 —
985–1420 1249 80-85% 4 62.00–68.00 $64.84 $810 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870 870 85-90% 2 58.00 $58.00 $505 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1550 1393 2 91.00–93.00 $91.89 $1,280 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1105–1145 1125 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 660.00–710.00 $684.56
1385 1385 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 840.00 $840.00

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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.