Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, February 8, 2023

118 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 118 69 108
Feeder cattle 90 59 73
Slaughter cattle 28 10 35

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle 8.00 to 11.00 higher. Feeder cattle 4.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand Good, Activity Active, Offerings Moderate, 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
265 265 1 169.00 $169.00 $448 —
340 340 1 208.00 $208.00 $707 +38.99
360–370 365 4 200.00–204.00 $201.49 $735 +18.33
410–425 418 2 189.00–190.00 $189.49 $792 —
455–485 470 2 188.00–199.00 $193.32 $909 +29.32
525 525 2 175.00–176.00 $175.50 $921 —
580 580 1 169.00 $169.00 $980 —
690 690 2 156.00 $156.00 $1,076 —
800 800 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,176 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 164.00 $164.00 $508 —
445 445 1 149.00 $149.00 $663 +29.00
510–525 518 2 138.00–145.00 $141.45 $733 +4.45
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 thin fleshed 225 1 70.00 $70.00 $158 —
465 465 1 84.00 $84.00 $391 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 175.00 $175.00 $700 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 139.00 $139.00 $299 —
270–290 280 2 130.00–135.00 $132.59 $371 —
330–335 332 3 146.00–158.00 $151.31 $502 +1.31
350–360 355 5 168.00–174.00 $171.98 $611 +14.66
400 400 1 150.00 $150.00 $600 -7.29
470–495 480 4 150.00–160.00 $153.81 $738 +10.52
500–525 513 2 140.00–149.00 $144.61 $742 -4.39
570 570 3 143.00 $143.00 $815 +2.46
740–745 743 2 121.00–127.00 $123.99 $921 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
210–240 225 2 120.00–125.00 $122.67 $276 -3.33
300 300 1 144.00 $144.00 $432 +10.00
380–395 388 2 150.00–160.00 $155.10 $602 —
425–440 433 2 130.00–135.00 $132.46 $574 —
495 495 1 131.00 $131.00 $648 +5.00
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
215 215 1 40.00 $40.00 $86 —
260–295 278 2 118.00–120.00 $118.94 $331 —
450–455 453 2 110.00–118.00 $113.98 $516 —
595 595 1 109.00 $109.00 $649 —
620 620 1 70.00 $70.00 $434 —
780 780 1 84.00 $84.00 $655 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 2 120.00–130.00 $125.00 $619 +13.00
540 540 1 128.00 $128.00 $691 —
565–580 573 2 118.00–123.00 $120.53 $691 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 168.00 $168.00 $672 -9.00
470–495 483 2 152.00–160.00 $156.10 $754 -21.92
575–590 583 3 162.00–168.00 $164.99 $962 +5.66
605–640 623 3 162.00–171.00 $167.25 $1,042 —
700 700 1 143.00 $143.00 $1,001 +18.39
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–435 425 2 140.00–146.00 $143.07 $608 —
475 475 1 140.00 $140.00 $665 —
515 515 1 134.00 $134.00 $690 —
550–560 555 2 136.00–146.00 $140.95 $782 —
620 620 1 130.00 $130.00 $806 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485 485 1 124.00 $124.00 $601 -26.00
550 550 1 101.00 $101.00 $556 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 53.00 $53.00 $252 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070 1070 80-85% 1 40.00 $40.00 $428 -41.00
995–1450 1159 80-85% 9 70.00–79.00 $72.79 $844 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680–865 802 85-90% 3 56.00–65.00 $59.80 $480 —
825 825 85-90% 1 81.00 $81.00 $668 —
775–895 830 85-90% 3 68.00–72.00 $70.10 $582 —
890 890 85-90% 1 49.00 $49.00 $436 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1370 1298 75-80% 4 84.00–96.00 $91.25 $1,184 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–2210 1608 2 102.00–115.00 $110.94 $1,784 —
1920–2070 1995 2 86.00–98.00 $92.23 $1,840 —

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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.