Cattle Market Pulse

Wilkes Livestock Exchange Market Report

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 8, 2023

185 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M 2 steers $194.69/cwt ≈ $987/hd at 507 lb · 21 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $166.42/cwt -7.65 vs last sale · ≈ $820/hd at 493 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 185 93 114
Feeder cattle 158 71 79
Slaughter cattle 27 22 35

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Slaughter cattle mostly steady. Feeder cattle mostly steady. Trade active with good demand, moderate offerings and average quality. Baby calves 230.00.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 194.00 $194.00 $534 —
325–330 328 2 170.00 $170.00 $558 -20.00
397 397 6 190.00 $190.00 $754 -10.00
490 490 1 171.00 $171.00 $838 —
505–545 507 21 189.00–195.00 $194.69 $987 —
715 715 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,072 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 230.00 $230.00 $656 —
310 310 1 210.00 $210.00 $651 -8.00
355–375 368 3 215.00–220.00 $217.02 $799 -1.47
410–425 418 2 210.00–216.00 $213.05 $891 —
450 450 1 216.00 $216.00 $972 +7.00
528 528 3 211.00 $211.00 $1,114 —
560–575 571 4 184.00–193.00 $189.23 $1,081 -3.42
605 605 1 192.00 $192.00 $1,162 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255 255 2 140.00–150.00 $145.00 $370 —
360 360 1 178.00 $178.00 $641 —
525 525 1 180.00 $180.00 $945 —
680 680 1 129.00 $129.00 $877 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 120.00 $120.00 $384 -12.00
375 375 1 95.00 $95.00 $356 —
460 460 1 120.00 $120.00 $552 —
675 675 1 114.00 $114.00 $770 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–340 325 2 170.00–175.00 $172.62 $561 +19.68
395 395 1 194.00 $194.00 $766 +53.06
400–415 408 3 160.00–170.00 $166.61 $680 -8.85
460–496 493 11 166.00–171.00 $166.42 $820 -7.65
510–545 525 3 150.00–160.00 $154.62 $812 -1.97
555 555 1 156.00 $156.00 $866 -5.02
655 655 1 135.00 $135.00 $884 -7.00
840 840 1 90.00 $90.00 $756 —
915 915 1 81.00 $81.00 $741 -46.00
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220–245 233 2 120.00–126.00 $122.84 $286 —
300 300 1 130.00 $130.00 $390 —
370–395 385 3 110.00–120.00 $114.40 $440 —
415–445 432 3 106.00–120.00 $112.08 $484 -31.41
465 465 1 126.00 $126.00 $586 -12.00
625 625 1 112.00 $112.00 $700 —
665 665 2 94.00 $94.00 $625 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–345 315 3 100.00–106.00 $103.81 $327 —
335–345 340 2 92.00 $92.00 $313 —
450–495 472 3 100.00–108.00 $103.94 $491 -18.06
570 570 1 80.00 $80.00 $456 -10.00
665 665 1 64.00 $64.00 $426 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 1 144.00 $144.00 $425 —
360 360 1 170.00 $170.00 $612 —
440 440 2 159.00 $159.00 $700 —
460 460 1 149.00 $149.00 $685 -10.00
630 630 1 90.00 $90.00 $567 —
775 775 1 76.00 $76.00 $589 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–425 418 2 188.00–198.00 $192.91 $806 -0.09
500–520 514 7 188.00–195.00 $192.77 $991 —
605 605 4 170.00–177.00 $175.25 $1,060 -9.30
665 665 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,270 +6.00
735 735 1 130.00 $130.00 $956 -20.00
945 945 1 99.00 $99.00 $936 -17.00
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 1 130.00 $130.00 $520 —
460–490 477 3 116.00–123.00 $119.64 $571 —
530 530 1 140.00 $140.00 $742 +1.00
570 570 2 120.00 $120.00 $684 —
635 635 2 100.00–112.00 $106.00 $673 —
650–680 665 2 120.00–134.00 $127.16 $846 —
Small 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 113.00 $113.00 $458 —
505–510 508 3 120.00–124.00 $122.68 $623 —
650 650 1 100.00 $100.00 $650 —
720 720 1 80.00 $80.00 $576 —
Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 168.00 $168.00 $697 —
470 470 1 164.00 $164.00 $771 —
545 545 1 179.00 $179.00 $976 —
855 855 1 116.00 $116.00 $992 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1400 1086 80-85% 8 70.00–80.00 $74.56 $810 —
1135 1135 80-85% 1 58.00 $58.00 $658 -30.62
1165 1165 80-85% 1 85.00 $85.00 $990 +13.03
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
690–890 788 85-90% 3 31.00–48.00 $38.15 $301 —
790–855 830 85-90% 3 69.00–76.00 $73.44 $610 —
765–920 848 85-90% 3 50.00–60.00 $53.61 $455 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1370 1267 75-80% 3 84.00–105.00 $92.55 $1,173 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1260 1180 3 87.00–93.00 $89.11 $1,051 —
1370–1520 1445 2 95.00–100.00 $97.37 $1,407 —

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Dairy Heifers

Medium 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 84.00 $84.00 $286 —
520 520 1 66.00 $66.00 $343 —
Medium 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 54.00 $54.00 $208 —

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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.