Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 1, 2023

93 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 93 107 116
Feeder cattle 71 80 79
Slaughter cattle 22 24 37
Replacement cattle — 3 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle 4.00 to 5.00 higher. Feeder cattle 4.00 to 10.00 higher. Demand good with moderate activity and light offerings. Quality of cattle 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
330 330 1 218.00 $218.00 $719 +18.00
375–385 380 2 218.00–219.00 $218.49 $830 -0.51
485 485 1 209.00 $209.00 $1,014 +10.00
563–595 578 4 184.00–197.00 $192.65 $1,114 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 190.00 $190.00 $627 —
395 395 1 200.00 $200.00 $790 —
580 580 1 155.00 $155.00 $899 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 1 158.00 $158.00 $490 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 132.00 $132.00 $442 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 140.00 $140.00 $322 —
265–285 275 2 140.00 $140.00 $385 —
310–320 315 2 149.00–157.00 $152.94 $482 +18.96
365–390 375 3 138.00–146.00 $140.94 $529 -41.58
410–445 427 5 170.00–180.00 $175.46 $749 -3.87
450–485 470 3 170.00–178.00 $174.07 $818 +4.09
520–535 528 2 150.00–163.00 $156.59 $827 -9.41
560–565 563 3 155.00–164.00 $161.02 $907 -1.35
680 680 2 142.00 $142.00 $966 —
780 780 1 135.00 $135.00 $1,053 —
865 865 2 129.00 $129.00 $1,116 —
940 940 1 127.00 $127.00 $1,194 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–425 418 2 143.00–144.00 $143.49 $600 —
470 470 1 138.00 $138.00 $649 —
820 820 1 80.00 $80.00 $656 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 120.00 $120.00 $492 —
495 495 1 122.00 $122.00 $604 —
525 525 1 84.00 $84.00 $441 —
585 585 1 90.00 $90.00 $526 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485 485 1 159.00 $159.00 $771 +13.08
505 505 1 137.00 $137.00 $692 -13.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 1 193.00 $193.00 $820 -15.00
465–480 473 4 189.00–197.00 $192.47 $910 -5.49
615–630 623 2 180.00–189.00 $184.55 $1,150 +6.55
670 670 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,240 +5.02
705 705 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,058 —
770 770 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,132 +5.00
845 845 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,242 —
850 850 1 128.00 $128.00 $1,088 —
940 940 1 116.00 $116.00 $1,090 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 4 139.00 $139.00 $744 —
700 700 1 120.00 $120.00 $840 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600 600 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,020 +10.00
690 690 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,070 -10.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1070 1007 80-85% 3 50.00–59.00 $55.09 $555 -7.73
1015–1220 1107 80-85% 5 85.00–93.00 $88.62 $981 —
1015–1315 1165 80-85% 6 68.00–78.00 $71.97 $838 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310 1310 75-80% 1 75.00 $75.00 $982 —
1310–1370 1340 75-80% 2 84.00–88.00 $85.96 $1,152 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870 870 85-90% 1 56.00 $56.00 $487 -16.91
890 890 85-90% 1 77.00 $77.00 $685 +12.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210 1210 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,089 —
1710–2075 1893 2 107.00–120.00 $114.13 $2,160 —

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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.